Journalists from the Danish newspaper Information identified 12 out of 15 employees of the Russian embassy in Copenhagen, whom the Danish authorities expelled from the country in April last year, accusing them of espionage. The publication claims that among them were officers of both the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Russia and the Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) of the General Staff of the Ministry of Defense.
Among the identified employees of the embassy is, in particular, the assistant to the military attache Sergei Maslov. Among the information collected by the authors of the investigation was the Moscow address where his wife is registered. The Insider's editor-in-chief Roman Dobrokhotov told his Danish colleagues that the building at that address belongs to the GRU. Another deportee, embassy attaché Alexander Chugunov, as it turned out, was registered in Krasnoznamensk, Moscow Region, which has the status of a closed city.
The second part of the investigation alleges that the Russian House in Denmark, which is positioned as a center of science and culture, served as a cover for Russian intelligence for many years. After studying photos and videos from the events held there, journalists discovered some of the exiled spies.
According to the newspaper, the head of the Russian House in Denmark, Artem Markaryan, paid special attention to relations with the Danish Technical University (DTU) and several times organized conferences and other events with the participation of representatives of this university and Russian scientists. In addition, journalists found a person who was in charge of educational and research projects at the Russian House in 2019, and found out that the same person worked at DTU. Russian Alexei Nikiforov, who was found guilty of espionage in May 2021 by a Danish court and ordered to be expelled from the country, studied at the same university as a graduate student.
It is noted that the interest in the DTU from Russia is consistent with the assessments of the Danish police intelligence (PET). An agency report released in January 2022 stated that Denmark's leading positions in energy and biotechnology make the country an "attractive target" for espionage. A PET spokesman explained to Information newspaper that Russia is particularly interested in research into clean technologies and renewable energy sources, which represent an alternative and therefore a threat to Russian fossil fuels.
The sphere of interests of Russian intelligence also includes the Danish island of Greenland, where the American military base Thule is located.
- The Russian House is located in a building bought by the USSR in 1975 and is run by Rossotrudnichestvo, as well as similar centers in other world capitals. In July 2022, the European Union imposed sanctions on the agency, justifying this decision by saying that it works to increase the influence of the Kremlin. Despite the sanctions, Rossotrudnichestvo continued its activities in Denmark, and only in January 2023 did the Danish authorities pay attention to two organizations associated with the Russian House and froze their accounts.
- Researcher at the American Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) Olga Lautman told Information that one of the main functions of Rossotrudnichestvo is to provide cover for agents of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Russia. A similar opinion was expressed by British political scientist and expert on Russia Mark Galeoti in a report for the European Council on Foreign Relations.
- Rossotrudnichestvo, in response to a request from Information, categorically denies any connection with the special services and claims that it deals exclusively with issues of culture, science and education.