Unlike other European countries, Switzerland rarely expels Russian and other foreign spies. The EDA Department of Foreign Affairs would be responsible for this. However, it regularly ignores warnings from the Swiss intelligence service. Now there is clear criticism from the responsible committee in Parliament.
02/04/2026, 06:1102/04/2026, 06:11
Christoph Bernet / ch media
It is officially documented: numerous foreign spies are up to mischief in this country. “The threat of espionage in Switzerland remains high,” writes the Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) in its most recent management report.
“The hybrid conduct of conflict against Western states has increased – quantitatively and qualitatively,” the NDB said on request. In addition to cyber attacks, sabotage and influence activities, their means also include espionage as a “preferred tool of state actors”.
Switzerland is affected by espionage in several ways: as a target, as an operating room and as a potential starting point for actions against third parties. The biggest threat comes from Russian intelligence services, according to the NDB:
“The Russian residences – intelligence bases disguised as diplomatic missions – in Switzerland are among the largest in Europe.”
In previous situation reports, the NDB put the number of Russian intelligence service employees in this country at around 80 – over a third of Russia’s diplomatic staff accredited in Bern and Geneva.
Spy greetings from Moscow: According to the federal intelligence service, there are many Russian agents in Switzerland.Image: keystone
The federal authorities’ handling of this threat is now causing criticism from the business audit delegation (GPDel). This six-member committee, made up of members of the National Council and the Council of States, carries out the parliamentary supervision of the intelligence services. In its recently published annual report, the delegation states that there is still a “significant need for action”. She warns of an “increasing risk” that Switzerland will become a “hotspot for intelligence activities”.
Wrong weighting of interests
The delegation reports with satisfaction: All agencies involved recognize the increasing threat of espionage, identify concrete activities and work better together. However, the increased threat situation is not yet reflected enough in the concrete defensive measures.
The audit delegation is particularly tough on the EDA Department of Foreign Affairs. She criticizes “the weighting of security and foreign policy interests” when dealing with foreign espionage activity on Swiss soil.
This is shown by the fact that in recent years Switzerland has only expelled people for espionage activities in individual cases. The picture is similar when it comes to granting – or denying – accreditation to diplomatic, consular or technical staff from abroad.
The State Secretariat in the EDA Department of Foreign Affairs is responsible for this. Although it involves the NDB and the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (Seco), it makes the final decision on the corresponding requests from the sending states itself.
Europe expels, Switzerland remains discreet
Apparently, the FDFA regularly ignores the security policy concerns of the intelligence service – even when it comes to people who are considered to be involved in espionage activities. In a “relevant number of cases”, the Foreign Ministry did not follow the intelligence service’s recommendations to reject a post, according to the audit delegation.
While other European states publicly expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats with secret service backgrounds after the Russian attack on Ukraine in February 2022, the Federal Council stuck to the practice of examining individual cases. If expulsions did occur, these were carried out discreetly and through diplomatic or intelligence channels in a way that saved face for the offending state.
His espionage bases in Switzerland are among the largest in Europe: Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 26, 2025 in the Kremlin in Moscow.Image: keystone
To the audit delegation, the Foreign Ministry justified this reluctance with foreign policy considerations and the risk of countermeasures by the sending state. Specifically: the expulsion of Swiss diplomats. The FDFA pointed out to the audit delegation the negative consequences of such returns for the Swiss embassies, which are relatively small in terms of staff compared to other countries – for example when it comes to consular tasks or the exercise of protective power mandates.
“Use existing options effectively”
The president of the audit delegation is Schwyz FDP Councilor Petra Gössi. It is a politically sensitive office whose holders, according to custom, refrain from making political judgments. So does Gössi. She says: “It is evident that the security situation has worsened and the risk of espionage in Switzerland is increasing.” That is why the GPDel is of the opinion that security policy considerations must be strengthened when assessing individual cases.
Strengthening security policy considerations: Councilor of States Petra Gössi (FDP/SZ), President of the Parliamentary Supervision of the Intelligence Services.Image: keystone
The existing options for action against espionage activities must be used effectively, says Gössi. In general, greater weight should be given to security policy interests in this question. To do this, guidelines and consideration criteria would have to be set at the political level: either by the Security Committee of the Federal Council (consisting of the defense, foreign and justice ministers) or by the entire Federal Council.
The Federal Council will soon have to provide answers
The Foreign Ministry does not answer detailed questions from this editorial team regarding criticism from the audit delegation. “The State Secretariat FDFA does not communicate publicly about requests from diplomatic or consular staff,” it simply says. The GPDel and the NDB are informed about these transactions.
The intelligence service states that the early detection and prevention of espionage and other threats to internal and external security are part of its legal mandate. “From an intelligence perspective, the effectiveness of counterintelligence is not measured solely by expulsions, but rather by a mix of education, awareness-raising and operational intelligence measures,” adds the NDB.
There has been dissatisfaction in parliament for a long time about the federal government’s cautious practice in counter-espionage. The Foreign Policy Commission of the National Council called for a “consistent expulsion of foreign spies” in a motion. Both chambers clearly approved the proposal two years ago. The state government had recommended the motion for acceptance – with the caveat that it would not deviate from the practice of examining individual cases.
Now the Federal Council has until May to show how it will meet Parliament’s demands. If he wants to maintain the reserved practice, he must find credible answers to the criticism expressed by the audit committee. (aargauerzeitung.ch)