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Sex scandal 'spy' monitored Fox speech on Russian threat
Will Stewart in Moscow19 Oct 2011
An alleged Russian spy who had a four-year affair with an MP monitored former defence secretary Liam Fox when he was in opposition, the Evening Standard can reveal.
Katia Zatuliveter, 26, who is fighting a bid to deport her, has admitted that she had a long-running sexual relationship with defence select committee member Mike Hancock, 65, while working as his aide.
A blog from Miss Zatuliveter in 2008 shows she attended a speech by Dr Fox and scorned his critical opinions of her country. The posting shows that she was concerned over the possibility of the Tories coming to power and asked "So what does it mean for Russia?
"The whole meeting turned to the 'Russia is our major threat' discussion, which of course brought lots of attention to the speaker. So Mr Liam Fox declared that UK defence policy has three major threats. Russia is the first one, then Iran and al Qaeda."
Then she asked sarcastically: "Are you asking yourself now whether you missed the news when Nato troops destroyed the Taliban and that is why Taliban is no longer a major threat to the world's and UK's security? Well, you didn't miss the news, and this didn't happen.
"The Taliban is flourishing, but Russia is of course a much worse threat (according to Mr Liam Fox)."
There is no suggestion that she met Dr Fox who resigned last week as defence secretary. Miss Zatuliveter is opposing government efforts to deport her at a Special Immigration Appeals Commission tribunal in London.
The tribunal heard how she had also had affairs with a Nato official, a Dutch diplomat and a senior UN official. Miss Zatuliveter denies being a spy or that she started the affair with Mr Hancock, who is married, as part of a honeytrap operation by Russian secret services to access information.
The hearing was told that she had contact with a suspected Russian spy, referred to as "Boris" by the court, who has since been expelled from Britain.
She was arrested at Gatwick in August last year as she was due to fly to Moscow. The hearing continued in a closed session today as evidence was heard from members of the British security services.
