Project Matryoshka

🇺🇸 Espionage at U.S. Embassy in Oslo, Norway On November 20, 2024, Norwegian authorities arrested a U.S. Embassy security guard on suspicion of espionage on behalf of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) and Iran. He is accused of having violated Section 122 (“aggravated intelligence-gathering activity targeting state secrets”) Section 126 ("other unlawful intelligence-gathering”) of the Norwegian Penal Code. If found guilty, the suspect could face a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. According to his lawyer, John Christian Elden, the 27 year-old Norwegian citizen "admits to having collected and shared information with the Russian and Iranian authorities” but does not plead guilty to espionage. According to court documents, the suspect operated with a handler who directed his espionage activities. Although working as a security guard at the U.S. Embassy, he lacked the security clearance necessary to obtain access to classified information. Therefore, it is “unclear whether he has had secret information that would mean that anti-espionage laws could be used against him,” Elden told Reuters. Potentially, he could have had access to who visited the embassy. Together with a 44 year-old man, the suspect ran a security company. According to the website - now only available through the Wayback Machine - advertised security services for diplomatic missions, including the U.S. Embassy, among other things. Moreover, the suspect is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree at the UiT The Arctic University of Norway in Security and Preparedness. According to the Barents Observer, he had been to Kirkenes twice “in recent months.” However, the suspect denies a link between the accusations and his enrollment at UiT. Interestingly, a guest researcher at UiT, claiming to be Brazilian José Assis Giammaria, was revealed to be a Russian intelligence officer named Mikhail Valeryevich Mikushin. In 2022, he was charged with espionage before being exchanged as part of a major prisoner swap between Russia and the West in August 2023. The suspect is currently in custody for four weeks.

‼️Security Service of Ukraine reports a new attack on the Kerch bridge! The operation lasted several months. Security Service agents mined the supports of the bridge and activated the first explosive device today at 4:44 am. The underwater supports of the bridge were severely damaged at the bottom level - 1100 kg of explosives in TNT equivalent were used.