Photo: Bulgaria ON AIR
The fact that Russia is increasing espionage, especially in Europe, is logical – it collects more information at a time of conflict,” said journalist and analyst Prof. Valery Todorov in “Bulgaria morning”. He commented on an investigation by Belgian media, according to which the Russian embassy in Brussels is festooned with spy antennas.
“That’s their job, they don’t watch TV series. It’s natural that these are antennas that are designed for communication. The communication experts can say what exactly they do,” explained Todorov.
Regarding the investigations in the media, he clarified that it is about several. One is the Dossier center, which is linked to Kremlin critic and oligarch Mikhail Khodorovsky. Another investigation shows Russia’s activities in the North Seas, allegedly under the guise of fishing trawlers and yachts for intelligence activity.
“This is normal, as Russia considers the northern seas to be its strategic area,” Valery Todorov believes.
Before Bulgaria ON AIR the expert said that in some of the mentioned investigations the information comes out within two or three months, but for others – such as the explosion of the Nord Stream gas pipeline, the data is scarce.
Regarding the satellite antennas of the Russian embassy in Brussels, the guest explained that it could be sensitive equipment to intercept communications.
“The services within a perimeter of 200-300 meters capture everything, why shouldn’t it be possible to intercept telephone conversations?” Todorov pointed out and recalled a case in Russia where the services eavesdropped on employees in state institutions.
“The question is what exactly is being listened to, it is possible to listen to individual individuals. They monitor the activities through Facebook profiles”, explained the journalist, but in his words “we don’t need to look around at how many antennas the embassies have”.
Todorov also commented on the expulsion of Russian diplomats from the embassy in Sofia.
“It is clear that we overdid it and that it pursued certain political goals for certain political entities. Bulgaria is natural, as a small country, to protect itself from all risks, but it should be more cautious. Pursuing embassy employees – this is a type of punitive measure of an ethical nature, because it limits the work of embassies”, he added and recalled that as a countermeasure to Russia, the Bulgarian embassy in Moscow worked at a “sanitary minimum”.
“When you’re at war, it’s natural to increase intelligence. The services use diplomatic passports for their employees. They’ve been used in the past, they’re being used now,” the analyst said.
He also said that there are journalists who may be doing intelligence work, recalling the case of the trial against an American journalist in Russia.
“Espionage is part of visible warfare. Diplomats are watched, but how effective this is depends on the services. What proportion of the expelled are actually spies is difficult to answer. I do not deny the possibility that a person who has another function, for example a cook, is also developing another activity,” concluded Todorov.
