Danish intelligence services announced on Tuesday the arrest of a Russian citizen on suspicion of espionage, whom local media called “a pillar of the Russian community in Denmark.”
This “Russian citizen living in Denmark” is suspected of allowing “a foreign intelligence service to operate in the country, namely by exerting influence,” the intelligence service (PET) said in a statement.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been revealed, was detained in the south of Copenhagen and is expected to be released after questioning, security services said.
PET stressed that the arrest is not related to the European elections, which take place this weekend, but rather to recent revelations by Danish public radio and other media about the Pravfond Foundation, an institution operating out of Moscow and used to “finance operations for the benefit of Russia.”
The foundation, backed by Russian authorities, is suspected of “financing disinformation projects” and protecting suspected spies, according to documents collected by Danish public radio.