The Latvian Military Intelligence and Security Service (MIDD), in its 2025 annual report, officially exposed a network of Russian and Belarusian sabotage centers operating against the state. For the first time in the agency’s history, the report publicly released the names and photos of seven career officers: six from the Russian Armed Forces’ Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) and one from Belarusian military intelligence, as reported by LSM.
The intelligence service emphasized that Russia’s sabotage campaign continues both in Latvia and across Europe, aiming to intimidate the public and influence political decisions regarding support for Ukraine. According to the agency, enemy intelligence increasingly uses online platforms to recruit saboteurs and gather intelligence.
According to MIDD, specialized intelligence centers in Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Kaliningrad, and Smolensk are responsible for creating and managing spy networks at the operational-tactical level. These centers actively recruit Latvian citizens who frequently travel to Russia or Belarus. The identified Russian GRU officers include Major Aleksey Pizhikov, Lieutenant Commanders Aleksey Lesnikov and Nikolay Chetverikov, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Yushin, Colonel Alexander Gladkov, and Grigory Ivanov. The Belarusian side in the network is represented by Sergey Baranov, with MIDD noting that Belarusian military intelligence effectively functions as a branch of the Russian GRU working in Moscow’s interests.
Particular attention in the investigation was given to Russian officer Grigory Ivanov, who has actively operated against Latvia since 2017. Intelligence reports indicate Ivanov organized data collection on private aviation infrastructure, including Spilve airfield, NATO forces’ presence in the country, and current defense sector developments. To achieve his objectives, he recruited a distant relative in Latvia, through whom he obtained information on public sentiment, the scale of aid to Ukraine, and the status of critical infrastructure. This contact also provided practical information, such as conditions for obtaining prepaid mobile SIM cards.
Latvian intelligence noted that before February 2022, GRU officers operated in Riga under the cover of military attachés at the Russian embassy. However, after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, all established officers were expelled from the country. Publishing the names and photos in the 2025 report was an unprecedented step, as previously the agency had only issued general security recommendations.
