– The intelligence threat has not gone away, but has been reduced, says head of PST’s counter-intelligence, Inger Haugland, about 15 people at the Russian embassy being declared undesirable in Norway. The decision was announced on Thursday. – We see different types of activity. An important part of that is keeping human sources, and that they engage in various forms of acquisitions, as well as technical acquisition and interception of information, says PST’s counter-intelligence officer Inger Haugland to news. She says that the threshold for deciding that a person is unwanted in Norway is high, but that they have followed the fifteen for a long time. – We are sure. These people are intelligence officers under diplomatic cover, says Haugland. More are thrown out It is not the first time that Russians have been thrown out of Norway, but it does not always happen as openly as now. PST confirms to news that two Russians were deported from Norway in 2021 after meeting a Norwegian business leader. Russia is said to have intensified intelligence after the war against Ukraine began. – They are willing to take greater risks, says Haugland at the press conference. Haugland explains that Russia now has more to gain and less to lose from operating intelligence in Europe PST informs about the background for fifteen Russian diplomats being unwanted in Norway Photo: Olav Døvik / news – Two sectors in particular are particularly vulnerable, and this applies to defence. and the petroleum sector, says adviser from PST’s counterintelligence, Dag Røhjell. He adds that it is about what Norway does with international significance. And it is about what we contribute to Ukrainian defense capability and European energy supply. – Specialists – Russia uses its consulates and embassies to conduct signals intelligence. We have no reason to believe that they do not do this less in Norway than in other countries, says Haugland. All of the 15 unwanted Russians must leave the country shortly. Exactly how long they have is currently unknown. – As for the fifteen who have been expelled, they are people who are specialists in various fields, says adviser from PST’s counterintelligence, Dag Røhjell. One of them must have had the core task of recruiting sources. – We see that they spend a lot of time establishing and maintaining relationships in Norway. – Significant activity – GRU, which is the Russian military intelligence service, has significant activity in Norway. They are mostly concerned with military conditions and Norwegian defence, our military installations and ability to handle crises, as well as our capacity to receive allied support, says Røhjell. The call from PST is that property owners, individuals and businesses in Norway, must be aware of what they have, and take preventive measures. The Russians acquire goods and technology in Norway that can contribute to building Russian capacity. The Russian embassy in Oslo reacts strongly to fifteen of its employees being thrown out of Norway. Photo: Annika Byrde / NTB The Russian embassy in Oslo reacts strongly to the 15 Russians being thrown out, calling it a hostile act. This is what Maria Zakharova, the spokeswoman for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, writes in a statement. – This is a serious blow to the Norwegian-Russian relationship. These actions will not be left without a reaction from our side. We will come up with a strong response, says Zakharova. Counterreactions from the Russian side are expected, and this will probably mean that Norwegian diplomats are thrown out of Russia. – The Russians have around 40 diplomats in Norway. When 15 are now expelled, it’s a pretty big deal, says researcher on diplomacy at Fritjof Nansen’s institute, Iver Neumann. Norway has 22 diplomats in Russia The Norwegian embassy in Moscow tells news that there are now 22 Norwegians with diplomatic status in Russia. Ten of these are sent from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and three from the Ministry of Defence. In addition, the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Education each have an envoy. Six people have practical-technical tasks and are recruited from outside the ministries. – It will take a lot for Russia to respond by throwing out just as many, because there are so few Norwegian diplomats in Moscow, says research professor at the Peace Research Institute PRIO, Pavel K. Baev to news. Research professor at PRIO, Pavel Baev, is surprised by the high number of Russians who are said to have been intelligence agents under the guise of being diplomats. Photo: PRIO He is surprised by the high number of diplomats who are said to have been intelligence agents. – It is nevertheless absolutely possible in this situation of increased confrontation and high tension between Russia and the West, and especially between Russia and NATO, that a decision has been taken to increase the number of intelligence agents under diplomatic cover, says Baev.
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– Considerable activity in Norway – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
