Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov (Russian: Сергей Владимирович Черкасов), also known as Victor Muller Ferreira,[1] is an alleged Russian intelligence officer working for the GRU, whose true identity was revealed by the Dutch General Intelligence and Security Service in 2022.[2][3][4] He was first sentenced by a Brazilian federal court to 15 years in prison for using a forged Brazilian government-issued document,[5][better source needed] but the sentence was later reduced to 5 years and 2 months.[6] As of January 2024, Cherkasov remained in prison, and Brazil had brought a new charge, that he had received and laundered money from a Russian diplomatic employee there, a charge that might forestall an early release from prison.[7]
Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985 or 1986 |
| Nationality | Russian |
| Other names | Victor Muller Ferreira |
| Occupation | Alleged Russian intelligence officer (GRU) |
| Known for | Attempted infiltration of the International Criminal Court under a false identity |
| Criminal charge(s) | Identity fraud, acting as an agent of a foreign power, visa fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, drug trafficking (in Russia), money laundering |
| Criminal penalty | 5 years and 2 months (Brazil, identity fraud) |
| Criminal status | Imprisoned in Brazil |
| Espionage activity | |
| Allegiance | Russia |
| Agency | GRU |
Early life and education
editThis section needs expansion with: source-derived standard biographical details of this section (date, place of birthe, etc.), combining details from reporting on Cherkasov, and on Cherkasov-as-Ferreira. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025) |
Born Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov in 1985 or 1986,[where?][8] Cherkasov, operating under the alias of "Victor Muller Ferreira",[1] is reported to have first earned a degree in political science from Trinity College Dublin (2014-2018), then "a masters at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, majoring in US foreign policy... in 2020" (in reporting from The Guardian, based on a posted curriculum vitae, and university records).[2] One of his professors at Johns Hopkins, Evgeny Finkel, expressed dismay at having provided him a letter of recommendation for his application to the International Criminal Court, and satisfaction that his dissembling had been exposed.[2] Reporting from Ireland has suggested on the basis of "[m]ultiple sources" that Irish "J2 military intelligence" and "garda Crime and Security" operatives were aware of Cherkasov's activities as an agent, in his time there.[3]
Background and cover
editAccording to his Russian passport, he was registered as a resident of Kaliningrad exclave; public registry data showed he was a co-owner of a Kaliningrad construction firm at the age of 19.[2] His real age at the time of his arrest in 2022 appears to be 36, while the age of his alias is 33.[2]
The Dutch Military Intelligence and Security Service published a document in broken Portuguese that they stated was his cover story.[2] The document says that he went to Rio de Janeiro in August 2010 to meet his estranged father, whom he blamed for his problems, as well as for the deaths of his mother and his aunt.[2] The document claimed he had forgotten his Portuguese, and asserted that he had moved to Brasília when he was supposedly 25 years old.[2] He claimed he was in Brazil "to learn the language and restore my citizenship".[2] Some details of this alleged background have been described as implausible.[2] The document further mentions his having to visit Ireland to attend the funeral of his father.[4]
Attempt to enter International Criminal Court
editIn April 2022 he flew to the Netherlands to take up a position at the International Criminal Court in The Hague.[2] He was detained at Schiphol airport by Dutch immigration officials and returned to Brazil.[2] Upon arriving in Brazil, he was arrested for identity fraud and is now serving 15 years.[3] [9]
At the time of his hiring, the ICC had begun to investigate war crimes committed by the Russian army in Ukraine.[2] Had he managed to take his ICC position, he would have had access to the ICC email and document systems.[2]
Uncovering the spy
editIt is believed that a discovery made in 2018 in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal case, where the Russian GRU suspects were found to have passport numbers that were close to each other, led to an investigation by many countries of historic Russian passport numbers. Cherkasov was discovered by the USA to have a close number, identified and tracked, leading to a tip off to the Dutch authorities.[9]
Reactions to discovery
editEugene Finkel tweeted that the alleged spy was a former student who had claimed "Brazilian/Irish roots" and who had asked him for a reference letter for his application to the ICC.[2][10] Finkel tweeted "I wrote him a letter. A strong one, in fact. Yes, me. I wrote a reference letter for a GRU officer. I will never get over this fact. I hate everything about GRU, him, this story. I am so glad he was exposed."[2][10]
The Dutch intelligence agency said "The threat posed by this intelligence officer is deemed potentially very high".[4]
Donnacha Ó Beacháin, a professor of politics in the School of Law & Government, Dublin City University, said it was not surprising that he was educated in Ireland, but it was, in fact, surprising that he was caught.[10] He added "Essentially these are sleeper agents. The idea would be that - from a young age- they would build up a fake identity, and they would acquire different qualifications and credentials that would make them more plausible. Then they will be used to infiltrate Western organisations. Trinity College would be a very credible university based in a friendly western country. So from that perspective, placing an operative in Trinity and giving them a background there would be something that can be utilised later."[10]
Conviction and extradition request
editHe was first sentenced by a Brazilian federal court to 15 years in prison for using a forged Brazilian government-issued document,[5][better source needed] but the sentence was later reduced to 5 years and 2 months.[6] In July 2023, Brazilian authorities have declined a US request to extradite him, saying that he would eventually be sent to Russia instead. In a statement, Brazil’s Ministry of Justice and Public Security said that Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court approved on March 17, 2023 an application to extradite Cherkasov to Russia, where he is accused of “drug trafficking,” according to Russian state-run news agency TASS.[6] In the United States, he was charged on March 24, 2023 for acting as an agent of a foreign power, visa fraud, bank fraud, wire fraud, and other charges stemming from his alleged illegal activities in the United States.[1]
Money Laundering
editIn January 2024, Brazil brought a new charge against Cherkasov, with the accusation that he had received and laundered money from Ivan Chetverikov, a Russian diplomatic employee at a mission in Brazil; the charge reportedly will prevent Cherkasov's eligibility for early release from imprisonment on his earlier conviction.[7][better source needed]
References
edit- ^ a b c USAO-DC Staff (March 24, 2023). "Russian National "Illegal" Charged with Acting as Agent of a Russian Intelligence Service in the United States" (Press release). Washington, DC: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Columbia (USAO-DC). U.S. Department of Justice (justice.gov). Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Sabbagh, Dan (June 16, 2022). "Russian Spy Caught Trying to Infiltrate War Crimes Court, Says Netherlands". The Guardian. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c O'Connor, Niall (June 18, 2022). "Russian 'Spy' Arrested Following Dutch Operation 'Not the Only' Agent to Have Worked in Ireland". TheJournal.ie. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ a b c Corera, Gordon (June 16, 2022). "Russian GRU Spy Tried to Infiltrate International Criminal Court". BBC News (BBC.com). Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Martins, Marco Antônio (July 1, 2022). "Espião Russo que Fingia ser Brasileiro é Condenado a 15 Anos de Prisão Pela Justiça Federal" [Russian Spy Who Pretended to be Brazilian is Sentenced to 15 years in Prison by the Federal Court]. g1 (g1.Globo.com) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved May 21, 2025.
- ^ a b c Arias, Tatiana & Hallam, Jonny (July 28, 2023). "Brazil Refuses US Request to Extradite Alleged Russian Spy". CNN.com. Retrieved May 21, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Lebedeva, Olga (January 30, 2024). "Бразилия Предъявила Новое Обвинение Офицеру ГРУ Черкасову" [Brazil Brought New Charge Against GRU Officer Cherkasov]. Deutsche Welle (DW.com) (in Russian). Retrieved May 21, 2025.
Власти Бразилии предъявили еще одно обвинение предполагаемому российскому шпиону Сергею Черкасову… Обвинение касается отмывания денег, сообщило в понедельник, 29 января, издание "Агентство"… / …новое обвинение может отложить на неопределенный срок возвращение Черкасова в Россию, так как в этом случае он не сможет быть освобожден досрочно… / Кроме того, обвинение предъявлено сотруднику российской дипмиссии в Бразилии Ивану Четверикову, которого бразильское следствие подозревает в передаче Черкасову денег. [Brazilian authorities have brought another charge against alleged Russian spy Sergei Cherkasov… The charge concerns money laundering, the publication "Agency" reported on Monday, 29 January… / …the new charge could indefinitely delay Cherkasov's return to Russia, since in that case he will not be able to be released early... / In addition, charges have been brought against Ivan Chetverikov, an employee of the Russian diplomatic mission in Brazil, whom Brazilian investigators suspect of transferring money to Cherkasov.]
Note, the title "обвинение" (charge, accusation) is clearly presented in the article main body as referring to a singular, not plural action.[better source needed] - ^ Year of birth is based on his age of 37 on the date of the announcement of his indictment by the U.S. Department of Justice, see USAO-DC Staff (24 March 2023), op. cit.
- ^ a b "How did the network of "sleeping Russian spies" in Europe come to light?". April 2, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Libreri, Samantha (June 18, 2022). "Trinity College students recall studying with Russian 'spy'". RTÉ News. Retrieved June 18, 2022.