According to the Dutch intelligence service, a Russian spy tried to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) that was investigating allegations of war crimes carried out in Ukraine by Russia using fake identification and spent over a decade building up his cover story.
Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, who is linked to the Russian military secret service was accused by the agency of creating an elaborate cover story that dated back years in an attempt to enter the Netherlands posing as a man with Brazilian nationality, the intelligence service told Reuters.
Dutch intelligence chief Erik Akerboom stated, "It clearly shows us what the Russians are up to - trying to gain illegal access to the information within the ICC. We classify this as a high-level threat".
Dutch intelligence agency chief Erik Akerboom said that "This was a long-term, multi-year GRU operation that cost a lot of time, energy, and money", using the acronym for the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (formerly known as the Main Intelligence Directorate).
The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) put out a statement that said the man, whose alias was Viktor Muller Ferreira was picked up at a dutch airport and was declared an undesirable alien. He was then put on a flight back to Brazil where he will be facing court proceedings.
Akerboom said that "It clearly shows us what the Russians are up to - trying to gain illegal access to the information within the ICC. We classify this as a high-level threat".
ICC spokesperson Sonia Robla said that "The ICC takes these threats very seriously and will continue to work and cooperate with The Netherlands".
The Dutch intelligence agency gave out a four-page document detailing Cherkasov's cover story, including details about their troubled family history and a club where he listened to trance music. It even included his favorite restaurant in Brasilia where it stated he would eat cheap brown bean stew.
"Cherkasov used a well-constructed cover identity by which he concealed all his ties with Russia in general, and the GRU in particular" according to the statement.
If Cherkasov had been able to succeed in infiltrating the ICC, he may have been able to access and even destroy or tamper with documents and emails related to the investigations of the alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.
Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, who is linked to the Russian military secret service was accused by the agency of creating an elaborate cover story that dated back years in an attempt to enter the Netherlands posing as a man with Brazilian nationality, the intelligence service told Reuters.
Dutch intelligence chief Erik Akerboom stated, "It clearly shows us what the Russians are up to - trying to gain illegal access to the information within the ICC. We classify this as a high-level threat".
Dutch intelligence agency chief Erik Akerboom said that "This was a long-term, multi-year GRU operation that cost a lot of time, energy, and money", using the acronym for the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (formerly known as the Main Intelligence Directorate).
The Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service (AIVD) put out a statement that said the man, whose alias was Viktor Muller Ferreira was picked up at a dutch airport and was declared an undesirable alien. He was then put on a flight back to Brazil where he will be facing court proceedings.
Akerboom said that "It clearly shows us what the Russians are up to - trying to gain illegal access to the information within the ICC. We classify this as a high-level threat".
ICC spokesperson Sonia Robla said that "The ICC takes these threats very seriously and will continue to work and cooperate with The Netherlands".
The Dutch intelligence agency gave out a four-page document detailing Cherkasov's cover story, including details about their troubled family history and a club where he listened to trance music. It even included his favorite restaurant in Brasilia where it stated he would eat cheap brown bean stew.
"Cherkasov used a well-constructed cover identity by which he concealed all his ties with Russia in general, and the GRU in particular" according to the statement.
If Cherkasov had been able to succeed in infiltrating the ICC, he may have been able to access and even destroy or tamper with documents and emails related to the investigations of the alleged Russian war crimes in Ukraine.