DOJ charges alleged Russian spy who used fake identity to enter U.S.

• Cherkasov served as an agent for a Russian intelligence service under the Brazilian alias of Victor Muller Ferreira, per the DOJ.
• He started acting as an agent in 2012 in Brazil before moving to the U.S. in 2018 after he was admitted to a graduate program in Washington, D.C, the Justice Department said.
• "While in the United States, Cherkasov obtained information about U.S. persons that he passed to his [Russian Intelligence Service] handlers," per the DOJ.

Zoom in: Cherkasov allegedly sought information from Americans about their views toward a potential Russian invasion of Ukraine.

• "I was working with my contacts … to find out what the academic community, political advisors and analysts think about the recent Russian military build-up near the Ukrainian border," Cherkasov allegedly wrote in one message in Nov. 2021, per the criminal complaint filed Friday.
• "Especially I was aiming to find out what [is] their advice to the administration," he allegedly said in the message.

The big picture: The Netherlands' security service last year foiled a Russian plan for Cherkasov to use a false identity to infiltrate the International Criminal Court (ICC) through an internship.

• Cherkasov was denied entry to the Netherlands and was declared an unwanted alien and sent back to Brazil.
• Cherkasov is currently incarcerated in Brazil on fraud charges, per the DOJ.

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