British diplomats were accused of spying on Russia by use of a fake rock on a sidewalk by a park on the edge of Moscow. The rock, the size of a watermelon, had a transmitter hidden inside. This allowed agents to receive and send information anonymously via hand-held computers at distances of more than 60 feet in bursts of one or two seconds.
The rock was used to exchange classified data or other agent-to-agent communication. Russian officials declined to discuss the nature or significance of the data that may have been transmitted.
Usually, when such tactics are uncovered, they remain undisclosed to the public. In an unexpected move, Russia’s security service, the Federal Security Bureau, broadcasted the allegations, including footage from a hidden camera.
A grainy black-and-white tape aired on Russian television showing men approaching the rock, picking it up, and, in one instance, taking it away.
FSB spokesman Sergei Ignatchenko appeared on television with the rock and showed viewers its secret compartment. Inside the rock was a silver plastic device.
“An agent passes the information over by walking near the stone and transmitting it with a special device,” explained Ignatchenko. “A spy also walking by receives this information and provides his agent with new instructions.”
Discovering the imitation rock prompted a search across the city for similar devices. A second device was found, however, the transmitter was missing.
Russian officials claim that the British spy ring consists of four mid-ranking UK embassy officials and one Russian citizen.
Ignatchenko said to The New York Times, “The accused British diplomats’ possible expulsion would be determined at the political level.”
The suspected Russian citizen has been arrested. According The New York Times, another spokesman for the Russian intelligence agency, Nikolai Zakharov, refused to say when and whether the suspect had been formally charged.
The FSB has additionally accused one of the diplomats, identified as Marc Doe, of funding non-government organizations based in Moscow, mainly the Eurasia Foundation and the Moscow Helsinki Group.
These organizations promote independent newspapers in provincial Russian cities and are among the country’s most prominent human-rights groups.
Russia has long suspected non-government organizations of being a cover for spying.
“Under the cover of implementing humanitarian and educational programs in Russian regions, they lobby for the interests of certain countries and gather classified information on a wide range of issues,” explained Nikolai Patrushav, the Director of the FSB, in a press release.
While the British embassy in Moscow has remained silent concerning the charges, the Foreign Office released a statement denying the allegations.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair laughed it off, only telling the press, “I’m afraid you’re going to get the old stock in trade: ‘We never comment on security matters,’ except when we want to, obviously.”
He added, “I think the less said about it, the better.”
“There’s always a winner and a loser in the intelligence game. This time the British have lost,” said Parliamentarian Gennady Gudkov to The New York Times.
Shelini Harris, Assistant Professor of Peace and Conflict Studies, said that she would not be surprised if these charges are true.
“Russia may not be Communist anymore, and the cold war may have ended officially, but the Russians don’t necessarily trust the West, and vice versa,” said Harris. “If I were to venture an educated guess, I would say it is very likely that not only Britain, but several other countries, especially including the U.S. are spying on Russia.”
If the allegations are true, Britain would be violating an agreement made in 1994 to end espionage in Russia.