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Russia Intensifies Espionage in Florida’s Space and Defense Hubs, US Officials Warn
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Russian intelligence services are intensifying espionage efforts in Florida, a state that has emerged as a key target because of its dense concentration of military, aerospace, and critical infrastructure, according to Tell Media on March 21.
The development was highlighted by Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, which noted Florida’s role as a strategic hub for US defense and space activities.
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“The Chinese and the Russians are all over Florida,” Rigby Assad, a veteran FBI counterintelligence agent, told the outlet.
He described the Space Coast as “a target-rich environment,” warning that many area employees underestimate how attractive they are to hostile intelligence services.
Florida’s Space Coast also sits near sensitive naval, missile defense, cyber warfare, and weapons testing infrastructure, while high tourist traffic provides cover for foreign operatives to move through the region without drawing attention.
The state hosts 21 military installations, three combatant commands, the world’s busiest spaceport, and hundreds of defense contractors, making it a high-value environment for foreign intelligence collection.
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Tell Media reported that former CIA officers Joseph Assad and Michele Rigby Assad witnessed what they believed was an intelligence operation at a bar near Cape Canaveral during a SpaceX launch in May 2023.
The report noted that the threat extends well beyond rocket launches and satellite programs.
Against the backdrop of Russia’s crisis-hit space sector, the Center for Countering Disinformation argued that the Kremlin is increasingly trying to offset technological setbacks through espionage and technology theft.
The more general intelligence picture also includes a separate incident that has drawn scrutiny to security around US space operations.
The reported removal of a Russian cosmonaut from NASA’s Crew-12 mission followed allegations that he photographed confidential SpaceX documents, raising new questions over security protocols inside one of Washington’s most sensitive space partnerships.
While the claim remains framed as an allegation, the reported decision suggests US officials treated the matter seriously enough to alter crew assignments.
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