%u2018Tip%20of%20the%20iceberg%u2019%3A%20rise%20in%20Russian%20spying%20activity%20alarms%20European%20capitals%20%7C%20Financial%20Times

%u2018Tip%20of%20the%20iceberg%u2019%3A%20rise%20in%20Russian%20spying%20activity%20alarms%20European%20capitals%20%7C%20Financial%20Times: The%20scene%20seemed%20more%20suited%20to%20an%20Austin%20Powers%20spy%20farce%20than%20a%20John%20le%20Carr%E9%20cold%20war%20intrigue.%0A%0A%u201CI%20told%20Moscow%20that%20you%20are%20such%20a%20good%20boy%2C%u201D%20lieutenant%20colonel%20Sergey%20Solomasov%2C%20a%20spook%20working%20for%20Russia%u2019s%20GRU%20military%20intelligence%20agency%2C%20told%20his%20Slovak%20contact%2C%20Bohus%20Garbar.%20%u201CMoscow%20decided%20that%20you%u2019ll%20be%20a%20hunter.%u201D%A0%0A%0ABut%20Solomasov%20%u2014%20on%20paper%2C%20Russia%u2019s%20deputy%20military%20attach%E9%20in%20Bratislava%20%u2014%20was%20wrong.%20Garbar%20did%20not%20get%20a%20chance%20to%20hunt.%20Instead%20he%20was%20the%20hunted%3A%20Slovak%20agents%20had%20filmed%20the%20meeting%20with%20his%20handler.%0A%0AOn%20March%2014%2C%20Solomasov%20was%20one%20of%20three%20Russians%20expelled%20from%20Slovakia%20%u201Cfor%20acting%20in%20contravention%20of%20the%20Vienna%20convention%20on%20diplomatic%20relations%u201D.%20Though%20Garbar%20%u2014%20a%20well-connected%2C%20muckraking%20blogger%20%u2014%20was%20a%20lowly%20target%2C%20the%20Russian%u2019s%20other%20recruits%20were%20not%3A%20Solomasov%u2019s%20network%20included%20a%20Slovak%20colonel%20and%20a%20senior%20official%20in%20counter-intelligence.%0A%0AKeeping%20track%20of%20the%20Kremlin%u2019s%20espionage%20activity%20in%20the%20west%20has%20become%20an%20even%20more%20urgent%20task%20since%20Russia%u2019s%20invasion%20of%20Ukraine%20upended%20Europe%u2019s%20security%20order.%20But%20many%20countries%20are%20still%20playing%20catch-up%20with%20Moscow%u2019s%20undercover%20activity%20on%20their%20soil.%0A%0A%u201CWhat%20we%20know%20about%20%5Bit%5D%20is%20almost%20certainly%20the%20tip%20of%20the%20iceberg%2C%u201D%20said%20Keir%20Giles%2C%20senior%20consulting%20fellow%20of%20the%20Russia%20programme%20at%20Chatham%20House.%20%u201CFor%20many%20years%20there%20has%20been%20a%20conspiracy%20of%20silence%2C%20with%20western%20powers%20reluctant%20to%20talk%20about%20Russian%20activities%20or%20even%20go%20after%20them.%u201D%0A%0AEight%20serving%20European%20intelligence%20officials%20and%20diplomats%20interviewed%20by%20the%20Financial%20Times%20said%20Russia%u2019s%20covert%20operations%20in%20Europe%20had%20been%20expanding%20at%20a%20rate%20that%20counter-espionage%20efforts%20have%20struggled%20to%20match.%20Several%20countries%20still%20rely%20on%20US%20and%20UK%20intelligence%20gathering%20because%20of%20restrictions%20on%20domestic%20surveillance%20and%20a%20lack%20of%20resources.%0A%0AA%20round%20of%20expulsions%20this%20month%20points%20to%20the%20scale%20of%20the%20problem.%20In%20addition%20to%20the%20Slovak%20defenestration%2C%20three%20Baltic%20states%20and%20Bulgaria%20announced%20expulsions%20of%2020%20alleged%20Russian%20agents%20in%20total.%20And%20Poland%20declared%2045%20Russian%20diplomats%20personae%20non%20gratae%2C%20alleging%20all%20to%20be%20using%20diplomatic%20cover%20to%20undertake%20intelligence%20work.%0A%0A