The Spy Factory: How Russia Uses Brazil to Facilitate Its Modern Espionage

The Spy Factory: How Russia uses Brazil to facilitate its modern espionage

RIO DE JANEIRO — Artem Shmyrev had everyone fooled. The Russian intelligence officer seemed to have built the perfect cover identity. He ran a successful 3D printing business and shared an upscale apartment in Rio de Janeiro with his Brazilian…

For years, Russian secret services have exploited a loophole in the law that allowed them to "manufacture" illegal agents. Suspicious details in the birth certificate of an alleged Brazilian led investigators to uncover a network of spies preparing for missions.

A network of alleged Russian spies began coming to the scene from 2022 with a man's prison who was trying to pass through the International Criminal Tribunal in the Netherlands.

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A jewelry businessman, a researcher, a married couple, a student, or a blue-eyed model. All of these people had lived in Brazil for years, and none of them attracted the attention of the authorities or their loved ones. They found work, friends, partners, and gradually built a new life there.