Swiss government calls on Russia to cease spying activities in country

[webfact]

Swiss government calls on Russia to cease spying activities in country

 

FILE PHOTO: A police officer guards a cordoned off area of Queen Elizabeth Gardens, after it was confirmed that two people had been poisoned with the nerve-agent Novichok, in Salisbury, Britain, July 5, 2018. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo

 

ZURICH (Reuters) - Switzerland has demanded that Russia cease any spying activities on its territory after two suspected espionage cases came to light in recent days.

 

The Swiss foreign ministry has summoned Russia's ambassador in Bern three times this year to raise concerns about suspected operations targeting organisations based in Switzerland, including a laboratory used to test chemical weapons.

 

"The Swiss Dept. Of Foreign Affairs has called on Russia to immediately end illegal activities on Swiss soil or against Swiss targets," it said in a statement on Sunday.

 

Switzerland's intelligence agency said on Friday it had worked with British and Dutch counterparts to foil a Russian plot which, according to newspaper reports, was targeting a Swiss laboratory.

 

Citing unnamed sources, the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger and the Dutch NRC Handelsblad said the suspected agents were heading for the Spiez laboratory near Bern which analyses chemical and biological weapons and tests nerve agents such as Novichok.

 

Britain says Moscow used Novichok to try to kill former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in the English city of Salisbury in March and has charged two Russian men in absentia with attempted murder.

 

The operation resulted in the Netherlands expelling two suspected Russian spies in March.

 

Meanwhile Swiss prosecutors said they were investigating a cyber attack against the offices of the World Anti-Doping Agency in Switzerland.

 

Criminal proceedings were launched in March 2017 on suspicion of political espionage, the attorney general's office said on Saturday.

 

The individuals concerned were the same pair identified by the Swiss intelligence service on Friday, the office said.

 

Switzerland may have been targeted because it hosts many international associations like the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations.

 

The Swiss newspaper Sonntags-Zeitung on Sunday said that according to a Swiss intelligence agency estimate, one in four Russian diplomats in Switzerland are or had worked as intelligence officers.

 

The Russian embassy described the newspaper's allegations as "unsubstantiated" and "baseless".

 

"This seems an absurd attempt to give readers a biased view of the Russians working in Switzerland," the Russian embassy said.

 

(Reporting by John Revill; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-09-17

[alfalfa19]

Russkies making and testing novachok in Switzerland?   that really is getting pretty low. 

[Morch]

12 minutes ago, alfalfa19 said:

Russkies making and testing novachok in Switzerland?   that really is getting pretty low. 

 

Spying on facilities used to analyze samples of, I think.

[JoeLing]

I'm sure the Russians just wanted to find out if Novichok could
be replaced with the much more potent Appenzeller Cheese. ?

[Srikcir]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

The Russian embassy described the newspaper's allegations as "unsubstantiated" and "baseless".

That's when you know the Russians have been nailed.

[milwaukeeboy]

Switzerland just needs to shut up and stay "neutral" about this.

[Jonmarleesco]

6 hours ago, webfact said:

"This seems an absurd attempt to give readers a biased view of the Russians working in Switzerland," the Russian embassy said.

I very much doubt readers need the assistance of a country's agencies to reach such a conclusion.

[connda]

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"
Like every government in existence doesn't actively or passively seek intelligence on other governments whether they are so-called allies or vilified opponents.

 

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"

And there is a mantra that could be heard as far back as the 18th century.

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Sweden invades Russia 1709

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  France invades Russia 1812

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Germany invades Russia  1941
"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Russia has NATO and US bases 'surrounded' on it's borders ?

 

How dare Russia gather intelligence.? Study history and attempt to see through the revisions.
 

"The US doesn't have friends, it only has interests."  -  Henry Kissinger

 

Whether the US or UK; The Russian Federation or China.  Countries have interests.  Intelligence gathering is part of reinforcing a country's interests as well as it's defenses.  Of course, the US and UK loved Yelsin's Russia as they could rape the country for resources, but then along came Vladimir Vladimirovich and Russia took back her sovereignty and her self-interests.  So now it's "Russia bad; Russia bad!" all over again. 

 

My own take?  Try forging mutually beneficial trade deals with countries instead of demonizing them.  It would be a much more peaceful world.  Engaging in hyperbole and histrionics does no nation any good.

[Vacuum]

NSA is bad.....

[Srikcir]

29 minutes ago, connda said:

Try forging mutually beneficial trade deals with countries

Yes, that worked so well for Ukraine and Georgia.

[Benmart]

40 minutes ago, connda said:

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"
Like every government in existence doesn't actively or passively seek intelligence on other governments whether they are so-called allies or vilified opponents.

 

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"

And there is a mantra that could be heard as far back as the 18th century.

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Sweden invades Russia 1709

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  France invades Russia 1812

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Germany invades Russia  1941
"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Russia has NATO and US bases 'surrounded' on it's borders ?

 

How dare Russia gather intelligence.? Study history and attempt to see through the revisions.
 

"The US doesn't have friends, it only has interests."  -  Henry Kissinger

 

Whether the US or UK; The Russian Federation or China.  Countries have interests.  Intelligence gathering is part of reinforcing a country's interests as well as it's defenses.  Of course, the US and UK loved Yelsin's Russia as they could rape the country for resources, but then along came Vladimir Vladimirovich and Russia took back her sovereignty and her self-interests.  So now it's "Russia bad; Russia bad!" all over again. 

 

My own take?  Try forging mutually beneficial trade deals with countries instead of demonizing them.  It would be a much more peaceful world.  Engaging in hyperbole and histrionics does no nation any good.

You are invited to speak at the United Nations. Good luck with such wishful thinking. Neville Chamberlain comes to mind.

[Benmart]

1 hour ago, milwaukeeboy said:

Switzerland just needs to shut up and stay "neutral" about this.

Switzerland has better council from more qualified professionals...themselves.

[Redline]

As far as I know, asking doesn't work well.  Russia seems to be pushing its limits everywhere.  It may well backfire, especially when Trump is gone.  If the endgame is isolation, Putin is headed in the right direction.

[Redline]

2 hours ago, connda said:

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"
Like every government in existence doesn't actively or passively seek intelligence on other governments whether they are so-called allies or vilified opponents.

 

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"

And there is a mantra that could be heard as far back as the 18th century.

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Sweden invades Russia 1709

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  France invades Russia 1812

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Germany invades Russia  1941
"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Russia has NATO and US bases 'surrounded' on it's borders ?

 

How dare Russia gather intelligence.? Study history and attempt to see through the revisions.
 

"The US doesn't have friends, it only has interests."  -  Henry Kissinger

 

Whether the US or UK; The Russian Federation or China.  Countries have interests.  Intelligence gathering is part of reinforcing a country's interests as well as it's defenses.  Of course, the US and UK loved Yelsin's Russia as they could rape the country for resources, but then along came Vladimir Vladimirovich and Russia took back her sovereignty and her self-interests.  So now it's "Russia bad; Russia bad!" all over again. 

 

My own take?  Try forging mutually beneficial trade deals with countries instead of demonizing them.  It would be a much more peaceful world.  Engaging in hyperbole and histrionics does no nation any good.

We know you love your country, and I'm sure nobody thinks their country infallible.  Why are you singling out the USA and UK, when there are many other countries that don't care for the Russian system?  You rely on your whataboutism that the Trump/Putin team seems to rely so heavily on.  All is not black and white.

[Gene1960]

As far as I know, asking doesn't work well.  Russia seems to be pushing its limits everywhere.  It may well backfire, especially when Trump is gone.  If the endgame is isolation, Putin is headed in the right direction.

 

If the asking doesn’t work well, than telling them and lecturing them would’ve been a better thing, and the last resort, if both asking and telling failed, give Russia orders, better in loud German. Very little chances of making the Russians heading in the proper direction after that, they don’t like to be lectured and do not mind the isolation. As a result there will be a lot of Russian trolling and ridicule.

P.S. Swiss have created several cool habitats for international spies within their country and the existence of those clusters in Geneva etc, and it allowed The Swiss authorities to play the big boys games almost free and with zero risk to themselves.

 

[bendejo]

17 hours ago, webfact said:

The Russian embassy described the newspaper's allegations as "unsubstantiated" and "baseless".

 

 

This young couple with Zimbabwe passports, visiting Geneva for their honeymoon, agree with the Russian embassy.

 

 

 

 

[Tailwagsdog]

16 hours ago, connda said:

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"
Like every government in existence doesn't actively or passively seek intelligence on other governments whether they are so-called allies or vilified opponents.

 

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"

And there is a mantra that could be heard as far back as the 18th century.

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Sweden invades Russia 1709

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  France invades Russia 1812

"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Germany invades Russia  1941
"Russia bad; Russia bad!"  Russia has NATO and US bases 'surrounded' on it's borders ?

 

How dare Russia gather intelligence.? Study history and attempt to see through the revisions.
 

"The US doesn't have friends, it only has interests."  -  Henry Kissinger

 

Whether the US or UK; The Russian Federation or China.  Countries have interests.  Intelligence gathering is part of reinforcing a country's interests as well as it's defenses.  Of course, the US and UK loved Yelsin's Russia as they could rape the country for resources, but then along came Vladimir Vladimirovich and Russia took back her sovereignty and her self-interests.  So now it's "Russia bad; Russia bad!" all over again. 

 

My own take?  Try forging mutually beneficial trade deals with countries instead of demonizing them.  It would be a much more peaceful world.  Engaging in hyperbole and histrionics does no nation any good.

I can see you're a regular reader of the pravda times or RT tv, i strongly suggest you should live there and enjoy the benefits that society has to offer. ........comrade

[Tchooptip]

Swiss government calls on Russia to cease spying activities in country

 555 asking Russia to cease spying...

...Why not asking British people to cease drinking tea

...US people to cease eating Donuts

...French people to cease eating baguette

 This Swiss government could only  dream to deprive the former USSR the new great Russia of its vital oxygen 

What do they want these b***y Swiss that all senior officers commit suicide Pfffffff