A perfect 'legend' for the 'illegals': How a Russian spy couple became Portuguese citizens

Creating a caller personality is possibly nan astir important interest of Russia' s alleged 'illegals' - arsenic intelligence officers who activity underground are known. Constructed measurement by step, without rushing to arouse suspicion and pinch attraction to each detail, it is this screen communicative - successful intelligence circles known arsenic a 'legend ' - that will let them to fresh successful and spell unnoticed successful nan societal situation successful which they are deployed to fulfil a mission, immoderate it whitethorn be.

This is what Vladimir Aleksandrovich Danilov and Yekaterina Leonidovna Danilova, nan Russian spy mates who passed done Portugal nether nan names Manuel Francisco Steinbruck Pereira and Adriana Carolina Costa Silva Pereira and whose personality was revealed past week by The New York Times, did for years - methodically and pinch utmost discretion. They first constructed a Brazilian personality and past a Portuguese one. And they would person succeeded if nan Russian penetration of Ukraine hadn't led Western intelligence services to redouble their efforts dismantling Russian spy cells.

The first grounds we could find of their beingness successful Brazil, pinch their caller identities, dates backmost to February 2016. That month, Manuel Pereira, Vladimir Danilov's alias, group up nan institution MP Collection, based successful a building successful Barra da Tijuca, Rio de Janeiro, dedicated to buying and trading antiques and second-hand items. At nan aforesaid address, an creation objects trading institution was later registered successful Adriana Pereira 's name. But it wasn't until nan 2 began to create a life - and a 'legend' - together that their businesses sprang to life.

According to nan documents consulted by Euronews and Nascer do SOL, nan building of that life began connected 14 April 2016. On nan greeting of that day, soon aft 10am, nan 2 entered nan Registry Office of nan 12th Civil Registry successful Rio de Janeiro. They waited their turn, handed complete their recognition documents and were taken to a room wherever Judge Salete dos Santos Norte was sitting.

He presented documents identifying him arsenic Manuel Francisco Steinbruck Pereira, calved connected 24 November 1985, nan boy of Ligia Steinbruck, from Rio de Janeiro, and a Portuguese man, Camilo Pereira, from Vila Real. She showed archiving identifying her arsenic Adriana Carolina Silva Costa, calved connected 5 June 1986, besides successful Rio de Janeiro, girl of Juan Castro and Maria Paes.

Before nan judge, they declared that they were location of their ain free will to observe their marriage. When nan documents were signed, nan female changed her name: she changed nan bid of her surnames and adopted her caller husband's family name. She was past called Adriana Carolina Costa Silva Pereira. The mates would past unrecorded successful that building successful Barra da Tijuca.

On nan measurement to Portugal

It would beryllium much than a twelvemonth earlier nan mates took different measurement towards building their identity. On 23 May 2017, Manuel Pereira went to nan Portuguese consulate successful Rio de Janeiro to registry and use for Portuguese nationality. To do this, according to nan commencement certificate obtained by Euronews and Nascer do SOL from nan Lisbon Civil Registry Office, he presented a mandatory archive for acquiring nationality: impervious of nan constitution of filiation erstwhile he was a minor, a declaration of which was made earlier a nationalist official. In different words, a archive allegedly signed by Camilo Pereira legally recognising Manuel Pereira's paternity was presented.

A erstwhile tribunal clerk who emigrated to Brazil galore years ago, wherever he had 3 children, Camilo Pereira is now retired and surviving successful Rio de Janeiro. In caller days, Euronews has tried to interaction him by various intends to find retired if he has ever had interaction pinch nan 2 Russian spies. At his reside successful Lisbon, his family, 1 of his sons and his daughter-in-law didn't want to talk astir nan case. He deleted aliases blocked his societal media accounts aft being approached by Euronews and Nascer do SOL.

Manuel Pereira's commencement certificate was to beryllium revenge pinch nan Central Registry Office successful Lisbon connected 23 January 2018. Only past did nan Russian spy move connected to nan adjacent shape of nan plan: obtaining Portuguese nationality for his wife. According to accusation gathered by Euronews and Nascer do SOL, it was past that nan mates travelled to Portugal for nan first time. They arrived successful mid-February and stayed until March, erstwhile they returned to Brazil. On 26 April of that year, conscionable complete 2 years aft their wedding, nan mates erstwhile again went to nan Portuguese consulate successful Rio de Janeiro, this clip to officially registry their marriage.

They travelled to Portugal for nan 2nd clip successful October 2018. They returned again successful 2019, by which clip Adriana Pereira was already a Portuguese national nether nan position of Article 3(1) of Law 37/81, which allows foreigners who person been joined for much than 3 years to a Portuguese nationalist to get Portuguese nationality.

According to nan play Expresso, nan 2 rented a level successful nan Bonfim area of Porto. They entered and near Portugal respective times until their mendacious identities were unmasked.

The dismantling of nan compartment of Russian illegals successful Brazil began erstwhile different spy was exposed by nan American authorities arsenic he was preparing to return up a trainee station astatine nan International Criminal Court successful The Hague. Alerted by their American counterparts, nan Dutch intelligence services prevented him from entering nan state and sent him backmost to Brazil wherever he was arrested for falsifying documents. He was Sergey Cherkasov, a Russian intelligence serviceman who was travelling nether nan sanction Viktor Muller Ferreira and who, for illustration Manuel Pereira, had a Portuguese begetter connected his personality papers. On his return to Brazil, he was arrested and sentenced to 15 years successful prison.

It was his apprehension that alerted nan Federal Police to nan anticipation that location were much illegals successful Brazil. According to The New York Times, this is really nan remaining 8 members of nan web were discovered. However, Euronews understands that it was not nan Brazilian authorities who informed nan Security Intelligence Service of nan Russian couple's beingness successful Portugal successful nan summertime of 2022.

Having identified them, nan Portuguese intelligence agency SIS took 2 steps. Firstly, it informed its Russian counterpart that nan 2 illegals had been revealed. They past informed nan Institute of Registries and Notaries IRN, which cancelled nan recognition documents and opened an investigation into really nan nationality was obtained.

The value of individual data

This accusation was placed connected nan respective commencement certificates. However, nan process has not yet been finalised. "When location is simply a decision, it has to beryllium registered. If it is concluded that nan process is null and void because it was false, nan cancellation is recorded. If it is concluded that everything was good pinch nan seat, nan process is cancelled," explains a registrar who asked not to beryllium identified owed to nan sensitivity of nan subject. Euronews and Nascer do SOL questioned nan IRN astir nan position of nan cases, but location was nary reply.

This is not nan first clip that Russian intelligence services person utilized aliases attempted to usage recognition information connected nationals. One of nan functions of spies placed undercover successful Russian embassies astir nan world is to cod accusation connected really different countries grounds and shop individual data. They tin besides effort to illegally get aliases forge documents whose accusation will beryllium traceable to existent people, surviving aliases dead, aliases clone individuals who beryllium only connected paper.

This is what happened successful Lisbon successful 2013. An charismatic from nan Russian embassy began travelling often to nan Central Registry Office (CRC) successful Lisbon to meet pinch nan aforesaid official, pinch whom he would meet for agelong periods of time. The past head of nan IRN, António Figueiredo, alerted nan SIS, which sent a squad to effort and find retired connected what nan charismatic had been consulting. The spies' sojourn was yet captured by PJ surveillance teams moving connected nan golden visas astatine nan clip and caused contention since Judge Carlos Alexandre didn't judge nan justifications fixed by António Figueiredo for nan beingness of nan intelligence officers.

After these episodes, nan SIS organised training for dozens of civilian servants to alert them to nan worth of nan accusation stored astatine nan IRN for dispute overseas powers.