MOSCOW — A Russian legislator specializing in national security on Thursday confirmed a newspaper report that a top intelligence official helped the United States arrest 10 Russian spies this summer.
The agents were taken into custody in June, several days after a U.S. visit by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. They were exchanged for four Russians who had been convicted of espionage in their own country. It was the largest spy swap between the countries since the end of the Cold War.
The respected daily Kommersant cited unidentified sources as identifying the Russian official only as Col. Shcherbakov, who it said headed the American section of a Foreign Intelligence Service division specializing in sleeper agents.
Gennady Gudkov, a member of the Russian parliament’s national security committee, later said “Shcherbakov turned over our agents in the U.S.A. … I knew of this long before the publication today in Kommersant.”
Gudkov could not be reached for elaboration, including how he knew of Shcherbakov’s alleged involvement. His quotes, originally reported by the Interfax news agency, were confirmed by his office.
The newspaper cited a source in the Kremlin administration as saying that Shcherbakov’s whereabouts were known and that a “Merkader” had been sent for him — referring to Ramon Merkader, the Soviet agent who murdered Leon Trotsky in Mexico in 1940.
The foreign intelligence service, known by the initials SVR, and Russia’s Foreign Ministry declined comment on the report. In Washington, U.S. Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd, FBI spokesman Paul Bresson and CIA spokesman George Little all declined comment on the report.
According to the newspaper, Shcherbakov, who reportedly has a daughter living in the United States, went to America three days before the start of Medvedev’s visit. The newspaper said the sources characterized him as fleeing, but it was unclear how they knew the trip was not simply a personal or professional visit.
After the arrest of the 10 Russian spies, a U.S. prosecutor said they had been under surveillance for years. The extent of Shcherbakov’s alleged aid in the arrests was not clear from the Kommersant account.
The newspaper cited the sources as saying that Shcherbakov visited one of the arrested spies, Mikhail Vasenkov, in jail to urge him to confess. Vasenkov, who went by the alias Juan Lazaro, insisted he was not Russian, and Shcherbakov then presented Vasenkov’s dossier to American authorities, the newspaper said.
The Russian spies were so-called “sleeper agents,” who go under the cover of civilians as opposed to spies working through embassies and military missions.
Although they had lived in the United States for years, it was unclear if any of them provided significant information to their bosses in Russia. They were charged only with acting as unregistered foreign agents rather than with espionage, possibly an indication they had dug up only low-quality intelligence.
Russian officials initially suggested the arrests were initiated by conservative elements in the United States who wanted to undermine improving Washington-Moscow relations. However, the scandal has not appeared to have long-term diplomatic or political consequences.
One alleged member of the ring, who went by the name Christopher Metsos, remains at large. He was arrested in Cyprus, but disappeared after being released on bail.
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