Record Your Own High Quality Podcast
On my side of the world, it is summer; on the other, it is winter, and it is time to share with you a true-life story about a world most of us don’t see.
In the past, I worked in the government sector, handling diplomatic security and intelligence tasks.
Combined with my military experience, I can confidently assert that the world of espionage is in full swing. To ensure the success of espionage, any intelligence agency must recruit informants, saboteurs, and a variety of other individuals.
Don’t be surprised if one day you read newspapers and some ordinary person from your street is being hailed as a national hero, like in this article, so let’s dig deep into the story of the current capital city of espionage and spies, the Arctic city of Kirkenes.
This story revolves around the Arctic city of Kirkenes, Norway, situated near the Russian border, which is experiencing extreme cold due to the ongoing conflict between the Kremlin and NATO.
A statue of a lone Soviet soldier with his gun ready and his back straight is located on a small hill close to Kirkenes' downtown. "To the brave soldiers of the Soviet Union in memory of the liberation of Kirkenes," the monument's inscription reads.
The Soviet Union freed eastern Scandinavia from German rule in 1944.
However, the 196-kilometer border would stay closed until the end of the Cold War, with Russian troops constantly patrolling the area. In 1993, Russia and Norway signed the Barents Cooperation Agreement, ushering in a period of relative peace.
But the friendliness between the two countries, which had long acted as a confidant, began to wane.
The town of Kirkenes, which has a population of 3,500, has gained unparalleled geopolitical significance because it is the only border crossing between Russia and a NATO nation, located 16 km away.
Street signs in Kirkenes display both Russian and Norwegian text. Additionally, approximately 10% of the population is Russian, and many of them are married to other people.
However, this little village is Europe's spy capital.
The residents of Kirkenes, which is located on the border between Norway and Russia, are subject to espionage.
This is the tale of Frode Berg, who was a border inspector who was about to retire in 2014 when the Norwegian Intelligence Service (NIS) hired him.
Berg lived in Kirkenes, a small town in northern Norway that was about 8 kilometres from the Russian border and surrounded by steep fjords and pine forests.
The king crab and spies are the two things that make Kirkenes renowned.
Berg was therefore familiar with NIS and its work. He frequently travelled to Russia for work, and along the years, he met a number of NIS officers, one of whom requested his participation.
However, the officer in charge of the case requested he bring an envelope containing 3,000 euros in cash across the border and transmit it to an address in Moscow, something he had never been asked to do on behalf of the Norwegian government before.
Since a brief visit to Russia was not unusual, Berg accepted it.
In the months that followed, Berg made six trips to Russia with envelopes full of cash, which he sent as directed. Berg would place a note stating that the funds were poker winnings inside each envelope.
The pressures increased when Berg's boss changed over time.
One instance included a memory card in addition to transportation and money transfers.
The arrangement was starting to bother Berg more and more. He made multiple attempts to quit, but his new management persisted, and he ultimately accepted the final task.
Just before Christmas 2017, Berg's worst nightmares came true on his final voyage.
Russian FSB security officers met him outside his Moscow hotel and escorted him to the infamous Lefortovo prison.
The Russians learned throughout the trial what his bosses had failed to mention to him.
Berg was sending money to a federal shipyard employee, and the memory card's contents turned out to be queries regarding submarine weapons systems.
In 2019, a jury found Berg guilty of spying. Seven months later, a prisoner swap released him home.
The first words he recalls hearing upon landing in Oslo were those of a representative of the defence ministry. "Welcome home," he announced. "We are offering you 4 million crowns (about 375,000 dollars)." His spying experience cost that much.
Everybody in Kirkenes had a friend, neighbour, or family member who was a military intelligence officer. NATO has valued Kirkenes and the area strategically for many years.
Kirkenes strategically places listening stations throughout its rocky terrain to monitor local happenings.
Russia maintains a number of military installations in the region, including the Northern Fleet headquarters. Electronic spying became even more crucial during the conflict in Ukraine.
Since the start of the invasion, the city's atmosphere has likewise evolved.
In this community, spying is more of a daily topic.
Although fewer people have crossed a border since the start of the war, Norwegian intelligence operatives frequently approach locals who have been crossing it regularly for a long time.
The most common request is for a debrief, a series of questions intended to elicit details about Russia from a recent guest.
Many residents find this to be highly undesirable.
The individuals most at risk from collaboration are also the finest possible sources, namely those with personal or commercial ties to Russia.
After contacting Norwegian intelligence, Kirkenes residents who worked in Russia frequently approached the city's officials in an unhappy manner.
Requests from agents can be highly risky and invasive.
In one instance, NIS officials requested that the owner of a business with offices in Murmansk employ one of them to utilize the position as a front.
Both NIS and PST, Norway's domestic security agency, occasionally approach the people of Kirkenes.
One agency's representatives arrive, ask a few questions, and then depart, only to have another agency's officials show up and repeat the process.
Nearly everyone in Kirkenes is aware of the identity of the "ghosts."
When someone says, "I'm in the military," and you respond, "Oh, what do you do?" When they start talking about the weather instead of your question, you know it's time to move on.
Additionally, there are Russian agents among the populace.
Berg's interrogation revealed the extent of FSB operatives' knowledge of the Kirkenes scenario, including the personal lives of certain NIS officials.
To Berg's amazement, they were even aware of the drinking issues in one of his boss's family members, a fact that the individual was very cautious to keep private.
Other Norwegians the FSB interviewed reported similar results.
In one instance, a guy detained by Russian intelligence officials was shown a picture of the living room of a third floor flat he owned in Kirkenes, and he deduced that the image must have been shot by a drone.
The citizens of Kirkenes were shocked to learn of the Berg story and questioned how the Russian spy agency could act so openly regarding their community.
There was little desire to work with the Norwegian authorities, and paranoia began to set in.
There are still some spies in the Kirkenes area, and Moscow has plenty of recruiting chances there.
Downplaying the threat could help the intelligence services, as there is a lot of actual espionage in Kirkenes.
However, giving in to paranoia has its own dangers and might undermine attempts to identify the threat posed by real spies.
Hidden adversaries, who are frequently absent altogether, erode social trust and a feeling of community. Most locals don't know who works for the FSB, but they try to avoid monomania, a preoccupation with one thing or set of beliefs that can grow.
Kirkenes was one of the few ports in Europe that the Russian fishing fleet could still access following the start of the invasion of Ukraine at the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
The port, a kilometre of concrete with tall crayfish trap stacks and warehouses, dominates the majority of the coast.
Approximately half of the 800 ships that use the port annually during regular business are Russian fishing vessels that come in for repairs, crew changes, and resupply.
However, the local economy is now more dependent on those fishing boats than ever before the disappearance of the Russian day-trippers.
Although Russian ships generate revenue, perceptions of them have deteriorated. Many Russian research and fishing vessels face accusations of double-dipping in spying or preparing for future sabotage.
A so-called hybrid war, which aims to defeat an adversary without resorting to combat, has been going on since the conflict between Russia and Ukraine started.
In order to paralyse Western governments by implying even more aggressive actions, the aim appears to be to push the boundaries of what Russia can get away with: undermining, sabotaging, hacking, destabilizing, and instilling terror.
Russia has been using Kirkenes as a "laboratory" for its military and intelligence services to test hybrid warfare and influence operations since annexing Crimea in 2014.
At first, some attacks were hardly noticeable, while others disturbed daily routines and sowed discord among residents.
© Mario Bekes. All rights reserved. | ABN 62 757 932 640 | Suite 6, 11 - 13 Brookhollow Avenue Bella Vista NSW 2153
