Monument to Rikhard Zorge - the Soviet military intelligency agent who worked under cover in Japan during WW2.
Photo: Alexey Kudenko
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Identified as Diplomat
The spying scandal of Russia and Austria has neared the end. Austria received confirmation that the Russian detained on spying suspicions enjoyed the diplomatic immunity and, therefore, should be set free. In the next move, Vienna requested Moscow to strip the alleged spy of the diplomatic status but faced categorical denial of Russia’s Foreign Ministry. The Russian was released and left for Moscow in one go.
The spying scandal of Russia and Austria sparkled past Monday, once Austrian secrete services detained a Russian on spying suspicions. The matter at stake was the military spying, and arrest of some sub-lieutenant of the Austrian Air Forces was also reported. That officer allegedly passed secret documents on combat helicopters to the Russian spy.
The Russian was chased by intelligence of Austria and Germany and Austria intends to extradite him to Germany after preliminary investigation, Vienna prosecutors announced, to no avail though.
Moscow responded that the detained had the status of a diplomat and arrived in Vienna to take part in the work of the 50th session of the U.N. Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Russia’s bureaucrats said the detained was a high-ranked official of Federal Space Agency, Roskosmos, but refused to disclose his name.
But the media soon learned that it was Vladimir Vozhzhov, one of the deputy chiefs of Roskosmos foreign cooperation department, who was arrested in Vienna. Vozhzhov has been working in Roskosmos since early 2000s. Before it, he was an advisor at Russia’s embassy in Vienna. All this time, Vozhzhov has been the staff officer of Russia’s military intelligence.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of June 22, 2007
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