Russian diplomat in Scotland ‘was later unmasked as a spy’
FOR six years, he was Russia’s man in Scotland. Based in Edinburgh, consul-general Vladimir Malygin rubbed shoulders with the country’s business leaders and politicians.
But now there are calls to investigate whether or not the diplomat’s role was actually more sinister.
After he left Scotland, Mr Malygin was later expelled from Lithuania, accused of being a Russian spy.
The Lithuanian State Security Department declared that Mr Malygin was a ‘foreign intelligence service agent’ who was ejected for ‘active spying activities’.
The accusation that he was a career agent of the SVR – which took over the Soviet-era KGB’s foreign espionage function – has now sparked concerns over the nature of his role in Scotland.
During the Cold War, Edinburgh was seen as a base for Soviet Bloc spies keen to snoop on Scotland’s Nato bases.
Liberal Democrat MSP Alex ColeHamilton said: ‘When tensions with Russia are heightened, we must ensure our diplomatic links with it are transparent and legitimate.
‘Those links are vital in terms of our relationship with Russia but we must ensure that Russian diplomats are beyond reproach when it comes to the interference that has been identified.’
The MSP also called for an investigation, saying: ‘It’s vital we ascertain what information was passed to this individual, by whom, and how it was used.’
Mr Malygin was the Kremlin’s consul-general in Edinburgh in the early years of devolution between 2003 and 2009.
In 2005, he was named as being among those wined and dined by then First Minister Jack McConnell, whose guest lists also included stars such as Sir Sean Connery and Robbie Coltrane. Malygin, now 68, boasted then that in Edinburgh he ran a ‘very active post, with very many receptions to attend’.
There was no suggestion at the time that he was anything other than one of the most senior Russian envoys in the UK – but we can reveal he was the son of a Moscow spy who rose to be deputy chairman of the Soviet-era KGB.
Mr Malygin, serving as consulgeneral, was thrown out of Lithuania, a Nato and EU country, in 2014. He is now ambassador to the strategically sensitive island of Malta.
The Lithuanians alleged he cultivated contacts with politicians and ‘the top management of strategic companies’ and was involved in ‘the recruitment of agents, unlawful collection of intelligence information and active measures’.
A spokesman for the Scottish Government declined to comment, saying: ‘Diplomatic issues are reserved to the UK Government.’
‘Must ensure diplomats are beyond reproach’