Latvia’s State Security Service (SSS) has revealed a concerning surge in efforts by Russia to recruit Ukrainian refugees during their border crossings, Latvian news agency Delfi reported on Aug. 27.

The SSS has conducted thorough investigations into instances where Russian agents have tried to recruit refugees from Ukraine, particularly at the Latvian-Russian border crossing. Officials from the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) are disguising themselves as border guards and subjecting individuals to prolonged interrogations.

Latvian intelligence authorities have noted that these interactions resemble interrogations more than routine questioning. FSB operatives aim to extract intricate details about the refugees’ life histories, their connections within Ukrainian security circles, and their insights into ongoing events within the conflict zone. Russian intelligence agents also exhibit a keen interest in the status of Ukrainian forces, the strategies employed by the Ukrainian military, and any assistance coming from Western sources.

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The primary objective of these interviews in most cases is information gathering, said the SSS, adding that at times these discussions are followed by “overt recruitment efforts” by the FSB.

In a report dated Aug. 19, The Washington Post disclosed the exposure of a Russian intelligence network in Poland, implicating 12 Ukrainian refugees among those involved.

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