Europe’s Susceptibility to Russian Espionage Operations : What Motivates Europeans to Spy for Russia?

As a result of the East-West tensions, Russia adapts espionage, among other countermeasures, against European nations in an attempt to offset a perceived power imbalance. Although espionage is a multifaceted tool, Russia places a special emphasis on human intelligence (HUMINT). This variant entails the recruitment of foreign individuals, and this practice has intensified in the wake of the unlawful invasion of Ukraine. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate what motivational factors compel individuals to commit treason and serve a state that is regarded as a threat by their respective homeland. This paper borrows concepts from the constructivist theoretical framework as well as concepts from psychology in order to analyse open-source information regarding Europeans arrested for spying for Russia between the years 2012–2024. It uses the method of qualitative content analysis to confirm the hypothesis that most espionage cases are caused by the motivational factors known under the acronym MICE (Money, Ideology, Coercion, and Ego). The findings furthermore show that financial gain is the most prevalent factor for turning spy, followed by ideological convictions and egotistical tendencies. Coercion or manipulation is the least utilized means of persuasion.