Dutch intelligence prevents alleged Russian spy from working at ICC

The Dutch intelligence agency said Thursday that it prevented a Russian spy from gaining access as an intern to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague.

The person in question works for the Russian Military Intelligence Service GRU but he used a Brazilian cover identity to travel from Brazil to the Netherlands, the General Intelligence and Security Service of the Netherlands (AIVD) said in a statement.

The man, identified as Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, 36, used the cover name of Viktor Muller Ferreira from Brazil.

"On these grounds the intelligence officer was refused entry into the Netherlands in April and declared unacceptable. He was sent back to Brazil on the first flight out," it said. "The ICC has also been informed of this case."

AIVD noted that the threat posed by the intelligence officer is deemed "potentially very high."

The ICC sent a 42-member team to Ukraine last month to investigate alleged war crimes there since the start of Russia's war on that country.