Catalonia, gateway to Russian interference | EUROtoday

The battle in Ukraine and the threats of Putin to the European undertaking have modified the EU's notion of the true hazard of Russian interference and its disinformation and sabotage campaigns. Fighting them is in the present day a prime precedence, after the dismantling in latest months and in several nations of a number of intelligence operations directed by the Kremlin and involving politicians, officers, lecturers, troopers and journalists. In this context, the choice of the Barcelona Court to abort the investigation into Russian interference in Catalonia is nice information for Carles Puigdemont.

Marked internationally by his Russian contacts – the Washington Post outlined him as Putin's good friend -, sees the accusation of excessive treason receding, because of the interview he held, earlier than declaring independence on October 27, 2017, with Nikolay Sadovnikov. A former Russian diplomat who Western intelligence companies think about an agent of the Kremlin. They participated within the interview Elsa Artadiof Together, and Sergey Motina supposed Russian army man.

Waiting for the response of the investigating choose Joaqun Aguirrewithin the sights of the independence motion and the Prosecutor's Office Pedro Sanchez, it will be reckless to disregard the presence of Russian intelligence in Spain, the place in latest months it has murdered a Russian helicopter pilot and an oligarch with complete impunity, and has attacked an organization linked to Ukraine. And particularly in Catalonia, the place the political-mafia community that surrounds Putin penetrated via the institutionalized corruption of the three%.

A 2017 report from the North American Democratic Party factors to the origins of this hyperlink within the late Nineties, with the touchdown of members of the St. Petersburg mafia, with Gennady Petrov as a boss Petrov had direct contacts with the then Minister of Defense, Anatoly Serdiukovand in Catalonia I discovered the collaboration of Xavier CrespoCiU deputy and mayor of Lloret till 2015. Year during which he was convicted of bribery and prevarication.

But it’s with him processes when Russian interference will increase. In the times earlier than 1-O, a commando of the GRU – an elite corps of the Russian intelligence companies – arrives in Barcelona, ​​which is led by a well known spy known as Denis Sergeev. After 1-O. Sergeev traveled to London to attempt to assassinate the double agent of Sergei Skripas. While two males from Sergeev's command had been arrested in La Junquera (Gerona) once they had been touring on the AP-7 in direction of France. During the search of the car, a high-end Mercedes registered in Belarus, the Civil Guard discovered a Russian-made M-75 grenade in excellent situation of use.

Also throughout October 1 and after, greater than 5,000 computerized profiles, linked to Russia Today y Sputnik, flood social networks with messages favorable to independence. Among them, publications by two Putin puppets akin to Julian Assange y Mark Snowden.

In 2017, the Foreign Minister of South Ossetia, Dmitry Medoyev, a satellite tv for pc of Moscow, publicizes the opening of an embassy within the Catalan capital and its willingness to acknowledge an impartial Catalan republic. And the chief of Russian ultranationalism Vladimir Zhirinovskydemonstrating in entrance of the Spanish consulate in Moscow with a banner and slogans in favor of the independence of Catalonia.

Already in 2019, Josep Llus AlayPuigdemont's Chief of Staff, met in Moscow with representatives of the Russian secret companies and the military, amongst them, Eugeni Primakov, former member of the International Affairs Committee of the Duma. In that interview he was Oleg V. Syromolotov, former director of counter intelligence on the Federal Security Service. Another of Alay's conferences was with Andrei Bezrukova embellished former official of the Russian intelligence service for having spent ten years undercover within the United States.

All of them documented and acknowledged contacts who, no matter how the case ends Hair now questioned by the Barcelona Court, they shouldn’t be underestimated.