Key facts
- Sweden's security service (SAPO) has dismantled a Russian espionage operation.
- The operation was directed by Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service.
- Three individuals with diplomatic immunity were involved and have left Sweden.
- A separate investigation involves a 34-year-old man charged with espionage and conspiracy to commit murder.
- A Russian couple was also suspected of conducting illegal intelligence activities for over a decade.
Sweden's security service announced on Monday that it has successfully dismantled a Russian espionage operation that aimed to influence decision-making and damage the country's reputation, as well as that of its EU and NATO allies. The operation was planned and directed by Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service and involved three individuals who were working under the cover of diplomatic immunity. These individuals are no longer in Sweden, according to SAPO.
In a separate but related development, Swedish prosecutors have charged a 34-year-old man with attempting to spy for Russia. He allegedly offered highly classified information obtained through his work with Sweden’s Armed Forces to Russian intelligence services, including the FSB and GRU, during a trip to Moscow in November 2025. The suspect is also being held on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder in a separate investigation.
Furthermore, a Russian couple living in a Stockholm suburb was previously suspected of conducting illegal intelligence activities against Sweden and the U.S. for over a decade. Described as unremarkable by neighbors, they ran companies importing IT equipment and electronics. Their alleged spying activities reportedly began around 2013. The couple's firm attracted investigators' attention due to its ultimate control by a Cyprus-based company owned by a retired Soviet diplomat and suspected GRU colonel.