Uploaded August 2024 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
One was hired to spy on a NATO base. Another went to Kyiv to commit arson. Both failed — but their cases shed light on a bigger story.
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Neither succeeded in their missions — these guys were no James Bond. But when they confessed to the Latvian authorities, it turned out they had been recruited through Telegram by Russian agents.
Their tragicomic stories shed light on a wave of sabotage that has flared up across Europe. It sounds serious. But it also sounds kind of amateurish. Is this really the work of Russian agents? And what is the point?
In this video, OCCRP senior editor Ilya Lozovsky talks with Inga Springe of Re:Baltica and Holger Roonemaa of Delfi, two reporters who broke the case. Having reported for years from the Baltics, just a short drive from the Russian border, they are better poised than most to explain what this all means.
Please leave us a comment — What do you think of this video? What more would you like to know on this topic? And what other videos would you like to see from us?
And if you’d like more details on this one, here’s the full investigation, co-published by Re:Baltica, Delfi, and The Insider here: https://en.rebaltica.lv/2024/07/2970/
#telegram #russia #spying #investigativejournalism
One was hired to spy on a NATO base. Another went to Kyiv to commit arson. Both failed — but their cases shed light on a bigger story.
Subscribe to OCCRP on YouTube ► https://t.ly/oDABd
Neither succeeded in their missions — these guys were no James Bond. But when they confessed to the Latvian authorities, it turned out they had been recruited through Telegram by Russian agents.
Their tragicomic stories shed light on a wave of sabotage that has flared up across Europe. It sounds serious. But it also sounds kind of amateurish. Is this really the work of Russian agents? And what is the point?
In this video, OCCRP senior editor Ilya Lozovsky talks with Inga Springe of Re:Baltica and Holger Roonemaa of Delfi, two reporters who broke the case. Having reported for years from the Baltics, just a short drive from the Russian border, they are better poised than most to explain what this all means.
Please leave us a comment — What do you think of this video? What more would you like to know on this topic? And what other videos would you like to see from us?
And if you’d like more details on this one, here’s the full investigation, co-published by Re:Baltica, Delfi, and The Insider here: https://en.rebaltica.lv/2024/07/2970/
#telegram #russia #spying #investigativejournalism
