Hotspot for Putin's secret service agents Supervisory authority criticizes Switzerland's lax counter-espionage measures
Parliament's business audit delegation warns that Switzerland could become a hotspot for intelligence services. It is calling on the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs and the Federal Council to take more decisive action.
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- Espionage in Switzerland is increasingly threatening national security, warns the highest parliamentary supervisory body for security issues.
- There is a "considerable need for action", warns the parliamentary audit delegation (GPDel).
- The supervisory authority expects the authorities to take tougher action.
- Despite warnings from the intelligence service, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs does not refuse approvals for suspicious diplomats.
- Despite indications of espionage, dozens of alleged diplomats remain unmolested.
According to Tamedia newspapers, Switzerland has allowed numerous suspected spies to enter the country despite the growing threat. Blick" also reported on the issue on Wednesday. The newspapers referred to the latest annual report by the parliamentary audit delegation.
In it, the delegation warns that Switzerland is increasingly becoming a "hotspot" for intelligence activities. The Federal Intelligence Service is increasingly recommending that suspicious diplomats be denied entry. However, the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) does not follow these recommendations in a significant number of cases. According to earlier reports, Russia is the main country suspected of illegal espionage.
In fact, the intelligence service issued a rejection recommendation in 71 cases from the Foreign Service last year - more than twice as many as in 2024, writes Blick. Of these, 30 recommendations related to accreditations, such as those usually requested for diplomats and embassy staff. There has also been a marked increase in this area: in 2021, the year before the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, only one application was recommended for rejection.
FDFA: risk of countermeasures
According to the Tamedia newspapers, the FDFA justifies its reluctance with the risk of countermeasures. Switzerland is one of the last Western European states that still has its own embassy in Moscow, and it also has a protecting power mandate for Georgia there.
