Sweden | Expressen: Russian diplomats are suspected of spying on Swedish prosecutors

Several high-ranking Swedish prosecutors suspect that the staff of the Russian embassy is following them, according to a Swedish newspaper Expressen.

Engagement prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist confirm the matter to the newspaper. He works in Sweden’s espionage and terrorist crime unit.

Ljungqvist estimates that the purpose of the monitoring is to map the cell phones used by the prosecutors. After this, Russia would try to hack the phones.

The tracking seems to take place from Russian diplomatically registered vehicles.

Ljungqvist has said that he has noticed the cars in question in his neighborhood even while driving far from his home and workplace.

Ljungqvist has personally handled several espionage cases involving Russia. According to him, the monitoring is more lively when a security issue concerning Russia has become public in Sweden.

According to Ljunqvist, the prosecutors are prepared for the fact that phones will be attempted to be mapped with, for example, devices that are a kind of fake base stations.

According to the Vienna Convention, diplomatic immunity limits the stopping and inspection of diplomatic vehicles.

According to Ljungqvist, however, the authorities have the means to find out whether diplomatic vehicles have equipment related to phone mapping and hacking that are actively in use.

Sweden has expelled Russian diplomats last year, for example, after naming them as spies. Russia routinely responds with its own deportations.

To spy the related cases are regularly featured in the Swedish public anyway.

On Wednesday, the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation SVT told about the banishment of a Chinese journalist for life. According to the decision, this would have engaged in activities threatening the security of Sweden.

China has called the decision blackmail.