Colonel – spy: Could he have seriously endangered Slovakia?
The vice-rector of the military academy had a second-level check. The Russians are interested in the way NATO works.
Retired Colonel and until recently Vice-Rector of the Armed Forces Academy Pavel Bučka is one of two well-known in the spy affair of Slovakia. What could the country that put us on the enemy list reveal?
It lasted a long time
Pavel Bučka was detained as part of Kaťuša’s action. According to special prosecutor Daniel Lipšic, he was to pick up for the Russian Federation from 2013. This long time, as well as the money that was found during the search, should make him know that his knowledge was valuable to the Russians. Bučka ended up in so-called preventive detention so that he could not continue the crime. However, he filed a complaint against the court’s decision, so the Supreme Court will not decide. According to Lipšic, he admitted to the acts as cooperating with the investigators.
High inspection
Bučka had a level of secrecy, which is basically the second highest level of information secrecy. By law, these are those which, if they fall into the wrong hands, could jeopardize the foreign policy, defense, security and interests of the state in the international and economic spheres and cause serious harm.
“This type of review is normal in its function,” I think Juraj Krúpa, Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Defense and Security Committee. He explains that NATO’s education system is networked and works on information sharing. “He came into contact with classified information. And as a person from the armed forces, he also comes into contact with information from other people within the framework of collegiality. “ I think Krupa.
According to our sources from the military environment, Bučka had access not so much to secret documents, but especially to important people. He met with diplomats, foreign and our soldiers and thanks to his function he aroused confidence. This was what could have given him information that he did not normally get.
They are interested in the system of operation
According to Krúpa, Bučka could endanger the security of Slovakia, because the main thing that interests the Russians is the system of functioning of the alliance and the European Union. “And he certainly had access to such data for some part, so it is assumed that he proceeded. And it threatened not only the security of Slovakia, but also the alliance, “ adds Krúpa.
Did it affect the students?
According to Krúpa, the question is whether Bučka was involved in the education of soldiers, who also influenced him in some pro-Russian terms. “It could affect the army,” he says. According to him, the reputation of the Armed Forces Academy will suffer in part, but it will not be so terrible. “The spies were exposed in both the CIA and the KGB. It certainly won’t help the reputation, but it shouldn’t have any major impact. “ I think Krupa.
He probably raised his price
The retired general, Pavel Macko, also met with Buček. “I wouldn’t say that to him, but spies work in such a way that they seldom look like spies. I wasn’t a close friend of him, but of course I knew him because he worked at the military academy. “ says Macko. He adds that when he was at headquarters in Bydgoszcz, Bučka was the head of the National Security course for future generals and colonels, with whom he was on a tour of NATO headquarters. “And they were with me. We did not present them anything secret, but the information they received was not public. By getting to these positions, he was able to raise his prize for foreign agents. If he was already a spy at the time, because it was in 2013, “ says Macko. “These people are communicative, they know how to reach people. But they rarely ask questions about classified things, because there is a principle in the armed forces that certain things are only known to people who need to know. A secret check does not mean that a person has access to everything secret. “ adds Macko.