Slovenia arrests 2 suspected Russian spies – POLITICO

Slovenian authorities have arrested two foreign nationals accused of spying for Russia, local media reported on Sunday.

According to local newspaper Delo, the two suspects were citizens of an unnamed South American country and had assumed false identities in the real estate and antiques business. They were arrested on December 5, 2022 in a rented office in the Bežigrad district of Ljubljana, according to the report.

“The Ljubljana District Prosecutor’s Office has received a notification from the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency, on the basis of which a preliminary procedure has been opened,” the Ljubljana Prosecutor’s Office told the news portal Slovenian Siol. The prosecutor’s office said legal proceedings were ongoing and would not officially confirm the allegations.

The operation to catch the alleged spies, which was allegedly carried out by the Slovenian Intelligence and Security Agency, was undertaken in cooperation with the security services of other countries, as the spy cell is also believed to have carried out operations outside Slovenia.

Security services across Europe have cracked down on suspected Russian spies operating on the continent following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Germany has made two arrests linked to espionage within its own foreign intelligence agency.