Latvian special services have detained a Latvian citizen on suspicion of spying in favour of Russia, the Latvian State Security Service has reported. The man was detained on the night of 17-18 October in Ventspils, but it became known about him only now: he is suspected of collecting and transferring information about the Latvian defence sector in favour of the Russian GRU.
His home and another facility were searched, and now the Latvian has been arrested. “An in-depth examination of the contents of the data carriers that were seized during the search is ongoing,” the Latvian security services reported.
As reported by Delfi, according to investigators, the detainee passed to Russian military intelligence information about various topical issues in the defence sector and NATO military in Latvia (near Ventspils regularly held NATO military exercises with the participation of the Latvian military). He also passed on data about private infrastructure that could be used for aviation purposes and the conditions for purchasing mobile phone cards in Latvia.
Last week, Germany announced the sentencing of several men for spying for Russia. A verdict in October was also handed down for spying for Russia in Estonia: there, Ivan Dmitriev, a member of the Estonian Defence Union, a volunteer paramilitary formation that operated drones, was sentenced to almost five years in prison. According to the verdict, on the assignment of Alexander Bobkov, an officer of the operational department of the FSB Border Guard Service, Dmitriev passed him data on members of his organisation, the political situation in the Estonian town of Narva, the movement of military personnel, and the Narva Museum, against whose director a criminal case has been opened in Russia.