A Moscow court has issued on Friday (26 August) an arrest warrant for Svetlana Timofeyeva, who is believed to be one of the individuals in custody in Albania and charged with espionage following an attempt to enter the Gramsh military facility last weekend.
A court in the Meshchasky district of the Russian capital has accused the woman who has the same name and date of birth as the woman in custody in Albania, of illegally providing classified information to a list of wanted people, according to local media RBC. The court said she was arrested in absentia.
The Russian embassy in Tirana has not responded to questions on the matter.
Meanwhile, Euronews Albania has aired an interview with an alleged friend of one Timofeyeva, Maria Passer. She detailed how they had visited the country previously and toured bunkers and abandoned sites in Tirana, Skoder, Berat and an abandoned military site in the south.
“We were in an area in the south of Albania, it was completely abandoned, you could easily enter there, we found a big hole at the entrance and went inside. It was in the south of Albania (Porto Palermo). We were not the only ones who entered there”, she says.
“She wrote to me that she was going to Albania, she planned to stay there for a week, I just wished her to enjoy the trip. It is typical for Lana to travel, she has visited more than 30 countries so it is normal. I know he stayed for half a year in Georgia, I think he just came to explore”, the accused friend continued.
On the topic of previous accusations made against her, she said these were only comments and not official accusations. She added that her friend is a blogger and has more than 2000 Instagram posts and has written two books on urban exploration.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Edi Rama said that the facilities in Albania are not of particular interest and do not pose any danger. He continued that the real reason for their visit should be revealed.
“The fuss created over objects of special importance is one to make you laugh and cry. They are not objects of special importance, nor factories that produce weapons. They are declassified as of 2012. What worries us is the real intentions of these people in this country,” he said, noting the use of a sports car in a supposed “spy mission”.
