Sweden charges 'Russian agent' with spying on western tech

Sergey Skvortsov was arrested in dawn helicopter raid at his home last year

The alleged spying case came to light after this dawn raid in the Stockholm suburbs last year. AP

Sweden on Monday charged a man arrested in a dramatic helicopter raid with spying for Russian military intelligence for almost a decade.

Prosecutors say Sergey Skvortsov, 60, secretly acquired western technology and passed it to Russia's GRU spy agency.

He denies any wrongdoing.

Mr Skvortsov and his wife were held in a pre-dawn swoop involving Black Hawk helicopters at their suburban home last year. The woman was released and is no longer a suspect.

The charges against Mr Skvortsov allege he spied on Sweden from 2014 until his arrest.

He is accused of obtaining "various items that the Russian state and the defence forces could not acquire on the open market due to export rules and sanctions".

It is claimed he located items requested by Russia before "negotiating and carrying out the purchase and further organising the transport of the goods while concealing the actual end user".

A Swedish-Russian dual citizen, he is said to have worked for various export businesses in Sweden after moving there in the 1990s.

"Skvortsov and his company have been a platform for the Russian military intelligence service GRU and part of the Russian state for illicit technology procurement from the West," the indictment says.

Prosecutors say his activities included "dealings with various American companies" and could have damaged US security. An FBI special agent is listed among the witnesses.

A lawyer for Mr Skvortskov, Ulrika Borg, told Reuters: "He reiterates that he denies all charges."

The charge of "unlawful intelligence activities" is a step lower than espionage. A trial due is to start on September 4.

Mr Skvortsov, who has been in detention since his arrest, faces up to four years in prison if found guilty.

Western countries have reported an increase in foreign intelligence activity during the Russia-Ukraine war. Sweden is applying to join Nato as a result of the conflict.