Europe Tightens the Net on Moscow’s Shadow Network
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EU governments have agreed to restrict the movement of Russian diplomats within the bloc, responding to a surge in sabotage attempts that intelligence agencies say are often directed by spies operating under diplomatic cover.
Moscow-backed operatives have been blamed for escalating provocations against NATO member states — including arson, cyberattacks, infrastructure sabotage, and drone incursions — in what EU security services describe as a coordinated campaign to destabilise Kyiv’s European allies.
Under the proposed rules, Russian diplomats posted in EU capitals will be required to notify other member states of their travel plans before crossing beyond the borders of their host country. The initiative, led by the Czech Republic, forms part of a new package of sanctions being drafted in Brussels in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The sanctions package requires unanimous approval from all 27 member states. Hungary, previously the lone holdout, has now lifted its veto, according to two people briefed on the negotiations. However, formal adoption could still be delayed by a dispute over Austria’s demand to include a provision lifting sanctions on assets linked to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska — a move intended to compensate Raiffeisen Bank for damages incurred in Russia.
At least a dozen EU capitals have signalled they would block the package if Austria’s proposal is included, the officials said. Further talks are scheduled for Wednesday.
EU intelligence agencies say Russian operatives posing as diplomats frequently conduct activities beyond their accredited countries to avoid counterintelligence scrutiny.
“They are posted to one place — but work in another,” said a senior EU diplomat, citing intelligence reports. “The host country’s services know what they are up to, but once they cross a border, surveillance becomes far more difficult.”
The Czech government has been advocating for the restrictions since May last year, after uncovering multiple instances of Russian diplomatic personnel engaging in espionage. Prague has already expelled several suspected operatives, though hundreds remain accredited to neighbouring Austria — from where they can still legally cross into Czech territory.
Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský said the measures were needed to restore balance in diplomatic arrangements.
“There is no ‘Schengen for Russia,’ so it makes no sense that a Russian diplomat accredited in Spain can come to Prague whenever he likes,” he told the Financial Times. “We should apply strict reciprocity to the issuance of short-stay diplomatic visas under the Vienna Convention.”
The Czech Republic has long been a target of Russian covert operations. In 2014, explosions at an ammunition depot in Vrbětice killed two people — an attack Prague later attributed to agents of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service.
