Estonia convicts Russian Spy

[JALU3]

Originally Posted by News Article

Estonia, NATO Weigh Damage Done By Russian Mole

March 01, 2009
By Ahto Lobjakas

BRUSSELS -- This week's conviction in Estonia of former senior defense official Herman Simm as a Russian spy ends what officials have described as the biggest espionage scandal in NATO's history.

The question weighing most heavily on the minds of intelligence professionals in Estonia, at NATO, and allied capitals is the extent of the real damage done by Simm. The costs will not only be counted in systems compromised or plans leaked, but also in terms of loss of reputation, credibility, and prestige.

Simm's career as a Russian spy spanned a staggering 12 years. After Estonia joined NATO in 2004, Simm was until 2006 a "gold-card operative," to quote one Estonian security official. As head of Estonia's National Security Authority, he had full access to many NATO secrets and an intimate knowledge of its procedures.

[Polak]

I wonder what kind of sentence he will get?
Spies should always be sentenced to death, but we live in way to liberal times for such a sentence.

bullocks death sentence. We are not the soviets.
In a way I admire this guy. Maneuvering between the Russians and NATO in Estonia, that takes balls. Honest gratulations to Russia to pull this off.

[JALU3]

I have to wonder if this has anything to do with it.

Obama 'ready to drop shield plans for Russian help on Iran'

MOSCOW, March 2 (RIA Novosti) - Washington has told Moscow that Russian help in resolving Iran's nuclear program would make its missile shield plans for Europe unnecessary, a Russian daily said on Monday, citing White House sources.

Russia has a vested interest in creating a counter balance to US influence in the South by backing Iran. That's what they have been doing, and they'll continue to do it.

[antikristuseke]

Originally Posted by Polak

I wonder what kind of sentence he will get?
Spies should always be sentenced to death, but we live in way to liberal times for such a sentence.

If memory serves me right he got something like 12 years.

Russia and Iran are not on friendly terms. When the US was the great Satan, the Soviet Union and Russia were the lesser Satan. A couple years back Russia also activly supported the international community in their talks with Iran and put some pressure on the Iranian goverment. That was before Bush, however, and before Russia started going on it's Ego Trip.

"Backing" Iran is still pretty far fetched.

[August]

Originally Posted by antikristuseke

If memory serves me right he got something like 12 years.

I wonder what the undercover agents he exposed got? A bullet to the head most likely...

[XabbaRus]

I doubt he was feeding that sort of info to the Russians.

Seems mainly technical and procedural stuff.

Now Kim Philby he definitely got some people shot...