[20 July 2023] In a report published a few days ago, the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) notes that Switzerland has turned into an international espionage battlefield, as more foreign spies are probably active there than in most other European countries. This phenomenon has been partly caused by intensifying competition between the superpowers, the FIS says in its report.
According to the FIS, Russian operatives are particularly active in the alpine country. Many Russian intelligence officers relocated there after being expelled by a host of European countries in the past 18 months, according to the FIS report. Indeed, traditionally neutral Switzerland has not joined most other European countries in expelling Russian intelligence officers —posing as diplomats— following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Therefore, as Moscow tries to rebuild its shattered intelligence-gathering networks in Europe, it is using Switzerland as a forward-operating base, according to the FIS. As of 2023, the number of Russian intelligence personnel stationed on Swiss soil, and the ensuing espionage activity, “is notably high”, states the report. It also points out that the lion’s share of Russian intelligence officers —“several dozen”— are stationed “at the Russian diplomatic and consular missions in Geneva”. A major international diplomatic hub, Geneva is an “ideal operational environment” for foreign intelligence agencies. It hosts a significant number of international organizations —including one of the four major offices of the United Nations. Additionally, it is situated close to the largely unmonitored French border. This allows intelligence operatives to move seamlessly in and out of European Union soil.
Furthermore, as Western intelligence agencies increase their presence in Switzerland, in order to counter Russian intelligence activities there, “espionage levels […] are continuously rising”, according to the FIS report. This situation is unlikely to change in the coming year, as “intensifying competition between superpowers” is expected to continue to involve Switzerland as an espionage battlefield that draws in rival intelligence agencies, the FIS report concludes.
If Switzerland has indeed become a spy center in Europe, it could potentially undermine trust, cooperation, and stability in the region. European countries need to collaborate closely to address the security implications of the FIS report and respond effectively to the challenges posed by the increased presence of foreign intelligence operatives in one of Europe’s most important financial and political centers. [EIA]