Norwegian Former Border Guard and Refugee Apologist Arrested For Espionage in Russia
The Lefortovo Court of Moscow has arrested a Norwegian citizen accused of espionage. The investigation believes that he illegally obtained access to classified data of the Russian Navy. The suspect could have received the documents from a Russian who has been arrested in the late November.
Elizaveta Khramtsova has the details.
The alleged spy was taken red-handed when he received the classified Navy documents from his agent. There are two known culprits in this case, according to the FSB. Alexei Zhitnyuk handed over the classified documents to the foreigner. The investigation believes he was recruited by a Norwegian citizen and former border inspector Frode Berg.
Ekaterina Krasnova, Lefortovo Court of Moscow: "Berg Frode will be imprisoned. The article 276 of the Russian Criminal Code calls for a sentence of 2 months until February 5, 2018. Berg has challenged his conviction within the appeal proceedings."
According to the press, Alexei Zhitnyuk had been working in the Moscow PD until 2015. After he quit, Alexei was hired by a security service that was working with the Russian Navy. That's when he was recruited by the Norwegian.
There's much more info about Frodo Berg. The 62-year-old border inspector was a well-known public figure in Norway. Berg joined the inspection in the early 90s. He worked at a checkpoint at the Norwegian-Russian border, which he covered in his multiple TV interviews. He has recently spoken a lot about the relations of the countries claiming that Russians and Norwegians have nothing to hide from each other.
Frode Berg: "For me, cooperation at the border means peace. Cooperation creates predictability. It's especially important when dealing with a country like Russia. Regardless of the political situation, we must put effort into maintaining friendly relations".
Frode Berg retired in 2014 but Russia remained close to him in every way. At professional forums, Berg was telling the border guards how to build proper relations with their counterparts including the Russians. He lived in the town of Kirkenes only eight kilometers from the border of the Murmansk region.
Last winter, when Norway planned to send 300 refugees from the Middle East to Russia he told in an interview with our TV channel that a local church sheltered illegal migrants.
Frode Berg, head of Ser-Warangen (Norway) parish council: "They told us three refugees had come to the church. Of course, we couldn't throw them out. We accommodated them and conducted an emergency council to figure out what could be done in that situation. Churches must help people. Of course, we immediately reported the incident to the police."
One can discover a lot of Berg's interests by viewing his Facebook page. Recently, he has read a book "The Spy base: An Unknown Story of the CIA and the NSA in Norway." He uploaded several photos of his visits to Moscow as well. The most recent was shot at the Red Square on December 5.
The Norwegian embassy is providing support to the arrested compatriot. The espionage article calls for up to 20 years of imprisonment. The Norwegian government has provided Berg an attorney.
Alexei Zhitnyuk may get the same sentence for treason.
Both suspects have challenged the court's decision. Their appeals will have been considered by the end of December.
Elizaveta Khramtsova, Eugenia Zemtsova for Vesti.