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Sweden: One-Third Of Russian Diplomats Are Spies


Sweden's intelligence service SAPO has accused Russia of conducting extensive espionage operations on Swedish territory.

The chief analyst of SAPO's counterintelligence agency, Wilhelm Unge, said in Stockholm on March 18 that and as many as one-third of Russia's diplomatic staff in Sweden were spies.

Speaking to reporters as the agency presented its annual security report, Unge added that the number was constant, saying "this is the way things look year after year."

He said the Russian spies came from the military intelligence, GRU, and the Federal Security Service, FSB, and described them as "highly educated and often younger than during the Soviet era."

Unge said SAPO had stopped several attempts last year by Russia to obtain Swedish technology for its military forces.

Based on reporting by AFP and AP

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