TL;DR

Russian intelligence has reinvented old-school spying in Brussels by enlisting freelance operatives funded with cryptocurrency and even concealing cameras inside children’s toys.

A former fintech executive named Jan Marsalek coordinates cells of casual-looking agents under the codename “Minions.”

Belgian counterintelligence finds itself outgunned and was recently compromised by a separate cyberattack allegedly linked to China.

Espionage 2.0

Now with Stuffed Toys and Finance Bros

Picture the Russian Embassy in Brussels, once just another politely stuccoed building nestled in the city’s diplomatic drag, the sort of place you’d expect to find awkward canapés and diplomats who smell of shoe polish. But now, it’s had a rather alarming makeover. The roof looks like it’s hosting a 19th-century semaphore party, only with high-frequency antennas instead of flags, and far fewer naval codes, one suspects, than European Wi-Fi passwords.

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