Brazilian court slashes sentence on alleged Russian spy

A federal court in São Paulo last week reduced the sentence of an alleged Russian spy whose extradition was requested by both the U.S. and Russia, prompting Brazil’s justice minister to reiterate that the man will remain in Brazil until he serves his sentence for document forgery.

Dutch authorities identified Sergey Vladimirovich Cherkasov as a Russian spy last year. The Netherlands’ General Intelligence and Security Service published a press release in June 2022 claiming it had prevented a Russian intelligence officer from gaining access as an intern to the International Criminal Court in The Hague. 

“He used a Brazilian cover identity to travel from Brazil to the Netherlands”, the Dutch intelligence said, adding that Mr. Cherkasov used “a well-constructed cover identity” to conceal ties to Russia. He purported to be a Brazilian citizen named Victor Muller Ferreira, but was refused entry to the Netherlands and “sent back to Brazil on the first flight out.”

With a heads-up from the Dutch, Brazilian Federal Police arrested Mr. Cherkasov on arrival at São Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport. He had a full set of Brazilian documents with him, including passport, driver’s license, identity card, a labor card, and a military draft exemption card. The 37-year-old also had a Portuguese passport under the name Julio José Escalda Ferreira, along with hard drives, flash drives, and two laptops.

An investigation by Brazilian authorities corroborated the Dutch...