New Zealand’s intelligence service on Tuesday cast doubt on Russian claims that Wellington recruited a Russian citizen to pass sensitive information to its intelligence agency.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) said a man living in the southeastern city of Khabarovsk had been arrested on suspicion of passing information to New Zealand intelligence.
According to the FSB, the Russian citizen had proactively contacted New Zealand’s Security Intelligence Service (NZSIS), which then encouraged him to collect and share information that could harm Russia’s national security.
The NZSIS declined to comment directly on the allegations, citing its “longstanding practice of not commenting on what may or may not be operational matters.”
However, it added: “It should also be noted that Russian state media are often not the most reliable source of accurate reporting.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon also declined to comment on the claims.
“I don’t comment on security intelligence issues,” he told reporters.
‘It is us being spied on’
While New Zealand is not widely associated with global espionage operations, it is a member of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance alongside the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.
