The Dutch authorities would discover and release a four-page document which is thought to be written by Cherkasov during those years he tried to maintain and create his identity. The highly detailed document written in broken Portuguese with many grammatical errors was filled with the so-called “life” of “Viktor Muller Ferreira.”
Dutch intelligence agencies say that they have identified a Russian GRU agent who tried to intern at the ICC under a false Brazilian identity. They have also released his rather touching four-page cover letter https://t.co/qRq8hLU5y6 pic.twitter.com/pkZOTC2Svc
— Pjotr Sauer (@PjotrSauer) June 16, 2022
Here he claimed that he was nicknamed a “Gringo” by his locale in Brazil as he did not look Brazilian but looked like a German in an attempt to cover his Russian roots. The document included stories about his troubled and alienated relationship with his parents, his crush on a former teacher, and, oddly – his personal hatred for a fish.
Furthermore, the document also included his favorite restaurants in Brazil, where he named a few eateries and the “best stew in town” and a few music clubs to bolster his cover story that he was indeed a Brazilian.
The Brazilian authorities later revealed that the Brazillian name he had taken was that of a man whose parents were reportedly dead.
“Using a sophisticated falsification scheme, he assumed the forged identity of a Brazilian whose parents are already dead,” the Brazilian federal police said in a statement.
“This was a long-term, multi-year GRU operation that cost a lot of time, energy, and money,” Dutch intelligence agency chief Erik Akerboom said.
Russian War Crimes Investigations
He would later gain an internship at the International Criminal Court. It is hypothesized that Russia deployed him to the ICC to infiltrate it as the ICC is currently heading the investigations for Russia’s alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity that the Ukrainians reported to the international authorities.
Had Cherkasov been successful in reaching the ICC, he would have gained access to ICC documents and been able to gather intelligence. Furthermore, he could have also tried to recruit insiders within the ICC and could have infiltrated the ICC’s digital systems.
Last March, SOFREP reported that the ICC had initiated investigations on these alleged war crimes and genocide, among others, as announced by the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan. The process to start the investigation was expedited as 39 nations submitted their referral for the investigation to the international body at The Hague. The investigation is reportedly encompassing Russian war crimes dating back to 2013, events that led to the Russian annexation of Crimea.
On May 17th, the International Criminal Court sent its largest team so far to investigate the allegations against Russia. The team comprises 42 members comprised of several investigators, forensic experts, and support staff. According to Khan, they will be gathering witnesses and their testimonies, as well as identifying forensic materials so that they have enough evidence that can put Russian officials behind bars. Khan said that the team wants to ensure that “evidence is collected in a manner that strengthens its admissibility in future proceedings.”
In addition, French forensic experts were also sent to Ukraine to work with the ICC. Khan reportedly said that the entirety of Ukraine was a “crime scene” as he visited the town of Bucha, a town where the Russians allegedly slaughtered and massacred hundreds of Ukrainian civilians in an effort to scare the local population into obedience. It is also hypothesized that the Russians killed and tortured these civilians as they were frustrated with how they were fairing against the Ukrainians during that time when they were lacking in food and fuel supplies, leaving them sitting ducks against Ukrainian hit-and-run tactics.
The International Criminal Court would later thank the Dutch authorities for apprehending and exposing the Russian spy.
“The International Criminal Court was briefed by the Dutch authorities and is very thankful to The Netherlands for this important operation and more generally for exposing security threats,” ICC Spokeswoman Sonia Robla.
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