Vitaly Zvyagintsev. (Facebook)
Russian national working in Israel outed as an Iranian spy who photographed Israeli ports and ships as part of intelligence-gathering effort.
By World Israel News Staff
A Russian man living in Israel was arrested recently, after authorities discovered evidence he conducted intelligence-gathering missions on behalf of Iran.
On Friday, the Shin Bet intelligence agency and the Israeli Defense Ministry issued a joint statement revealing that in early December, police arrested Vitaly Zvyagintsev, a Russian national and foreign worker residing in Israel, on suspicion of committing security offenses under the direction of Iranian intelligence elements.
Zvyagintsev, who according to the joint statement is approximately 30 years old, was in regular contact with his Iranian handler, who operated under the pseudonym “Roman.”
Beginning in October, Zvyagintsev reached out to Roman and soon began to carry out missions handed down by Roman, who claimed to live in Russia.
The tasks included photographing various locations in Israel, including port infrastructure and ships docked in port. Zvyagintsev often posed as a tourist while taking the photographs, in order to conceal the true purpose of his visits.
In return for these missions, he received payments via digital means.
Authorities say Zvyagintsev “carried out these actions while understanding that Roman’s requests to photograph various sites in Israel constituted espionage missions by elements seeking to harm Israel.”
“Nevertheless, he continued to perform additional tasks assigned by his handler for financial reasons.”
The Central District Attorney’s office filed an indictment against Zvyagintsev on Friday at the Central District Court.
“This is a serious affair that constitutes another example of the extensive efforts by Iranian intelligence elements to recruit Israeli citizens and foreign nationals in Israel and abroad to advance intelligence-gathering and terrorist activities in Israel,” the Shin Bet and Israeli Defense Ministry said.
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