NATO betrayed by Switzerland after huge leak of confidential information to Russia

A Swiss intelligence employee has been accused of leaking classified information to Russia over a period of several years, according to a report by the Swiss news agency Keystone-ATS.

The Swiss Ministry of Defense has launched an investigation into the breach, which allegedly involved a member of the IT department of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) deliberately handing over sensitive documents to Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky.

Once in the hands of Kaspersky, the intelligence is believed to have been passed on to the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency. The leaks reportedly began in either 2014 or 2015 and continued until 2020.

Swiss Defense Minister Martin Pfister emphasized the importance of hiring reliable and trustworthy personnel, especially during what he described as a period of heightened global instability.

Despite its neutral stance and non-membership in NATO, Switzerland’s exposure in this case is likely to deal a significant blow to Western intelligence cooperation, particularly with NATO partners.

(QG - Source: The Daily Express - Picture : © Unsplash)