With the arrest of a man posing as a Brazilian researcher, Norway’s counter-intelligence services (PST) may have caught a key Russian intelligence figure, a rare catch amid heightened tensions between Moscow and the West.

The man, who was admitted as a lecturer at the Norwegian University of Tromsø in the strategic Arctic region in the fall of 2021, was arrested by police on Monday and initially placed in deportation detention for violating immigration laws.

Believing that the Norwegian services were actually acting on behalf of Russian intelligence, an investigation was launched. “Illegal espionage directed against state secrets which may harm the fundamental interests of the country”Offenses punishable with imprisonment for three years.

On Friday, the PST identified the suspect as Mikhail Mikushin, a Russian born in 1978, while the man in question, who holds a Brazilian passport, identified himself as Jose Assis Giamaria, a 37-year-old Brazilian.

According to PST, Mikhail Mikushin A “Illegal Agent”A spy who tries to blend in a foreign country for a long time to weave a network of contacts, set up information channels and enter circles with important information.