Russian spy, worked on military intelligence, prosecuted in Norway
A Russian spy was operating for Russia's GRU on the territory of Norway (photo: Getty Images)
Norwegian police have arrested a Russian spy who was operating at the University of Tromsø under a false identity. Investigators determined that the suspect had forged documents in the name of a Brazilian citizen, though, in reality, he is an agent of Russian intelligence, according to reports from VG.no.
Mikhail Mikushin was apprehended on the morning of October 24, 2022, during a special operation in Tromsø while heading to the local university. The suspect was using a fake passport under the name of a Brazilian, Jose Assis Jammari. However, the police discovered that the man was, in fact, a Russian illegal agent carrying out espionage tasks in Norway.
The Russian agent has been in custody of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) for over a year, facing charges of espionage.
On December 6, the Oslo District Court extended Mikushin's detention for an additional eight weeks with restrictions on correspondence and meetings. During the hearing, the Russian was registered and introduced under his real name for the first time. Although prosecutor Per Haugsmoen noted that the investigation already had convincing evidence of document forgery.
Russian diplomats washed their hands
At the beginning of the investigation, the police sent a letter to the Russian Embassy in Norway, providing the Russian name of the spy and requesting diplomatic confirmation or denial of the accuracy of the personal information. However, law enforcement did not receive a response.
VG also reached out to the Russian Embassy in Norway, but they declined to provide information about the suspected individual.
"The consular department of the embassy has no information that Jose Assis Jammariya is a citizen of Russia. Therefore, consular assistance is not provided," stated the diplomatic mission.
Investigators confirmed the identity of the spy
Meanwhile, information about Mykhail Mikushin coincided with investigations conducted by VG and the investigative journalism network Bellingcat.
VG found documentation linking the suspect to the Russian military intelligence agency GRU. This is evidenced by email correspondence that the agent used to apply for a job in Tromsø. Using this information, Bellingcat investigators discovered accounts on Russian platforms, and later gained access to a photo on Mikushin's driver's license.
They ran the image through the Azure Face Recognition program and obtained the following result:
Photo: VG.no
Afterwards, Bellingcat investigators checked Mikushin's registered addresses in Russia and found that he was registered in a residential complex reserved for officers of the Main Intelligence Directorate:
Photo: VG.no
Russian spies in Norway
In October, Russian intelligence services attempted to recruit a resident of Norway. His mission was to photograph military facilities in the country's north and transmit the images to the Kremlin.
On April 13 of this year, Norway declared 15 Russian diplomats, who were active intelligence officers, persona non grata and expelled them from the country.
Russian diplomats were allegedly involved in radio reconnaissance activities on Norwegian soil.
