Russian Intelligence's Obsession with "Illegals" Ops: Stupid is as Stupid Does
Why do things the easy way, like googling info, when you can waste millions on grooming clods from the Urals to be James Bonds?
Remember the TV series, “The Americans”? Well, the essence of the plot is real. Patiently planting and cultivating “illegals” is a tried and true ploy of Russian intelligence. CNN reports on a Russian “illegal” operation that has been blown wide open. The revelations, which will become more public over time, offer a fascinating glimpse into the Keystone Kops world of Russian espionage.
In this case, the Russian military intelligence agency GRU groomed one of their own, Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, to infiltrate Western institutions. First, they made him a bogus Brazilian, employing the time-old practice of assuming the identity of a deceased Brazilian. He graduated from Dublin’s Trinity College. From there, he got himself admitted to Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies for an MA degree. With some pretty impressive credentials under his belt, Cherkasov then proceeded to intern at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Why? Because the ICC is investigating Russian war crimes in Ukraine. But the jig was up. Intercepted by Dutch authorities upon arrival, he was deported back to Brazil.
Some observations:
- Russian intelligence love these “illegal” operations. Why google stuff on the transparent ICC when you can expend zillions of rubles and many years meticulously grooming some clod from the Urals to pose as a South American whom, despite dead giveaways like a weird accent and nebulous life story, they seek to use to penetrate a public court of justice?
- It again exposes how those in an authoritarian state think: paranoid, conspiratorial, block-headed stupid. Recall how the U.S. folded up an op 12 years ago involving a dozen Russian illegals, of whom ten were caught. The clunky tradecraft and dissonant “legends” (i.e., cover stories) were so obvious that the FBI ID’d them early on and spent years surveilling them in order to learn more about Russian m.o. as well as their network.
- While a university can’t be entirely blamed for being a victim of such an op, SAIS leadership nonetheless has some explaining to do, especially given that some students picked up on Cherkasov’s incongruities, especially his mish-mash, Russian-inflected accent. Secondly, will SAIS now strip Cherkasov of his degree as did Harvard of one of the illegals in the 2010 roundup?
- Kudos to Dutch intelligence, who worked closely with the U.S. on this case. Odds are good they had Cherkasov’s number years ago and have been surveilling him all along.
- To use U.S. national security vernacular, Mr. Cherkasov’s ass is grass as a spy. AI and facial recognition alone will nix any op of which he is a member. His cover is so blown that he might seriously think about retooling himself as coal mine engineer.
- Uh-oh, Brazil! You’ve now got a Russian spy in your midst (if he hasn’t already been exfiltrated by Moscow) who acquired Brazilian citizenship illegally. Por favor, prenda-o! Please arrest him!
The opinions and characterizations in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily represent official positions of the U.S. government.