Recently, electronic bugging devices were discovered on the roofs of several Russian embassies in European capitals. These discoveries did not come as a surprise to experts, but the focus is now on the extent of signal intelligence (SIGINT) operated from embassy rooftops. The SIGINT stations discovered in Stockholm and Warsaw had satellite dishes that intercepted data streams not intended for Russia. In Warsaw, a drone provided high-resolution images of around ten satellite dishes on the roof of a ten-story residential building of the Russian embassy.
However, Frontstory reports that 45 diplomats from the Russian Federation have been forced to leave Poland since February 2022, including 21 Russian intelligence officers who were active under diplomatic cover. Among them were all satellite technicians who could be identified as such. The operation of the SIGINT station in Warsaw could no longer be maintained because this staff was also responsible for evaluating the data streams.
The revealed methods of the SIGINT used by Russia are similar to those used by the NSA from the time of Edward Snowden’s revelations. The system designed by the NSA for traffic data analyzation is codenamed Einstein-Castanet, and the technologies used in the USA and Russia are unlikely to differ much.
An example of how the data collected by Russia’s SIGINT stations is used became apparent at the start of the Ukraine war. KA-SAT’s satellite internet abruptly went out of service due to a sabotage action. Although Russia was blamed for the KA-Sat failure, the disturbances in wind power were a side effect of the Ukraine war since the attack on the KA-Sat data services had been aimed at the Ukrainian army.
The largest of all Russian stations is in Vienna, with over 20 dishes alone on the complex of the Russian Embassy at the United Nations. However, the Austrian federal government has so far refused to turn off the signals to these mirrors, justifying it with the country’s “permanent neutrality.” Critics suggest that Vienna’s cheap natural gas supply from Russia may influence the government’s decision.
Most recently, four more Russian diplomats were expelled from Austria, including the local head of the Russian civilian secret service SVR, which operates the station in Vienna, and two technicians for satellite systems. Only eight Russian diplomats were expelled from Austria, despite two embassies of the Russian Federation in Vienna.
