Russian President Vladimir Putin (69) had given his domestic secret service, the FSB, responsibility for espionage related to the Ukraine war. Now Putin is suddenly changing this decision.
The secret service was changed. As the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) reports, the military intelligence service, the GRU, is now responsible.
Russia’s military intelligence service is normally responsible for gathering militarily relevant information, as well as for counterintelligence within the Russian armed forces.
Nevertheless, at the beginning of the war, Putin decided to commission the domestic secret service FSB with the Ukraine war. The reasons for this are not clear.
New leader responsible for Skripal poisoning
The new senior officer of Ukraine’s “special operations” is now Vladimir Alexeyev. He is the first deputy head of the GRU. Vladimir Alekseev is no stranger. The West holds him responsible for the poison attack on ex-GRU agent Sergei Skripal (70) and his daughter (38) in Great Britain.
The ex-double agent and his daughter Julia were exposed to the neurotoxin Novichok, which was developed in the Soviet Union, in Salisbury, England, in March 2018. Both narrowly escaped death. An uninvolved British woman died following coming into contact with the poison.
The US also has Alekseyev on the sanctions list for cyber interference in the 2016 US election. Now Alekseyev is supposed to bring Russia to the goal in Ukraine.
GRU intelligence officer killed in Ukraine
During the war, GRU intelligence officer Alexey Glushchak († 31) was killed in Ukraine. In mid-March, Russia admitted this loss. It was the first time that Russia acknowledged the killing of a GRU officer. (eu)
