Family Ties to Russia: Denmark Dismisses F-16 Technician, Nurse, and Veteran Officer with 43 Years of Service

An aviation technician, an officer, and a nurse were dismissed from Denmark’s armed forces after intelligence services found they had family ties to Russia.

Officer Frederik Hansen was removed from service after 43 years in the military because his wife is Russian, according to DR.

Because his wife has relatives in Russia, he lost his security clearance and, as a result, his position in the armed forces.

Frederik Hansen had continuous access to classified information in the military intelligence service since 1982.

“This came as a huge surprise to me – an extremely big one. But it was an even bigger surprise for my wife,” Hansen said.

The reason is that his wife, a Danish citizen of Russian origin, has relatives in Russia – specifically her sister and mother.

Intelligence services consider this a security risk, while Hansen calls it “pure discrimination.”

“I informed the intelligence service about this back in 2011, when we got married. Since then, they granted me security clearance three times, in 2014, 2018, and 2022, so I thought, alright, that means it was acceptable to them,” he said.

Frederik Hansen is an army captain who has been deployed to combat zones five times. He also served as a security officer at NATO headquarters in Kosovo and as a military advisor in Afghanistan.

He also received several medals for “dedicated service in the army.” The most recent, gold oak leaves for meritorious service, was awarded just one month before he lost his security clearance.

However, intelligence officials said there is a “significant and serious threat of espionage and influence” from foreign intelligence services.

Not the only dismissal

In Denmark, 23-year-old Harald Svendsen was also dismissed from the military despite having built a promising career in the Air Force, according to TV2.

After completing his conscript service in 2022, he was hired by the Air Force, where he planned and coordinated F-16 Fighting Falcon flights.

Last summer, he was on the verge of a major career step forward. He had been recommended to work with the new F-35 Lightning II jets, a role that requires the highest level of security clearance.

However, everything changed when military intelligence began reviewing his family ties.

“I never thought I could be suspected of being a potential spy or a target of Russian intelligence. I’ve done nothing wrong,” he said.

During a September 2023 interview, he was questioned in detail about his personal life.

His mother was born in Russia, but has lived in Denmark since 1993 and worked in the military.

He also mentioned an uncle who lives in Moscow and once served in the Soviet Army between 1988 and 1990.

“I barely know him. We only greet each other on holidays,” Harald said.

He does not speak Russian and has only been to Russia once in his life.

However, this connection became decisive: in February of this year, he was denied security clearance.

His mother, Tatyana Svendsen, was also dismissed from the army. The reason was the same relative in Russia.

She is an anesthetic nurse, has served in the military since 2010, and has participated in eight international missions.