Mexico has turned into a center of Russian espionage activity directed against the U.S., reports the New York Times citing sources in the U.S. administration, LETA reports citing RFE/RL.
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the activity of Russian intelligence services in Mexico has intensified.
Of the several hundred Russian agents expelled from the U.S. in recent years, several dozen now work in diplomatic missions in Mexico.
Mexico, where millions of Americans spend vacations each year, provides good opportunities for networking with agents operating in the U.S.
Concern in Washington has reached such a level that in August, a position of "Russia watcher" was created at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City, tasked with monitoring the activities of Russian agents in the country.
The Mexican government was provided with a list of two dozen employees of Russian intelligence services compiled by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).
The southern neighbor of the U.S., which during the "Cold War" was one of the centers of Soviet intelligence agents' activities and earned the nickname "the Vienna of Latin America," remains a convenient platform for operations by Russian intelligence services, sources noted.
"The Mexican government provides assistance on certain issues, but it could do much more," said Juan Gonzalez, a former staff member of the National Security Council in President Joe Biden's administration, to the newspaper.
