Russian Spy Ring Busted In The U.S.

New York Times: 3 Men Are Charged With Serving as Secret Agents for Russia in New York

WNU Editor: Apparently this ring was focused on recruiting college girls .... Feds: Russian Spies Tried to Recruit NYC College Girls (Newsweek). College girls !?!?!?!? Hmmmm .... I do not think this part of the operation was for spying.

More News On Russian Spy Ring Busted In The U.S.

U.S. Says Russian Spy Ring Sought NYSE, Sanction Secrets -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Three Russians charged as spies in NYC -- AP
FBI cracks 'Russian spy ring' -- BBC
FBI arrests alleged Russian spy in New York -- AFP
FBI breaks up a Russian spy ring in New York City -- Washington Post
Alleged Russian spy arrested in New York City -- CNN
U.S. charges three in alleged Russian spy ring in NYC -- Reuters
3 Russians charged in Cold War-style spy scheme -- FOX News
FBI: 3 Russians charged with spying, 1 arrested in New York -- RT
Alleged Russian Spy to Face Up to 10 Years, Next Hearing Set for February 9 -- Sputnik News
1 Arrested, 2 Sought In Alleged Russian Spy Ring In New York -- CBS
Russian Alleged Agents Worked to Obtain Intelligence on Sanctions -- Sputnik
The Busted Russian Spy Ring In New York City Was Proper Espionage -- Mark Galeotti, business Insider/In Moscow's Shadows

U.S. Navy Engineer Caught Trying To Steal And Sell The Secrets For America's Newest Aircraft Carrier

The Gerald R. Ford is the first of a new class of aircraft carriers under construction for the US Navy. (Chris Oxley/Newport News Shipbuilding)

A Navy Engineer Was Caught Trying To Steal Plans For The US's Newest Aircraft Carrier -- Business Insider

The Defence Department has indicted a civilian Navy engineer for attempting to send schematics for the US’s newest nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to an undercover FBI agent who he believed was working for Egyptian intelligence.

Mostafa Ahmed Awwad was a civilian engineer in the Nuclear Engineering and Planning Department at the Navy’s shipyard in Norfolk, Virginia. The 34-year-old Awwad worked at the department since February in 2014. One night in September, an Arabic-speaker called Awwad and set up a meeting the next day, where the caller explained that he was an Egyptian intelligence agent.

Read more ....

More News On The U.S. Navy Engineer Caught Trying To Steal And Sell The Secrets For America's Newest Aircraft Carrier

Navy engineer indicted for trying to sell secrets -- Navy Times
Feds: Navy engineer tried to steal schematics for new carrier class -- Stars and Stripes/Daily Press (Newport News, Va.) (TNS)
US Navy Engineer Indicted For Trying To Sell Secrets -- Defense News
Feds: Navy Engineer Tried to Steal Schematics -- ABC News/AP
FBI: Navy engineer tried to sell secrets to Egypt -- UPI
Feds: Man tried to take Ford carrier specs to Egypt -- Virginia Pilot
Navy engineer tried to leak plans for new aircraft carrier to Egypt, U.S. says -- Washington Post
Navy Worker Charged With Trying to Steal Carrier Secrets -- Bloomberg

Russian Spying Now At Cold War Levels

Tit-for-tat explusions: The Polish embassy in Moscow. Russia said on Monday several of its diplomats had been expelled from Poland and that a number of Polish diplomats had left Russia after Moscow took "adequate" measures in return. Photo: Reuters

Russian Espionage At Cold War Levels -- The Age

Russia and Poland have expelled several of each other's diplomats in a tit-for-tat exchange over spying as Moscow's espionage returns to Cold War levels.

Warsaw: Russian and Polish officials have confirmed they carried out tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions in an espionage affair that highlights intensified efforts by Moscow to penetrate NATO countries and a new determination by the West to fight back.

As tensions grow over Russia's military incursions in Ukraine, espionage also appears to be returning to Cold War levels. Russia and several NATO members have been accusing each other of stepped-up spying, with diplomats allegedly playing key roles in the activity.

Read more ....

Update: Why Poland and Russia are expelling each other's diplomats -- Vanessa Gera, Christian Science Monitor/AP

Previous Post: Poland And Russia Have Carried Out Tit - For - Tat Diplomatic Expulsions

My Comment: Russian (and Western) spying has been ongoing for years .... even after the fall of Communism. The difference is that with tensions continuing to escalate over Ukraine .... the press is now reporting on it.

Vienna Is The World's Leader In Espionage

Vienna Named As Global Spying Hub In New Book -- The Telegraph

Vienna is the world leader in espionage with at least 7,000 spies plying their trade in the Austrian capital

Its reputation as a centre of espionage long predates its notoriety as the setting for the 1949 film The Third Man but only now can a figure be put on the number of spies operating in Vienna.

A survey compiled by experts in spying activities in the Austrian capital shows that at least 7,000 agents work undercover in the city.

As neutral country, Vienna was a Cold War spying hub where both sides were able to ply their trade and openly dealt with each other. Its allure was explained in the opening sequence in the Third Man when the narrator observed that Vienna allows agents a free run: “We’d run anything if people wanted it enough, and had the money to pay.”

Unrivalled as a Cold War playground, the proximity of the Balkans following the collapse of the Soviet bloc, proved to be a fresh start for the second oldest profession.

Since the 2001 attacks on America, the city has also been a significant theatre for competing Middle East interests.

Read more ....

My Comment: Vienna?!?!?! I love Vienna. The Danube river, the great climate, the good food, the beautiful women, the great sights, the skiing in winter, .... hmmm ... now I understand why spies want to be deployed there.