Norway likely won’t proceed with spying trial for a Russian citizen who was part of Russia-US swap
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Loading... - Bogdan Sidorov
- 14 Aug 2024
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Norway is unlikely to proceed with the trial of Russian citizen Mikhail Mikushin, who was arrested in 2022 on espionage charges and was part of a prisoner swap between Russia and the United States last week, according to a senior prosecutor.
Mikushin, who had been posing as a Brazilian citizen named Jose Assis Giammaria, was arrested in late 2021 and was accused of working as a Russian spy while working as a lecturer at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe. He had been scheduled for trial in September, but the trial will not proceed now that he has been released as part of the prisoner swap.
The prisoner swap saw the release of two dozen people, including Mikushin, as well as journalist Evan Gershkovich and fellow American Paul Whelan, along with dissidents including Vladimir Kara-Murza. Mikushin is presumed to be in Russia following the swap.
Prosecutor Frederik G. Ranke of the national prosecution office told Norwegian broadcaster NRK that to prosecute Mikushin was no longer in the public interest since he is no longer in the country. While formally, it is up to the director of public prosecutions to press charges, it is likely that Norway's top judicial authority will follow the top prosecutor's suggestion.
Mikushin had been researching the northern regions and hybrid threats at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe, which is located near Norway's 198-kilometer border with Russia. However, the university has stated that no data had been stolen or information taken from it.
