Switzerland Today

Dear Swiss Abroad,
 
The new week starts with an exciting mix of topics that are both thought-provoking and quirky – from Russian spies in Geneva and AI chatbots in hospitals to an almost forgotten piece of Swiss tradition, the gun run, which remains surprisingly alive in eastern Switzerland.
 
Enjoy the read!
 

Keystone / Salvatore Di Nolfi

The Russian diplomatic mission is expanding its spy antennas in Geneva.

Russian spies are increasing their presence in Geneva: several large antennas have been installed on the roofs of Russian diplomatic buildings without cantonal authorisation and are allegedly being used for espionage purposes. Russian spies are said to be carrying out intelligence operations, sabotage and assassination attempts from Geneva, according to an investigation by Swiss public broadcaster RTS.

“They are clearly antennas used for espionage. There is no need for traditional diplomatic communications,” historian and intelligence expert Adrian Hänni from the University of Graz told RTS. The Russian embassy wrote in a statement that it “firmly rejects these allegations and considers them another attempt to arbitrarily demonise Russia and Russians”. The diplomatic staff are “focusing exclusively on the task of maintaining constructive cooperation with the authorities of the host country under the current difficult circumstances”.

However, the Federal Intelligence Service (FIS) claims the opposite: official reports state that a third of the Russian diplomats in office – almost 80 people – are in fact engaged in espionage. Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, European countries have been cracking down on Russian spies. They have expelled more than 600 diplomats accused of espionage. In Switzerland, there are no official reports of expulsions of diplomatic personnel. The FIS works more behind the scenes, says its director, Christian Dussey.

• The RTS investigationExternal link (French). 

Kantonsspital Baden

Ask your doctor or pharmacist – or an AI chatbot.

“Can I show my sprained ankle in an emergency?” Or “When is the next antenatal class?” For questions like these, you no longer have to pick up the phone at Baden Cantonal Hospital but can ask a chatbot directly. The hospital in canton Aargau is the first hospital in Switzerland to use ChatGPT technology.

The chatbot, which is available on the hospital’s website, answers questions on medical topics such as breast cancer or cystitis, making it easier to access information. It was developed and trained for over a year and is based on the hospital’s extensive knowledge database. However, the artificial intelligence (AI) does not make diagnoses or provide treatment recommendations. Instead, it provides generally understandable answers to frequently asked questions.

In addition to the new bot, the design of the website has also been modernised. Even the images on the website were created with the help of an AI tool. With the relaunch of the Baden Cantonal Hospital website, the number of pages was reduced from 2,500 to around 250, which simplifies navigation and increases user-friendliness. The new website was realised as part of the hospital’s new building, which is due to be occupied in early 2025.

• The report from the Aargauer ZeitungExternal link. (German)

On June 15, 2023, a debris flow nearly reached the village. Now, another 1.2 million cubic metres of rock debris threatens to slide down. Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

The Graubünden mountain village of Brienz/Brinzauls is empty. All residents left the village yesterday.

The evacuation of Brienz/Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland is complete. The place resembles a ghost village. Phase red has been in force since 1pm yesterday. This means that the village and the endangered area around it may no longer be entered. The municipal authorities announced that in order to enforce the ban on entry and ensure safety in the village, the area is now being monitored electronically.

Brienz/Brinzauls was evacuated a year-and-a-half ago. A few weeks after the evacuation, a torrent of debris fell that only just failed to reach the Graubünden village. The mayor of Albula told Swiss public broadcaster, SRF, that the situation following the evacuation of the village is tense.

“The atmosphere was more tense and much nastier this time. During the first evacuation a year-and-a-half ago there was more understanding than today.” This also had to do with the fact that people don’t know when they will be able to return to their homes this time. The authorities expect that it could take until spring before inhabitants can return to the village.

• The photo reportExternal link from Brienz/Brinzauls by SRF and the agency report. (German)

Keystone

Heritage preservation in camouflage: the gun run was declared dead, but one has survived in Switzerland.

One picture I have of my father is of him running through the village where I grew up – in a camouflage suit, military boots and with a rifle in his rucksack: he had taken part in the Reinach gun run several times. This event in Reinach, like so many gun arms runs in Switzerland, no longer exists.

With up to 9,000 participants (women were allowed to take part from 1986) and a high level of public and media interest, the gun run was once a big deal, even outstripping the then popular sport of cycling. Television broadcasts were dedicated to the heroic deeds of serial winner Albrecht Moser, who was reprimanded by the army leadership at the time because, when asked in an interview how the gun run actually benefited the soldiers, he replied: “So they can escape quickly.”

Since the 2000s, the major events have disappeared. However, the gun run in Frauenfeld defies time. Admittedly with fewer participants and less media attention. But there are still enough enthusiasts who jog 42 kilometres through the countryside in a camouflage suit and with 6.2 kilograms on their backs – proof that tradition sometimes lives longer than you think. Today, the “Frauenfelder” is a bizarre folk festival where instead of a halberd, only CH300 ($40) and a jar of honey await the winner.

• The NZZ reportExternal link (German, paywall).

Keystone / Michael Buholzer

Picture of the day

On Friday the full moon lit up Zurich. It was the last supermoon of the year. A full moon is called a supermoon when the distance to Earth is particularly small. Specifically, since the 1970s, a supermoon has been defined as when the distance between the moon and Earth is less than 367,600 kilometres.

Translated from German by DeepL/ts