Sweden’s intelligence agency has not only spied on Russian leadership, sharing intelligence with the NSA, but also apparently engaged in industrial espionage against business targets such as Russia’s energy companies, Sveriges Television reports.
According to a wire, obtained by Swedish TV program ‘Mission: Investigate’, Sweden’s National Defense Radio Establishment (FRA) shared intelligence on Russia with Washington.
“Thank Sweden for its continued work on the Russian target, and underscore the primary role that FRA plays as a leading partner to work the Russian Target, including Russian leadership, ENERGY, … and … counterintelligence,” NSA wire said, as cited by SVT.
The earlier omitted part of the quote reveals that Sweden was tapping on civilian targets as well. One source told the documentary there was “a very obvious interest in looking at the Russian companies” confirming it was “a part of the mission.”
When asked if FRA spied on such companies as the Russian energy giant Gazprom, the source said “Gazprom is one possible” adding that there are “many other, smaller players.”
In an interview with SVT, journalist Glenn Greenwald said “the NSA seems impressed by how much money and how much technological sophistication the Swedish have been able to assemble when building their own surveillance system.”
Commenting for the documentary on the intelligence gathering cooperation between the US and Sweden, Greenwald said they “work together when they perceive that their interests are mutually aligned and share information readily about a whole variety of topics, again having nothing to do with national security, including the energy sector in Russia.”
The latest leak has nothing to do with national security and is “very conclusive about the fact that part of what they are doing is spying on energy companies, obviously for economic advantage,” Greenwald added.
The West is very hypocritical about industrial espionage, in particular constantly accusing China of breaking the international laws by spying on Western companies, Greenwald told SVT.
“And yet here you find the United States and its closest allies in the espionage world, including Sweden, doing exactly that which they have long vehemently accused China of doing and have rigorously condemned over and over,” Greenwald said.
So far there have been no further details on the spying apart from the documents provided by Edward Snowden, Nils Hanson, chief editor of “Mission: Investigate,” told RT.
“The documents mention ‘unique’ intelligence, ‘classic’ intelligence and cables,” Hanson said.
A spokesman for the FRA said, “We cannot comment on these kinds of allegations,” but he nevertheless confirmed that the FRA is a “leading partner” of the NSA, adding that this was a “flattering” characterization.
Investigative journalist Duncan Campbell, who brought to light the close relationship between Sweden’s FRA and the NSA, told RT that with Sweden’s strategic location in the Baltic, the country has always been the envy of America’s intelligence services.