A man has appeared in Greek court on charges that he worked for Russia’s foreign military intelligence agency (GRU) to gather confidential material in the port of Alexandroupolis, key for the shipment of US-provided military aid to Ukraine.
The man, a 59-year-old born in Georgia, was arrested earlier this week and appeared in court on Friday on espionarge charges, AP reported. The arrest was the result of a joint operation between police and the Greek intelligence services.
Local media have reported that the man was filming military installations and military equipment transfers in Alexandroupolis, northeastern Greece.
The material was then allegedly dispatched via an encrypted application to a Georgian national in Lithuania, who was also arrested in Vilnius. The latter had reportedly recruited him on behalf of the GRU.
US ships typically unload in Alexandroupolis port at night and transfers generally take place at times when there is no satellite transit. This meant that ground-based monitoring was necessary for the GRU for further operational planning, local media reported.
‘For Mother Russia’
Messages between the two men, recovered by the Greek intelligence services and reported by local media, show the 59-year-old being advised to dress like he was hiking, wearing athletic shoes and carrying a stick.
Further messages show the recruiter offering the him money for his services, with the man replying that he would serve “Mother Russia,” in whose army he had served in his youth.
Greek media have reported that the man worked as a painter.
Greece’s centre-right government has been a vocal supporter of Ukraine against Russia, often leading to aggressive rhetoric by Russia’s embassy in Athens.
Relations between Athens and Moscow have been traditionally strong, but started to deterioriate in 2018 after Moscow attempted to block a name-change deal between Greece and what is now North Macedonia, which ultimately paved the way for the Balkan country to join NATO.
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