A suspected Russian spy who posed as a Brazilian academic before his arrest this week by Norway’s domestic security agency spent years studying at Canadian universities with a focus on Arctic security issues.
The man, who called himself José Assis Giammaria, worked as researcher at the University of Tromsø and was arrested on suspicion he had entered Norway under false pretences. On Friday, prosecutor Thomas Blom named the man as Mikhail Mikushin, adding that Norway’s domestic security agency was “not positively sure of his identity, but we are quite certain that he is not Brazilian”.
A researcher at the investigative website Bellingcat said that evidence suggested that Mikushin is a senior Russian military intelligence officer.
“Great job, Norway, you’ve caught yourself a colonel from the GRU [Russia’s military intelligence agency],” Christo Grozev tweeted.
Meanwhile, more details emerged of the years the man lived in Canada, amid speculation that he used his time in the country to build up the cover story of his fake identity.
After his arrest, Gunhild Hoogensen Gjørv, a professor in security studies at the University of Tromsø, told the Guardian that the man had come recommended by a Canadian professor.
In 2015, a José Assis Giammaria graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science from Ottawa’s Carleton University, focusing on international relations with a minor in communications studies.
That same year, he volunteered for the country’s New Democratic party during the federal election, knocking on doors for candidate Sean Devine.
Devine, now a city councillor, told local media nothing unusual jumped out about Giammaria except for an impressive résumé and strong speaking skills.
The suspect moved west and three years later graduated from the University of Calgary with a master’s degree in strategic studies.
“Students in this program are taught by professors and instructors – not military professionals – to build a well-rounded understanding of the drivers of military, security and strategic decision-making,” the university said in a statement.
It added that the suspect would not have had any unique access to information, but cautioned questions over a possible criminal background or identify fraud were the purview of the federal government “as part of the immigration process”.
Staff at the Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies have told reporters that they did not recall the man, despite him using a number of references from Canada when he applied for a position in Tromsø.
The suspect appeared to take an interest in Arctic policy and in 2019 published an article in the Naval Review journal on the need for Canada to establish a permanent naval base in its Arctic territory, arguing Nordic nations – and Russia – had already done so. He also highlighted the significant Russian investment in the region and suggested Canada lacked the “political will” to match other nations competing for a place in the Arctic.
“We have no way of assessing the security status of people who submit articles – we simply judge the submissions on their merits,” the journal’s editor, Ann Griffiths, told the Guardian in an email. “People submit material, and if it’s good/interesting we publish it.”
Canada, alongside South American countries, has long been a site for Soviet and Russian programs to create deep-cover identities for “illegals” – agents who operate covertly and without diplomatic cover, said Stephanie Carvin, a professor of international relations at Carleton University and former national security analyst.
The country’s lack of a centralized birth and death record-keeping system makes it relatively easy to appropriate an identity, she said.
And while the case exemplifies the way in which Russia has not dramatically changed its tactics, it also underscores the sustained nature of “traditional espionage”.
“You still need human intelligence. You still need people out there doing things in order to achieve a state aim or goal. Even if it’s a pretty traditional tactic, it’s never really gone away.”
Carvin says she suspected the Russian’s time in Canada was used to develop a deep cover or backstory, known as a “legend”, for use in possible missions outside the country.
“Canada, generally speaking, is a non-specific country. It’s a good place to burnish your legend without raising too many red flags,” she said. “The whole point of the legend is you don’t want to stick out at all. You want to seem extremely boring and plain. And Canada fits the bill.”
