Putin's spying war on US
Mark Franchetti and Sarah Baxter
May 21, 2007
RUSSIA'S covert foreign intelligence operations against the US have reached Cold War levels under President Vladimir Putin, according to Washington officials.
White House intelligence advisers believe no other country is as aggressive as Russia in trying to obtain US secrets, with the possible exception of China. The SVR, as the former KGB's foreign intelligence arm is now known, is using a network of undercover agents in the US to gather classified information about sensitive technologies, including military projects under development and high-tech research. Yuri Shvets, a former KGB agent, said: "In the days of the Soviet Union, the number of spies was limited because they had to be based at the Foreign Ministry, the Trade Mission or the news agencies like Tass. Right now, virtually every successful private company in Russia is being used as a cover for Russian intelligence operations." Intelligence experts believe that since Mr Putin became President in 2000, the Russians have rebuilt a network of agents in the US that had been depleted during the country's transition from communism. Mr Putin served 16 years in the KGB, including a spell in foreign intelligence in East Germany. He became head of the FSB, the domestic security service. According to Mr Shvets, the FSB has been operating widely in the US because of its favoured status with Mr Putin. Agents, some acting under diplomatic cover, are said to be trying to recruit specialists in American facilities with access to sensitive information. A rare insight into the SVR's methods was gained six months ago when the authorities in Canada deported a Russian man who had been masquerading as a Canadian citizen. The alleged SVR agent had been living under a false identity as Paul William Hampel and was detained carrying a fake birth certificate, pound stg. 3000 ($7183) in five currencies and several encrypted pre-paid mobile phone cards. He claimed to be a lifeguard and travel consultant but counter-intelligence officers believe he based himself in Montreal because the city is the centre of the Canadian aerospace industry. Carrying a Canadian passport, he would have been able to travel freely to the US. In another incident last year, US authorities arrested Ariel Weinmann, a former US navy submariner, on charges of spying for the Russians. Weinmann was accused of making electronic copies of classified information which he sought to pass on to his handlers. He was sentenced to 12 years in jail. John Pike, a military and security analyst, said a surge in recruitment of US intelligence operatives since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, had presented great opportunities for the Russians to penetrate the CIA and other agencies. The increase in Russian intelligence activity abroad is in step with Moscow's more aggressive stance since Mr Putin came to power and turned the country's lagging economy around on the back of record high oil prices. Mr Putin's abrasive style has frustrated Washington. "President Putin thinks the United States has been weakened by Iraq," said Richard Holbrooke, a former US ambassador to the UN. "He thinks he has been strengthened by recent events and high-priced oil and he is trying to put Russia back on the international map." Estonia appeared last week to have become the target of a cyber attack after a row with Moscow over its decision to relocate a Soviet-era military monument. The Estonians claim professional hackers from Russia targeted the internet sites of ministries, parliament, banks, the media and large companies, causing their systems to crash.
The Sunday Times
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