“NYT” journalists showed that Russian services sent their best people to Brazilnot to conduct intelligence there, but for intelligence officers to gain a new identity there. Thanks to this, they could be sent to any place in the world, because they had a strong false legend.
The Brazilian police unit specialized in counterintelligence operations began operations about the crypt who “Operation East”, during which she managed to discover the modus operandi of Russian services. 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.
A false intern. He was to spy on the International Criminal Court
According to the journal's report in 2022, Brazilian services received information from the CIA that a person traveling with a Brazilian passport, flying from Sao Paulo to Hagi to take an internship in the International Criminal Tribunal (MTK), works for Russian intelligence.
Victor Muller Ferreira, or rather Sergei Czerkasov, was to start working when MTK began to study Russian war crimes in 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 He had to go back to Brazil, where he was imprisoned after a rapid investigation for falsifying documents.
Russian spy. Mother betrayed him
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.
Passport put up on Victor Muller Ferreira He 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 real, she was a woman She never had children.
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” noted that this system is imperfect and prone to corruptionand therefore ideal for being used by foreign services.
Action of the Brazilian police. Russian spies were revealed
The newspaper pointed out that thanks to the activities of the Brazilian police Many officers and intelligence officers were revealedwho 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, the Brazilian police issued The blue note of Interpolwhich 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 further hindered the life of the Russians who tried to be Brazilians.