The Russian embassy on Wednesday denied espionage in Norway. On Tuesday, Oslo announced it had arrested a suspected Russian illegal agent.
The arrested man posed as a Brazilian researcher working for a year at the University of Tromsø in northern Norway. According to the Norwegian Counter-Intelligence Services (PST), he would be a Russian agent. According to PST, he wanted to build a network, set up information channels and infiltrate environments with sensitive information.
The counterintelligence services demand the man’s extradition because he “poses a threat to the nation’s fundamental interests”. However, the Russian embassy in Norway said on Wednesday it did not know “who or what it is about”. “In general, espionage has been heavily promoted in Norway lately,” it said.
In addition to the suspected spy arrested, Norway has recently arrested a dozen Russian citizens accused of operating drones over Norwegian territory, which is prohibited by the war in Ukraine or violating the ban on photographing sensitive sites. Norway is also concerned about Russian fishing boats or research vessels, which are still allowed in specific Norwegian ports. “It’s all politically driven,” the embassy said.
Due to Russian war restrictions, Norway, the largest gas supplier to Europe, has increased vigilance around strategic sites. Illegal agents are rarely arrested. A sensational case was the arrest of Anna Chapman, a Russian businesswoman who was arrested in New York in 2010.