European Forum

Ukraine-Russia spy scandal escalates ahead of Ukrainian poll

Amid a hotly anticipated election campaign in Ukraine, the security services of Russia and Ukraine yesterday (2 February) traded espionage accusations. The spy scandal has escalated just 5 days before Ukrainians will go to the polls on 7 February to choose their President in an election run-off – an election in which Russia is an issue.

Russian spy network unveiled
The row began when the head of Ukraine's national security service (SBU) said it had uncovered a Russian spy network and detained one of its members, while expelling four more. SBU head Valentyn Nalyvaichenko was quoted by a Ukrainian news agency as saying the five FSB officers had been caught “red-handed” on 27 January in Ukraine's Odessa Region for trying to purchase "military state secrets" from a Ukrainian citizen. He added that spy equipment was seized from the detained.

The FSB, however, offered a different explanation for contacts with the Ukrainian, saying he had been held, but later released, at a Russian military post in the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria. It is surprising that the SBU has hurried to make this incident public since this sort of situation is usually dealt with between the intelligence services themselves," said the FSB.

Diplomatic ties restored
Relations with Moscow had deteriorated under President Viktor Yushchenko but he failed to gain re-election in a first round of voting, prompting Moscow to finalise the appointment of the new Ambassador to Ukraine, Mikhail Zurabov, which had been delayed. With this a five-month diplomatic rift has ended.

Presidential frontrunner Victor Yanukovich is pushing for warmer ties with Moscow. The other contender, Yulia Tymoshenko, favours a more pro-European stance. On Monday (1 February), a televised face to face debate between the two candidates turned into a one sided affair when only Tymoshenko turned up. Yanukovych refused to show up, accusing Tymoshenko of fraud.


Sources: KyivPost; Ria Novosti; RFE/RL; Reuters