By James Slack and Charlotte Gill
Last updated at 1:15 AM on 6th December 2010
A womanising MP was targeted by a suspected Russian spy in a Moscow ‘honeytrap’ sting, Whitehall sources believe.
Liberal Democrat Mike Hancock, 64, was introduced to 25-year-old Katia Zatuliveter on one of his regular visits to the Eastern Bloc superpower.
He agreed to give a job and parliamentary pass to the blonde suspected agent – handing her at least three years’ access to official documents on defence policy.
Taking the bait: MP Mike Hancock hired Russian Katia Zatuliveter after meeting her in Russia
Mr Hancock has also asked dozens of questions about nuclear weapons and other hugely sensitive defence topics to the point where responses by ministers were vetted by the security services.
Among them, he asked for the locations of berths for submarines, a request to publish an inventory of the country’s nuclear arsenal and when the next design review of the Trident warhead will take place.
Blonde temptress: Katia Zatuliveter poses for a holiday snap
Now, following the intervention of MI5, his glamorous aide is facing deportation on the grounds that her suspected espionage is not ‘conducive to national security’.
Yesterday it emerged that:
■ The suspected spy’s father and sister are both recruiting Russian students to come to Britain.
■ She almost won a post with a large UK defence organisation until British security officials warned the firm off.
■ MPs expressed alarm that she had got her job in the first place and appeared to have sidestepped vetting checks.
■ Security sources fear at least 20 similar spies could be working in Britain under false identities.
The case mirrors that of 28-year-old Russian socialite Anna Chapman, who was arrested by the FBI in the summer and sent back to Russia. She had married a Briton and lived in London before moving to New York.
Whitehall officials insisted last night there was no threat to national security, but conceded that Miss Zatuliveter had access to information which is not available to the public.
Sources say Russia, which has continued a Cold War-style espionage operation in the UK, mistrusts all military information issued by Britain and is determined to check every fact using secret techniques. It is also constantly on the hunt for industrial secrets – such as those provided by Britain’s defence contractors.
Miss Zatuliveter, who is being held at a secure facility awaiting deportation, was picked up by the UK Border Agency on Thursday morning in what appears to be the first case since the Cold War of a Russian agent being removed from the Houses of Parliament. Her detention was approved by Home Secretary Theresa May.
Mr Hancock, MP for Portsmouth South, said: ‘I have no reason to believe she did anything but act honourably during the time she was working for me.
‘She genuinely believes, and I back her 100 per cent, that she has nothing to hide and has done nothing wrong. She is not a Russian spy.’
Flower power: An earlier image of Miss Zatuliveter
Mr Hancock is on police bail after being arrested over an alleged indecent assault on a female constituent earlier this year.
Government officials believe the Russian security services pinpointed the MP because of his defence interests and his reputation as a womaniser. Miss Zatuliveter was sent to meet him, it is suspected, in a classic ‘honeytrap’ sting. Well-placed sources confirm the pair first met in Russia.
She underwent security vetting before starting work as Mr Hancock’s researcher. During her time with him, she has drafted many reports on defence as well as other issues.
One Westminster source said: ‘She would walk around in very short skirts and high heels with Hancock and they would be seen having lunch together. Certainly some thought she was charming and intelligent.’
Miss Zatuliveter is suspected of working for Russia’s foreign intelligence service, the SVR, as a ‘sleeper’.
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