New Cover for Moscow Agents in the West; From Journalist to Civil Society Activist Opposing the Kremlin

Russian intelligence agents, who are also involved in the assassination of Kremlin opponents, have recently been operating mostly under the guise of journalists and human rights activists opposing the Kremlin. In the latest case, a Bulgarian 'journalist' has been arrested in this country and is on trial for allegedly being a member of a group that intended to kidnap and murder a prominent Russian investigative journalist in London. Roman Dobrokhotov, the targeted journalist, is the founder and editor-in-chief of 'The Insider', which has exposed the identities of a significant number of Russian spies in collaboration with the investigative group 'Bellingcat'. According to him, Russian intelligence agents have realized that they can easily infiltrate the Russian opposition abroad under the guise of a journalist or a civil society activist opposing the Kremlin while remaining under the radar of Western counterintelligence agencies. Investigative reports suggest that Russian intelligence agencies have managed to revive their network in Western countries, which had been dismantled following the expulsion of hundreds of Russian diplomats. Some reports indicate that of the 600 staff members expelled from Russian embassies in Western countries, about 400 were agents of the FSB (Federal Security Service of Russia), GRU (Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia), or SVR (Foreign Intelligence Service of Russia). According to the Russian publication 'Kholod', two years after the expulsion of Russian diplomats following Russia's military invasion of Ukraine, the Russian espionage network in the West is pursuing the same previous goals: uncovering confidential information, sowing discord among NATO allies, inciting public discontent over continued Western support for Ukraine, and combating Kremlin opponents. However, the methods of Russian intelligence agents have become more diverse and complex, making it harder to counter them. Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russian intelligence agencies, told 'Kholod' that after the failure of the 'diplomatic army', Russian spies have formed a 'proxy army' consisting of: Russian citizens residing in Western countries, especially those whose relatives are under pressure in Russia; foreign citizens who are encouraged to collaborate with Russian spies for financial, ideological, or similar reasons; and criminals who primarily execute Kremlin orders in exchange for money. According to this expert, this method allows Russian intelligence agents to remain safe and for Moscow to deny involvement in sabotage operations, but on the other hand, the 'proxy army' is not fully controlled, and many operations planned in Moscow have failed. For this reason, according to Soldatov, Russian intelligence agents have been forced to be sent back to the West, but with a 'new guise'; they often present themselves as Kremlin opponents. The investigative publication 'The Insider' has long been tracking the activities of Unit 29155 of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia and has revealed the role of its agents in explosions that occurred at military facilities in various European countries and also in the nerve agent 'Novichok' assassination attempt on Sergei Skripal, a former Russian spy in the UK. According to 'The Insider', Ivan Zhikharev, a 37-year-old graduate of the 'Human Rights School', was particularly active in activities supporting political prisoners before the war in Ukraine at the Andrei Sakharov Center in Moscow. Activists from this center stated that Zhikharev was the 'most active volunteer' in activities supporting political prisoners. Investigative journalists suggest that Zhikharev participated in some opposition programs abroad with a 'commendable' letter of introduction from the Sakharov Center, including at the 'Free Russia Forum' held under the supervision of Garry Kasparov, a former chess champion and a prominent figure opposing the Kremlin, as well as at the 'Camp Camp' forum which brought together over 200 journalists and civil activists from 15 Eastern European and Central Asian countries. 'The Insider' has found that Zhikharev's presence in Europe coincided with several sabotage operations attributed to Russia. For this reason, journalists believe that this Russian spy's role goes beyond mere informant activities about Kremlin opponents. Another member of Unit 29155, Maxim Rudionov, traveled to Western countries multiple times under the guise of a 'documentary filmmaker'. According to 'The Insider', he participated in producing a teaser related to a rally from Russia to Mongolia to prove 'artistic activity'. Journalists from 'The Insider' believe that the Russian military intelligence agency facilitated logistics for its operations in the region by organizing this rally. However, according to journalists from 'The Insider', Konstantin Medvedev is the 'most interesting' member of Unit 29155 as he is the only Russian intelligence officer who operated under his real name. As a journalist for the now-defunct newspaper 'Tribuna', he even interviewed the Indonesian ambassador in Moscow. He also published several reports from Slovenia. After the activities of the Dolzhev family in Slovenia were exposed, journalists suspect that Medvedev acted as a liaison between this family and Moscow under the guise of a journalist. 'Ludwig Gish' and 'Maria Rosa Mayer Monos' were arrested in Slovenia last spring, and it turned out that 'Ludwig' was actually Artem Viktorovich Dolzhev, a senior officer of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. 'Maria', whose real name is Anna Valeryevna Dolzheva, holds an even higher rank in the same intelligence agency than her husband. Last summer, when this couple returned to Moscow as part of a prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin welcomed them with flowers. Among this group was also Pablo Gonzalez (Pavel Rubtsov), who is referred to as the 'most successful Russian spy' because apparently, throughout all his 'journalistic activity', no one noticed that he was promoting Kremlin narratives and spying on the Russian opposition for Moscow. His arrest even provoked protests from many human rights defenders, including Amnesty International and Reporters Without Borders.