Norway Halts Espionage Trial Against Russian Citizen

Norway will not proceed with the espionage trial of Russian citizen Mikhail Mikushin, who was arrested in 2022 and later included in a major Russia-U.S. prisoner swap. Prosecutor Frederik G. Ranke cited lack of public interest as Mikushin is no longer in Norway. Mikushin previously posed as a Brazilian citizen and was working at the Arctic University of Norway.

Norway has decided to halt the espionage trial of Mikhail Mikushin, a Russian citizen arrested in 2022, now back in Russia following a massive prisoner swap between Russia and the United States. The senior prosecutor, Frederik G. Ranke, indicated that prosecuting Mikushin is no longer in the public interest since he's returned to Russia as part of the largest East-West civilian prisoner exchange in post-Soviet history.

Mikushin, posing as a Brazilian citizen named Jose Assis Giammaria, entered Norway in 2021 and was apprehended by Norway's domestic security agency, PST, in 2022. He eventually revealed his real identity and was considered a threat to national security, working as a lecturer at the Arctic University of Norway in Tromsoe.

After his arrest, the university investigated but found no data theft. Following his release, Mikushin was welcomed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. The formal decision to drop charges will be made by Norway's director of public prosecutions, who is likely to follow Ranke's recommendation.

(With inputs from agencies.)