Consequently, they are both very juicy targets for Russian spies. The Naples base has previously been used as a command headquarters for NATO’s military operations in Bosnia. NATO’s maritime enforcement of the UN arms embargo, established at the outbreak of the Balkan wars, was also done from Naples. As the threat from Russia has grown since 2014, NATO’s Joint Forces Command base in Naples has been at the center of plans to improve and coordinate the alliance’s hard-line eastern flank. In addition to trying to get into the bases, both physically and with cyber attacks, it is very likely that Russia also tried to recruit people inside, especially those who hold security clearances. This is often seen as an easier and certainly less risky means of accessing classified information. But there is another way to try to discover the secrets hidden within you.
The old fashioned honey trap remains a real tactic
Although it sounds like the plot of a Hollywood movie, the existence of hypnotists who have been around for years under false identities while creating plausible cover stories is still a very real tactic in the world of espionage. The so-called “illegals” will have gone to great lengths – and received huge support from their parent spy agencies – to ingratiate themselves with the society they have targeted. In the case of Maria Adela, who was revealed by the online investigative group Bellingcat as a spy for the Russian foreign intelligence agency GRU with the real name Olga Kolobova, it appears that around 2013 she started working as a socialite and jewelry designer, living in the posh Posillipo district. of Naples, near the NATO base. From there she made it her business to befriend service personnel and civilians working at NATO headquarters, courting relationships through social settings such as parties and charity balls. The danger from such people is well known. In the British military, there are annual security briefings to remind personnel of the threat. A list entitled “Countries Subject to Special Security Restrictions” is regularly updated by the British Foreign Office to highlight not only countries that pose an immediate threat, but also countries in which hostile states are known to be operating against British personnel. This list currently names China, Syria, Libya and Vietnam among others as countries to be cautious and cautious. Security training and awareness has improved significantly in recent years but, as a defense source told The Telegraph, the old-fashioned honey trap is still out there.
