“New York Times”: The Russians made a spy factory from Brazil

“New York Times” reports that Russian services have created their spy factory in Brazil. The daily described how Russia acquires false identities for them.

“Russian services used multiculturalism and corruption in Brazil to create its spy factory in this South American country,” writes New York Times.

“NYT” journalists inform that Russian services sent to Brazil Your best people, not to conduct intelligence there, but for intelligence officers to gain a new identity there. Thanks to this, they could be sent in any place for candles, because they had a strong false legend built.

The Brazilian police unit specialized in counterintelligence operations began operations about the crypt who “Operation East” (East Operation), during which she managed to discover the modus operandi of Russian services.

Read also: “Putin can easily go to Brazil.

Thanks to the work of investigators, the identity of at least nine Russian intelligence officers was revealed. Two were arrested, and the others had to return to Russia. As “NYT” assessed, these people will never be able to act under the cover abroad of the Russian Federation.

The matter of the Russian spy in MTK

According to the journal report, in 2022 Brazilian services got information from Wagonthat a person traveling with a Brazilian passport, flying from Sao Paulo to Hagi to take an internship in the International Criminal Court (MTK), works for a Russian intelligence.

Victor Muller Ferreira, or rather Sergei Czerkasov, was to start working when MTK began to study Russian war crimes at Ukraine. Washington Johns Hopkins University also finished under the Brazilian identity.

Already at the Dutch airport, however, he was not allowed by the border guard, which was warned. Czerkasow had to return to Brazil, where after a rapid investigation he was imprisoned for falsifying documents.

This incident gave rise to the investigation of the Brazilian police that had been ongoing for over three years, which decided that since Czerkasov was able to build such a sophisticated false identity, there could probably be more spies – described the New York newspaper.

The passport exposed to Victor Muller Ferreira was real. The card entitling him to vote also. In addition, Czerkasow had a document that he had completed the obligatory military service.

However, the suspicion of investigators was aroused by the Birth certificate of Czerkasów, which showed that he was born in Rio de Janeiro, and his mother died four years after his birth. However, it turned out that although the mother's identity was true, she never had children.

Russian services use an imperfect system in Brazil

As the daily explained, many countries have a verification system for issuing birth certificates, in which you must obtain confirmation of identity from the hospital or doctor where the person was born.

For geographical reasons in Brazil, people born in the province can obtain a birth certificate when two witnesses confirm their version of events. “NYT” pointed out that this system is imperfect and susceptible to corruption, and therefore ideal for being used by foreign services.

The newspaper pointed out that thanks to the activities of the Brazilian police, many officers and intelligence officers were revealed, who in Brazil had a peaceful life, preparing to be sent to intelligence in another country. “NYT” reported that most spies could not be stopped, but providing the data of these officers “burned” their cover, preventing them from further service abroad.

In addition, in order to make all spy activities to make it difficult for spies, the Brazilian police issued a blue interpol note, which is a request to provide information about the identity of the person sought.

The daily pointed out that it was a cunning play, because Putin's regime has repeatedly used interpol to prosecute, among others oppositionists. By publishing this note, the Brazilian police additionally hindered the life of the Russians who wanted to pretend to be Brazilians.

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