The Swiss intelligence service reported the number of Russian spies

There are about 80 Russian spies in Switzerland, which is about one fifth of the total number of Russian agents in Europe.

This was reported by the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung with reference to data from the Federal Intelligence Service of Switzerland.

European states are actively opposing the Russian intelligence network, expelling employees of Russian embassies from the beginning of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

However, due to the long tradition of neutrality, Switzerland did not resort to such a step. According to the estimates of intelligence services, which they shared with members of parliament in September, there are currently about 80 Russian agents in the country.

A representative of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs in a comment to NZZ emphasized that the country's government "does not impose any sanctions in the form of expelling diplomats", adding that communication channels with Russia should be preserved.

"When Switzerland expels diplomats, it does so for reasons of internal security, and these cases are not reported publicly," the interlocutor added.

Such Swiss cities as Geneva and Bern have always attracted the attention of intelligence because of the location of international organizations and companies there, the problem of Russian espionage has become a hot topic of debate among Swiss politicians.

"These foreign agents pose a threat to Switzerland's internal and external security," Fabian Molina, a member of the Swiss National Assembly (the lower house of parliament), said in an interview with NZZ.

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 09/10/2023