In Norway, a Court is Judging a Russian Spy Who Was Gathering Information About the "Nord Stream"

In Norway, the court is examining the case of Russian spy Mikhail Mikushin, who, under a fabricated name, worked at the Arctic University in Tromsø, researching hybrid threats and diversions on the "Nord Stream."

This information is reported by the Norwegian media VG.

In Norway, Russian citizen Mikhail Mikushin presented himself as José Assis Giammaria and had a Brazilian passport. Norwegian law enforcement started verifying the foreigner's data and contacted the Russian embassy to confirm or refute the suspect's spy identity.

Journalists from VG found that after Mikushin changed his Russian name to a Brazilian one, he received consular assistance from the Russian embassy. Later, institution employees contacted the suspected Russian spy at least twice.

Simultaneously, in response to Norwegian investigators' inquiries, the Russian embassy emphasized that the consular department has no information that José Assis Giammaria is a Russian citizen, and therefore, consular assistance is not provided to him.

According to the police, Mikhail Mikushin was born in 1978 and worked on behalf of Russian intelligence in Norway. The spy was arrested in October 2022 when he was going to work at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø.

At the university, the Russian was researching hybrid threats and participating in various scientific seminars, including those related to the risks of diversions on the "Nord Stream" gas pipeline.

Recall that in September 2022, Sweden and Denmark recorded powerful underwater explosions on the Nord Stream-1 and Nord Stream-2 gas pipelines. At that time, the gas pipeline operator Nord Stream AG stated that the explosions occurred on the same day simultaneously on three branches of the marine gas pipelines, emphasizing that the damage was unprecedented.

The European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance called the explosions in the Baltic Sea "deliberate" sabotage, while Britain, Poland, and Ukraine directly accused Russia of sabotage.

Recall that earlier, The Gaze reported that the investigation into a 16-member spy network operating under the guidance of Russian special services had concluded in Poland. The agents' main task was to gather information about critical infrastructure, including military facilities and seaports.

Currently, 15 out of 16 accused spies are in custody, and preventive measures have been applied to them. If their guilt is proven, the spies could face imprisonment for up to ten years.