Russian spy arrested by Dutch authorities studied at Trinity College Dublin

An alleged Russian spy, who spent four years studying at Trinity College Dublin, has been arrested by Dutch authorities for attempting to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov, who told classmates his name was ‘Viktor Muller Ferreira’ and that he was from Brazil, graduated in 2018 with a first class degree in political science. While living in Dublin, he also worked as an English teacher and offered grinds in maths.

His CV says of his time at TCD: “Concentration: Political Science and Quantitative methods of Research. Developed a research on Foreign financed NGOs and their role in conflict transformation during political crisis and military coup attempt in Turkey in 2016. ISC International Foundation Year, Dublin. GPA: 3.87 (Honors Degree).”

Cherkasov went on to study American Foreign Policy in the US and worked as a freelance translator. His CV also claims he studied in an international school in Dublin between June 2014 and August 2015 after reportedly attending Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).

For years, he tried to secure an internship at the International Criminal Court (ICC) using his fake Brazilian identity and was due to take up a position with the organisation this spring.

The 36-year-old has been accused of being an agent of Russia’s GRU military intelligence. He flew to the Netherlands in April, believing he had succeeded in an attempt to work in the war crimes court in the Hague.

Given the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, Cherkasov would likely have tried to influence the ongoing war crimes investigation.

The spy was unmasked yesterday as an alleged agent of GRU, Russia’s feared military intelligence force.

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

The GRU was the same unit that western governments claims was involved in the March 2018 attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, southern England – in which the deadly Novichock nerve agent was used against them.

The intelligence agency AIVD said yesterday: “The Russian intelligence officer purported to be Brazilian citizen Viktor Muller Ferreira (born on 4 April 1989), when in fact his real name is Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov (born 11 September 1985).

“Cherkasov used a well-constructed cover identity by which he concealed all his ties with Russia in general, and the GRU in particular. An officer of this kind is better known as an 'illegal': an intelligence officer who received a long and extensive training. Because of their alias identity, illegals are difficult to discover.

“For that reason they often remain undetected, allowing them to carry out intelligence activities," AIVD added. "Because they present themselves as foreigners, they have access to information that would be inaccessible to a Russian national. In addition to the GRU, the Russian intelligence service SVR also makes use of illegals."

“The GRU's main focus is on gathering military intelligence, but it also collects intelligence that is more political or technological in nature. The GRU not only collects information, its officers also carry out covert influencing operations.”

In 2017, when starting his last year at Trinity College Dublin, "Victor” started a blog focused on geopolitics called 'Politics of Us'.

The majority of interactions appear to be spam. The ideology expressed in the blog appears normal for a Western political science student without any pro-Russian leanings – discussing methods of increasing democracy in developing nations, calling Putin a “cancer”, and focusing on the importance of grassroots organisations fostering peace in Africa.

MyVisaJobs profile for “Victor Muller".