By The Smartencyclopedia Staff & Agencies

In a startling revelation, an investigative report by The Insider, in collaboration with Delfi Estonia, Latvia’s Re: Baltica, and Sweden’s Expressen, has uncovered that Tatjana Ždanoka, a Latvian Member of the European Parliament (MEP), allegedly served as an agent for Russian intelligence, the FSB, for at least 15 years, from 2004 to 2017.

According to leaked emails obtained by The Insider, the correspondence between Ždanoka and her two known Russian case officers revealed explicit, detailed reports describing her work as a European legislator. The focus of her official duties was purportedly on fostering pro-Kremlin sentiment in her native Baltic region.

The leaked emails reportedly included discussions about organizing meetings with her FSB handlers in Moscow or Brussels, along with requests for Russian financial support for her political activities in Latvia and the European Parliament. Notably, funds were sought to organize a rally commemorating the Red Army’s victory in World War II, raising concerns about Ždanoka’s efforts to promote narratives favorable to Russian interests.

The Insider identified Ždanoka’s two FSB case officers as Dmitry Gladey, an FSB veteran from St. Petersburg, and Sergei Beltyukov, an operative with the FSB since 1993. Gladey was reportedly involved with Ždanoka from around 2004 to 2013, after which Beltyukov took over as her contact.

MEP Ždanoka responded to the investigation, claiming that the text was based on information that should not be available to the public. When asked about Sergei Beltyukov, she professed not to recall anyone by that name, suggesting he might have used an alias, “Sergey Krasin.”

While admitting to knowing Dmitry Gladey since the 1970s, Ždanoka denied any knowledge of his alleged spy activities. She acknowledged having interacted with confirmed Russian FSB officers Vladimir Putin and Sergei Naryshkin.

The Latvian State Security Service has reportedly expressed concern over Ždanoka’s ties to the FSB, and in response, Latvia enacted an amendment in June 2022 to bar individuals and political groups with pro-Kremlin leanings from seeking office. Ždanoka, seen as the primary target of this legislative change, is now ineligible to be a candidate in the upcoming European Parliamentary election.

With Ždanoka currently enjoying parliamentary immunity during the remaining five months of her term as an MEP, it remains uncertain whether Latvia plans to open a criminal counterintelligence investigation into her activities based on the documented evidence presented by The Insider. The situation casts a shadow over Ždanoka’s political future and raises questions about the implications of these allegations on Latvian-Russian relations.