Dutch authorities say they have prevented a Russian spy posing as a Brazilian intern from infiltrating the International Criminal Court (ICC) as it investigates war crimes allegedly committed by Russian troops during Moscow's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.
The General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD) said on June 16 that the suspect, identified as Sergei Vladimirovich Cherkasov, came to the country in April using an elaborate deep-cover story that he had built up over the past 12 years.
According to AIVD, the 36-year-old is an agent with Russia's military intelligence (GRU) and used a fake identity to portray himself as a 33-year-old Brazilian citizen named Viktor Muller Ferreira.
The statement also said that Cherkasov was immediately deported back to Brazil upon his arrival, where he was arrested on a charge of identity fraud.
"If this person had been given the opportunity to actually do work at the ICC, he could have gathered intelligence here, spot (or recruit) resources and gain access to digital systems. In this way, the man could have met the GRU's intelligence needs to a significant extent. He may also have been able to influence criminal cases within the ICC," the AIVD statement said.
Brazilian police confirmed Cherkasov’s arrest in a statement, adding that the Russian man initially arrived in the country in 2010, positioning himself as a Brazilian national. He then resided for several years in Ireland and the United States before he returned to Brazil and started preparations to move to the Netherlands, the statement said.