International investigation: surveillance devices on the roofs of Russian embassies across Europe

"Specialized equipment for signals intelligence (SIGINT) has been mounted on the roof of the Russian diplomats’ building in Warsaw. From Warsaw to Budapest, Stockholm, or Brussels – we found similar equipment on the rooftops of Russian facilities across Europe. Russian embassies intercept everything: radio wave activity, data of mobile phone devices, and even listen in to GSM calls. In the Baltic region, Russian surveillance ships and reconnaissance aircraft are also deployed, authors of the cross-border ESPIOMATS investigation said at the VSquare website.

The ESPIOMATS international investigation, working with journalists from Delfi, De Tijd, Dossier, Expressen, Frontstory, ICJK, and LRT, revealed that the Russians are still maintaining equipment that can serve SIGINT operations all over the European Union. "Equipment can be seen on the rooftops of embassies, consulates, trade representations, and buildings where their diplomats work and live in European capitals."

As part of the investigation, the journalists "analyzed satellite images of the roofs of dozens of Russian outposts in Europe". "We found similar or identical antennas (182 antennas on 39 buildings), as well as several containers or sheds similar to those on the roof of Beethoven Street 3," the authors said, referring to the residential building hosting Russian diplomats in the city's Lower Mokotów neighbourhood.

The journalists quote a former senior Western intelligence official, who said: "This roof is a Russian SIGINT nest".

SIGINT is the acronym for "signals intelligence," or "the science of intercepting and interpreting electronic communications".

"The container on the embassy in Madrid takes up almost its entire roof. Smaller installations can be spotted in Hungary, Sweden, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, and Portugal, we read.

Furthermore, the report revealed that "photos of the roof of the Russian Embassy building in Warsaw show a few types of antennas – similar antennas are visible on the roofs of Russian embassies in Bratislava, Stockholm, Brussels and other European capitals".

The Russian Embassy building in Warsaw is fitted with several antennas, but it is hard to determine exactly what kind of devices can also be used within the facility.

"The roof of the block on Beethoven Street hides several secrets. The footage we collected clearly shows a whole collection of multifunctional antennas of various shapes and sizes, cable coils, and even special containers that could be used for signals interception," we read.

Furthermore, according to some experts who helped to analyze the footage, "the equipment on the Beethoven Street roof could potentially allow Russians to eavesdrop on communications covering the entire city".

When it comes to the roof of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw, the Russians are able to eavesdrop on anyone within a 30-kilometer radius.

Since February 2022, that is since the Russian invasion into Ukraine, hundreds of Russian's holding diplomatic passports have been expelled from European countries.

Most of these people were part of technical and administrative staff responsible for maintenance of radioelectronic devices, among other tasks. Hence, according to Russian independent media, at the moment it is very difficult to assess the efficacy of Russia's intelligence activities within the EU territory.