20 Agenten in Tbilisi verhaftet - ‘Fiasko des russischen Agentennetzwerkes’

28.10.2010 | Civil.ge | Link zur Quelle | Bilder | Video |

Innenminister Merabishvili zu russischen Militärbarracken an der südossetischen Verwaltungsgrenze und Agententätigkeit gegen Georgien : "That's the base where subversive actions, political and economic destabilization and banditry is being planned against Georgia." - 14.11.2010, Civil Georgia
Präsident Saakashvili im Zusammenhang mit der Agentenaffäre: ‘Wir wollen keine Konfrontation mit irgend jemandem; wir verteidigen uns selbst.’ - 09.11.2010, Civil Georgia
President Saakashvili awarded on November 9 Georgian counter-intelligence officers, who were part of the operation to uncover, as the President put it, “spy network of Georgia’s occupant country” and said that Tbilisi was ready for talks with Moscow if the latter demonstrated “good will”.
“This operation was very important, important because our country is obviously under permanent pressure and threat of permanent destabilization attempts… We defend ourselves, and our counter-intelligence agents are on the forefront of this self-defense,” Saakashvili said at the meeting with the Interior Ministry leadership. "A real monster is in struggle against us."
“I would like to thank you and wish you further success in your attempts to stop the actions and tricks of Georgia's enemy... We’ve managed to create small, but efficient counter-intelligence service.”
“We do not want confrontation with anyone; we defend ourselves. If Russia shows good will and decides to launch negotiations with us, Georgia will always be ready for that. If we are talked to as a sovereign state, which has its democratically elected government, we will be ready for [talks] without any preconditions like we have always been,” he added.
TV-Dokumentation über 'russisches Agentennetzwerk' in Rustavi 2 - 06.11.2010, Civil Georgia
Georgia's most watched television station, Rustavi 2, aired during prime time on November 5 a documentary about alleged Russian spy network, which the Georgian Interior Ministry said, had operated in Georgia for years until it was uncovered last month.
The first reports about the arrest of individuals suspected of spying for Russia emerged last week. The first official announcement came only a week later on November 5; meantime, Rustavi 2 was airing a trailer of its planned documentary about, what it called, "“total fiasco of the Russian intelligence”.
Rustavi 2 TV, regarded as a pro-governmental nationwide broadcaster, was given an exclusive access not only to case files but was also able to film arrest of some alleged spies in Batumi on October 15.
The 30-minute documentary centers on a double agent with a code name 'Enveri', who, according to the Georgian Interior Ministry, played a key role in obtaining the Russian military intelligence's encryption materials through which, it said, it became possible to expose the alleged spy network.
The double agent, interviewed in dark studio, so that to hide his face, on a background of some Soviet symbols, was speaking in Russian saying that in late 1980s he served for the Soviet military intelligence in Georgia's port town of Poti.
According to the Interior Ministry in 2006, when major spy row erupted between Russia and Georgia after Tbilisi arrested four Russian military officers on espionage charges, number of Georgian citizens turned themselves in admitting having links with the Russian intelligence. At the time the authorities promised amnesty for those who would have voluntarily reported about links with the foreign intelligence.
According to the documentary, the trend showed alarming scales of the Russian intelligence operations in Georgia prompting the Georgian counter-intelligence to find someone who could have been planted inside the network. The former Soviet army officer was selected, according to the documentary.
"I was hesitant initially, but eventually agreed as I have always been in service of my homeland - if at first it was the Soviet Union, then it was Georgia," the double agent with code name 'Enveri' says in the documentary.
He said, that under the pretext of wanting to retrieve his pension as a former Soviet army officer, he contacted his "old acquaintances" in the Russian military intelligence and arranged a meeting in a Russian town close to the Ukrainian border. According to the documentary there he met with three operatives from the Russian military intelligence (GRU - Glavnoye Razvedovatelnoye Upravlenie), including one with name Sergey Akimov. The operatives, he said, trained him in how to use specially developed spy hardware and special software for exchange of encrypted information.
After three days of "extensive training", the double agent, before departure back to Georgia, met with Yuri Zhilin, described in the documentary as chief GRU operative in Russia's Krasnodar region.
After that, according to the documentary, he was regularly exchanging messages with GRU in a form of encrypted texts, image and music files mainly via e-mail. Encoding of such files, according to the documentary, required multiple passwords and software. In the process, according to the documentary, it also became possible to identify dozens of other Georgian citizens working for the Russian intelligence and in addition at least one GRU liaison officer was also identified - the Russian citizen, Yuri Skrilnikov, according to the Interior Ministry.
According to the documentary Skrilnikov arrived in Georgia in May, 2010 for a meeting with the double agent, but he was detained by the Georgian counter-intelligence. What the documentary does not mention is that Skrilnikov was formally charged with currency forgery; another Russian citizen and one Georgian citizen were also arrested together with him - all of them worked for the Russian military based in Batumi before it was finally closed down in November, 2007.
It was reported in mid-October that court in Batumi found him guilty of currency forgery and sentenced him on October 7 to 18 years in prison. At the time the Russian Foreign Ministry condemned the verdict as "yet another provocation against the Russian citizen" who in the past served in the Russian military base in Batumi. Skrilnikov is among those 13 persons, who, the Georgian Interior Ministry said on November 5, were arrested on spying charges.
The double agent says in the documentary that his Russian minders were "very much interested" in information related to western warships' port calls in Georgia, training courses carried out by Georgia's western partners for the Georgian forces, defense plan of the ports, structure of the Georgian land forces and thier location. He said all the information he was sending to his Russian handlers was approved by the Georgian intelligence.
In the documentary a pilot of the Mi-8 army helicopter, who is among six Georgian military pilots charged with spying, says that during the August, 2008 war he informed his Russian handlers that Georgian helicopters were probably hidden in the Borjomi gorge. He said the wildfire, which erupted in the gorge, destroying over 200 hectares of forest there during the war, was probably a result of the information he provided to the Russian intelligence.
In the end of the documentary narrator says that the operation against the Russian spy networks, "which was unprecedented in our country's history, enters into the new phase." It was then followed with an announcement made by deputy head of the Interior Ministry's counter-intelligence unit reiterating the authorities' promise guaranteeing amnesty for those who will voluntarily report about thier links with the foreign intelligence services.
TV wird Film ausstrahlen über das ‘Fiasko des russischen Agentennetzwerkes’ - 02.11.2010, Civil Georgia
Georgia’s nationwide broadcaster, Rustavi 2, aired promotional video of an upcoming documentary about, as it put it, “total fiasco of the Russian intelligence”.
The 40-second promo, first aired on November 1, provides some hints indicating that the documentary will apparently be about reported arrest of a group of Georgian citizens allegedly working for the Russian intelligence.
The promo mentions “18 spies”, although it was initially reported that 20 persons were arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.
“Rustavi 2 presents documentary film ‘Enveri’; Russian intelligence taken by Georgia’s bait; methods through which the Russian intelligence operates throughout the world; the largest spy network has been exposed; total fiasco of the Russian intelligence; on Rustavi 2 soon”, the promo says.
Rustavi 2 TV, usually used for leaking official information, was non-committal when contacted for comment on the upcoming film.
Russisches Außenministerium: Moskau habe keine Kenntnisse zu Details bezüglich der Verhaftung von ‘Agenten’ - 30.10.2010, Civil Georgia
Russia is not aware of details of reported arrest by Georgia twenty of its citizens on suspicion of spying for Moscow, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on October 30.
“As far as I know, we are talking about the Georgian citizens. We do not know anything but that,” Lavrov, who is Hanoi, was quoted by the Russian news agencies.
News about the arrest of alleged spies in Georgia was reported by Reuters on Friday evening, citing unnamed Georgian security sources. The Georgian Interior Ministry declines to confirm or deny the report and no official comment on the matter is expected until next week.
The Russian daily, Kommersant, reported quoting a Russian Foreign Ministry representative: “We have seen reports about alleged arrest of spies. But as far as there are no diplomatic relations between the two countries because of Tbilisi’s initiative, it is impossible for us to promptly find out what has happened. What is important and to what we have paid our attention is that the Georgian citizens are mentioned; so one should address the Georgian authorities for clarification.”
According to the Reuter’s report all the detainees are suspected of creating a spy network in Georgia and delivering secret information to Russia. It was reported in the Georgian media sources on October 30, that the detainees are also suspected of gathering sensitive information about procurements by the Interior Ministry and Ministry of Defense.
Georgia arrests 20 suspected Russian spies - 30.10.2010, independent.co.uk
By William Dunbar in Tbilisi
Georgia has arrested twenty people on suspicion of spying for Russia, it was reported last night. Citing an anonymous source in the security services, Reuters said that the detainees, all of whom are Georgian citizens, are suspected of being part of a spy ring that passed secrets to Moscow. A source in Georgia's ruling National Movement, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that the arrests had taken place. ...
Nach Berichten sollen 20 russische Agenten festgenommen worden sein - 28.10.2010, Civil Georgia
Reuters reported on Friday evening, citing unnamed Georgian security sources, that 20 people have been arrested on suspicion of spying for Russia.
According to the report detainees, all Georgian citizens, are suspected of creating a spy network and delivering secret information to Russia.
Details remain sketchy and the Interior Ministry representative declined to comment.
“We do not comment on the matter; I can neither confirm nor deny [the report],” Shota Utiashvili, head of the information and analytical department of the Georgian Interior Ministry, told Civil.ge

Stichworte: Georgien, Abchasien, Süd-Ossetien, Russland, Krieg-2008, Sprache: englisch, Archiv: #