Don't resort to hacking too often

Russian intelligence prefers Cold War espionage tactics

Russian Embassy in Berlin: Smith may be a Russian informant.

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The arrest this week of a British embassy worker in Berlin working for Russian intelligence has focused attention on “old school” espionage tactics, forgotten by countries in the midst of hacking and satellite surveillance in the digital age, and still followed by Russia.

In Cold War-era scenarios, German authorities arrested a British embassy security guard on suspicion of handing over documents to Russian intelligence.

In an age of electronic espionage and mass data leaks, the idea of ​​obtaining classified information from embassy employees or low-ranking scientists may seem outdated, but experts say intelligence from human sources remains vital as Russia seeks to expand its global influence.

“These methods still exist, and we, in the UK government, have done a lot to protect our secrets,” said Sir Tony Brinton, the British ambassador to Russia from 2004 to 2008, in an interview. The Russians still put a tremendous amount of effort into pursuing such means, and sometimes they achieve their goals.”

Officials fear that the security guard, a contractor named David Smith, 57, who previously served as a pilot in the RAF, handed over counter-terrorism documents to Russian agents, and German sources say he obtained the documents "accidentally".

In a letter to The Times, the former UK Security and Intelligence Coordinator, Professor Sir David Omand, said human resources “remain valuable to our adversaries (not just Russia), not least facilitating cyber espionage.

Those contacted are employees of our critical infrastructure, who may have access to networks and how to protect them.”

Fears

Brenton says there are widespread concerns about locally recruited staff at British embassies.

They may be intimidated by the Russian security services, finding it "extremely difficult to resist pressure to provide assistance, which may include obtaining documents".

He suspected that Smith had access to classified material, but the new technology provided greater spying opportunities for local embassy staff appointed as agents.

“They could harm us by planting microphones in the old days, but now they are growing more sophisticated equipment,” he says.

“In Moscow, we have been very careful to protect the parts of electronic devices through which key secrets are hidden, but this may not apply in places in Western Europe, where the number of British civil servants is very low.”

Embassies staff

Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russian intelligence agencies, agrees that embassy staff who do not have diplomatic status or security clearance can still be useful to monitor movements or install electronic devices to intercept communications.

Pictures from Smith's apartment in Potsdam showed he was carrying Russian flags and military memorabilia, including insignia of pro-Moscow rebel battalions, which are fighting in eastern Ukraine. Among the books on his shelves are an encyclopedia of Russia, biographies of the Russian army and a biography of the Nazi Reinhard Heydrich. The photographs also show at least three Soviet military berets near a group of teddy bears. Soldatov said the photographs suggested Smith was an informant approaching the foreign intelligence service himself, rather than being recruited by another. He was clearly ideologically driven, according to what we see in his apartment. This is how intelligence agencies operate now, with former Cold War enemies, such as Britain and Russia, often using ideological informants.

In an age of electronic espionage and mass data leaks, the idea of ​​obtaining classified information from embassy employees or low-ranking scientists may seem outdated, but experts say intelligence from human sources remains vital as Russia seeks to expand its global influence.

Embassy staff who do not have diplomatic status or security clearance can still be useful to monitor movements or place electronic devices to intercept communications.

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