When it comes to espionage, anything is to be expected. But we did not see coming this method of recruitment straight out of a Hollywood film used by the Russian intelligence services. According to an alert from the General Directorate of Internal Security (DGSI) issued at the end of last week, spies from the country of Vladimir Putin thus operated on the Leboncoin classifieds site.
Signals can alert you
The DGSI thus explains that it has spotted approaches of French students and young workers by officers of the Russian foreign intelligence service, the SVR. Our colleagues from World thus report the case of the spy Valentin Vladimirovitch Zakharov who was expelled from French territory in November 2020.
He pretended to be a Czech consultant to a French engineer who worked for a large company specializing in artificial intelligence. And the DGSE to specify: “ Resourceful, empathetic and imaginative, spies are keen to target people of interest in order to exploit their vulnerabilities or, better yet, their intelligence skills. “.
Often, the latter are also very good students and they say they want to learn more about such and such a subject. This is also the characteristic of a good spy: never raise doubts dear his interlocutor and install confidence. Of course, and to show themselves above all suspicion, these agents wear false names that don’t sound Russian.
In detail, the Russian service uses a rather ingenious method to try to seduce these young French people. Concretely, the false student begins to establish normal relations with his teacher. But little by little, certain signals are there to alert. And especially when the latter begins to make requests on very specific subjects. In general, he also wishes to receive his lessons in a restaurant or in a bar but never at home.
The spy also tends to pay in cash and gives fairly substantial sums to seduce his interlocutor. The DGSI explains that in case of doubt, it is necessary to contact: assistance-dgsi@interieur.gouv.fr. The French intelligence service concludes: “ If this portrait speaks to you, then do not remain alone in front of a manipulation professional “.
According to Le Monde, the tricolor intelligence service has also contacted its Russian counterparts to summon them to stop these recruitment attempts. While some of them were expelled from French territory in all discretion.
