The enemy is between us or how to separate the Russian spy from the tourist

One of the Latvian intelligence services has issued a warning to its citizens that they may be Russian sabers and spies and « armed » them with a handy guide and tips on how to recognize them.

In the annual report, the Latvian Defense and Security Service, known as the Middle, offered two million of its inhabitants advice on how to identify potential operators sent to their country by Russia, writes Guardian.

The neglected and messy appearance and « insufficient hygiene » may indicate an agent in illegal, they wrote. Other warning signs are too curiously chatting with the locals, a short military hairstyle or tourist who does not know the terrain, but is equipped with an unusually many outdoor survival equipment, such as a specialized first aid kit, maps or radio station …

Russian operatives are increasingly refining themselves

Midd, one of the three Latvian security agencies, is convinced that such characteristics could help citizens discover agents exploring « critical infrastructure and military facilities » in order to sabotage, plan target murders or stimulate unrest.

The Agency also points out that in recent years, Russian operatives have improved their tactics by training in disguises that make them more difficult to recognize. « Experience from Ukraine shows that Russian special units can adapt to the environment and circumstances by using reconnaissance and saboter groups, » they say in Middle, adding that members may « may not visually match the classic profile of the scout-saboter. »

Agents can be part of groups that are lingering near sensitive areas, they pretend to be humanitarian workers or sleep in remote areas without showing any interest in nature, is an illustrative agency.

Leave action to the army and the police!

The security service « ordinary citizens » also warns that they do not act against alleged Russian agents and emphasize that the police and the military are best equipped for action when something suspicious arises.

The Latvians are on the livestock because of the Russians. Symbolic photography. Photo: Blaž Samec

Latvian public broadcaster reported that state security has issued similar but less detailed tips for detecting spies and possible suspicious activities two years ago, after a large Russian invasion of Ukraine.

As there are more and more tension in the world, EU and NATO Member States are high on standby due to Russian sabotage, wave cyber attacks, arson and submarine cables, for which Moscow blame. The Kremlin, as he knows, denies all the allegations.

Who is hiding behind the attackers?

On Wednesday, the German Federal Prosecutor’s office reported that they had arrested three Ukrainian citizens, claiming that they were suspected of planning to attack with packing bombs in Germany on behalf of the Russian state.

Last July, European security agencies were upset by three separate explosions in packages sent from Lithuania, exploding in Birmingham in the United Kingdom, German Leipzig and near the Polish capital. In this case, too, intelligence services suspect that this is a Russian campaign.

The latest German case has triggered calls for officials to strengthen the country’s defense against hybrid threats.

Thomas Strobl, The high-ranking German politician from the Federal Land of Baden-Württemberg, where one of the three was arrested, compared the consequences of the disclosure of the conspiracy to the « tectonic earthquake ». We need to adapt to new risky situations, he said, and said, « We are not at war, but we are no longer in real peace. »