In Estonia, a Russian was sentenced for espionage against the EU and NATO countries,and in the Postimees newspaper, Norwegian intelligence services thanked the Estonian security service for contributing.
‘’We can confirm that we took a man who worked for the GRU.Good cooperation with Norwegian intelligence was important in this case’’ said Harrys Puusepp of the Estonian security service,KAPO, according to VG.
The-Norwegian accused of espionage,Frode Berg’s Norwegian lawyer, Brynjulf Risnes, hopes that the spy can be exchanged for Berg.Negotiations have been discussed to get Berg home.
“If Norwegian intelligence is involved, this makes it more probable than it has been in other matters we have seen,” Risnes told VG onFriday night.
Risnes emphasised that nothing concrete has occurred indicating that a prisoner swap is under way. The e-service does not wish to comment on the matter.
The Russian was sentenced to one year and eight months imprisonment for espionage in Estonia. The criminal case in Frode Berg’s case is considerably longer, but Berg’s lawyer thinks there are opportunities for an exchange anyway.
“We expect Berg to be believed about his limited knowledge of the matter,thus obtaining a judgment that is far below the penalty frame.The challenge here is whether three countries, Norway, Russia and Estonia can come to an agreement. But when first they do, I do not see that the punishment itself should be an obstacle to exchange’’ Risnes said.
