Sweden Exposes Russian Spy at Secret Pub Meeting
Sweden's Security Service (Säpo) has thwarted a Russian intelligence operation aimed at gathering information from Sweden's political elite and discrediting Sweden, NATO, and the EU.
Sweden's Security Service (Säpo) has thwarted a Russian intelligence operation aimed at gathering information from Sweden's political elite and discrediting Sweden, NATO, and the EU.
Sweden's Security Service (Säpo) announced on Monday, August 10, 2026, that it had disrupted a Russian intelligence operation during which a Russian officer handed over gifts and assignments to an agent across the table at a pub in Stockholm. According to Christoffer Wedelin, Deputy Head of Operations at Säpo, the operation targeted Sweden's central political decision-making.
"The goal was to gather information from Sweden's central political decision-making," Wedelin told Swedish public broadcaster SVT Nyheter. Säpo also released unique surveillance photos showing the clandestine meeting of two men, neither of whom was aware that Swedish agents were watching from a nearby table.
According to Säpo's reconstruction, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) had been running an agent on one side of the embassy in Sweden for months through two of its officers. The pub meeting, documented by Säpo, was the culmination of that operation. A Säpo spokesperson confirmed to Reuters that the operation involved three people acting under diplomatic immunity.
"The meeting was preceded by extensive conspiratorial measures; they simply did not want to be discovered," Wedelin told SVT. Despite these measures, the Swedish agency tracked the operation in detail. "We have a very good picture of what information was passed and what kind of task the agent received. We can also see that gifts were handed over from the Russian intelligence officer to the agent," he added. The spokesperson further clarified to Reuters: "We were able to monitor what happened at these meetings between the individuals involved, what was said, and what tasks were given."
However, the two Russian officers and the agent are no longer in Sweden, and no investigation is being conducted against them. "They operated in Sweden under diplomatic immunity. In such cases, it is not possible to conduct an investigation with the aim of prosecution," Wedelin explained. A Säpo spokesperson told Reuters: "They are no longer in Sweden, and we have managed to break up this operation."
In a press release cited by Euronews, Säpo highlighted that one of the operation's goals was to enable Russian agencies to conduct influence operations on polarizing issues. The ultimate aim was to undermine Swedish decision-making and discredit Sweden, NATO, and the EU. According to France Télévisions, Säpo explained that "one of the operation's goals was to gather information about the decision-making process in Sweden to enable Russian intelligence services to conduct influence operations on polarizing issues, with the aim of undermining decision-making in Sweden and discrediting Sweden, NATO, and the EU."
"I can confirm that this concerns central political decision-making," Wedelin said, declining to specify which individuals or institutions were targeted. He added that Säpo had taken measures to protect vital Swedish resources and counter further influence. In a statement cited by AFP, Säpo said it had "intervened to protect vital Swedish interests and suppress the lasting effects of this action."
The operation comes amid heightened intelligence activities against Sweden, which ended two centuries of military neutrality in 2024 by joining NATO. This move was prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Le Figaro notes that Sweden broke with two centuries of military non-alignment by deciding to join the Atlantic Alliance precisely because of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Säpo has repeatedly identified Russia, along with China and Iran, as the country's main intelligence threats. A Säpo spokesperson emphasized to Reuters: "This is consistent with the threat we see from Russia." Meanwhile, NATO continues to strengthen its presence on the eastern flank. On Monday, it was announced that French Rafales had completed an air policing mission in Lithuania, and Italian Eurofighters in Romania, confirming the allies' readiness for deterrence and defense in the Baltic region and southeastern Europe.
