Norway is investigating the espionage case of Mykhailo Mikushin, who had Brazilian citizenship and worked for Russia. The man confirmed his real name.
Norwegian media VG writes about it.
Before the prison hearing at the Oslo District Court on December 6, the Russian was registered under his real name for the first time. He previously introduced himself as José Assis Giamarrià from Brazil.
At the beginning of the investigation, the law enforcement officers turned to the Russian embassy to confirm or deny the authenticity of the name of the espionage suspect. The embassy did not respond. The prosecutorʼs office has sent another letter and is waiting for a response.
The law enforcement officers found out that Mikushyn received consular assistance from the Russian embassy after the "name change". From there, the suspect was contacted twice before he confirmed his identity.
According to the police, Mykhailo Mikushyn, born in 1978, was actually a Russian spy who worked in Norway on behalf of Russian intelligence.
In October 2022, the man was arrested while working at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsø. He researched hybrid threats, participated in numerous scientific seminars on, for example, the risks of sabotage on the Nord Stream gas pipeline.
- Journalists found out that Mikushinʼs classmate at the Military and Diplomatic Academy of the The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation (also known as GRU) was Olga Kolobova, also known as Maria Adela Kuhveld Rivera, an eccentric Peruvian traveler and owner of the jewelry company Serein.