General Staff member suspected of spying for Russia

AN OFFICER of the General Staff of Slovakia’s Armed Forces is suspected of engaging in espionage for Russia, private network TV Markíza reported in its main newscast on April 17.

AN OFFICER of the General Staff of Slovakia’s Armed Forces is suspected of engaging in espionage for Russia, private network TV Markíza reported in its main newscast on April 17.

The television network cited an anonymous source who said that the suspicion falls on a major who works at the General Staff’s department for international cooperation. He reportedly came into regular contact with confidential information, decisions and strategies of the European Union and NATO before passing information on to Russian officials. The purported spy is said to have ramped up his efforts recently amid the Ukrainian crisis.

According to TV Markíza, the man was watched closely by Slovakia’s military counter-intelligence for two years. Last week, counter-intelligence officers reportedly seized the man’s internal documents as well as a laptop assigned to him by the General Staff.

The officer in question is reported to be on holiday now.

The Defence Ministry responded that the ministry’s services monitor all security threats that “might threaten or violate country’s defence”.

The issue should be discussed by a parliamentary defence and security committee. Martin Fedor, MP for the Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) and chair of the committee, said that he sent a request to Defence Minister Martin Glváč to send a report on the issue to the committee, TV Markíza reported.

Source: Markíza

Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports

The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.

22. Apr 2014 at 14:00