Senior Russian intelligence defector to the US is allegedly dead
July 11, 2016 Leave a comment
A Russian former senior intelligence officer, who reportedly defected to the United States after helping the Federal Bureau of Investigation arrest 10 Russian spies in 2010, is believed to have died. The arrests, which revealed the so-called “Russian illegals program” in the US, were part of a counterintelligence operation codenamed GHOST STORIES by the FBI. The operation culminated in June 2010 with the dramatic arrests of 10 Russian ‘illegals’ in several US states. The Russian illegals, deep-cover intelligence operatives with no official connection to the country that employs them, had been operating in the US for over a decade prior to their arrest, using passports from third countries, including Britain, Canada and Uruguay. They were eventually exchanged with spies for the West that had been imprisoned in Russia.
Moscow blamed the arrests of the illegals on Colonel Aleksandr Poteyev, a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan, who rose through the ranks of the KGB and its successor agency, the SVR, to become second-in-command in the so-called Department S. The senior leaders of Department S are believed to be appointed directly by the president of Russia, and are tasked with directing the activities of all Russian illegals operating abroad. According to the Russian government, which tried Poteyev in absentia in 2011, he began working for the US Central Intelligence Agency in 1999, shortly before entering the senior echelons of Department S.
A panel of judges was told during Poteyev’s Moscow trial that he left Russia without permission on June 24, 2010, just days before the FBI arrested the 10 Russian illegals in the US. He initially went to Belarus, from where he notified his unsuspecting wife via a text sent from a mobile phone that he was leaving Russia for good. He then traveled to Ukraine and from there to Germany, where he was allegedly picked up by his American CIA handler. It is believed that was provided with a new identity and passport, which he used to enter the US. By the time the Russians sentenced him to 25 years in prison for treason, Poteyev was adjusting to his new life in America.
But on July 7, the Moscow-based Interfax news agency reported that Poteyev, had died in the US, aged 64. The brief report did not specify the cause of Poteyev’s alleged death, nor did it state how Interfax acquired the information. Since the report was issued, no confirmation of Poteyev’s purported death has appeared from any other news source, or from government agencies. Russia’s Sputnik News contacted the SVR last week, but the agency declined to comment. It is believed that Poteyev’s two children were working in the US at the time of his defection, and that they are still living in the country.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 11 July 2016 | Permalink
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Former deep-cover spy leads Kremlin’s efforts to woo Indian high-tech sector
December 8, 2025 by Joseph Fitsanakis 2 Comments
Posing as Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley, Bezrukov and Vavilova were among 10 Russian non-official-cover intelligence officers arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in June 2010. They were eventually swapped with Moscow for several Western spies held in Russian prisons. After returning to Russia, Bezrukov and Vavilova received the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” 4th Class, which is Russia’s second-highest state decoration. They also entered state-sponsored employment, with Bezrukov advising the Rosneft Oil Company—Russia’s second-largest corporation—and teaching at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
In June 2025, Bezrukov apparently represented the Russian state at the 28th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)—often referred to as “Putin’s Davos”. According to the Washington Post, Bezrukov’s apparent role at SPIEF was to network with Forum representatives from India’s advanced technology sector, allegedly on direct orders by the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The event, which went under the tagline “Shared Values as a Foundation for Growth in a Multipolar World”, gathered nearly 20,000 delegates from 140 countries. The Kremlin touted it as evidence of the West’s failure to isolate Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. It also served as part of a set of broader efforts by the Kremlin to prevent the Russian economy from sliding into a recession by seeking to develop alternative energy markets and strengthening economic and political ties to the Global South.
India is by far the largest of a group of countries seen as “friendly” by Russia, which could potentially help revitalize the Russian economy, largely through the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The 14-year-old agreement aims to interconnect a transnational transportation network connecting Russia and India with import-export routes in Central Asia the Middle East, and Europe. Experts claim that the INSTC is the logistical backbone of Russia’s efforts to salvage its economy from the growing pressures of the war in Ukraine.
The Post reported that Bezrukov denied that he is still an employee of Russian intelligence agencies when approached and asked about his past by Western journalists.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 08 December 2025 | Permalink
Filed under Expert news and commentary on intelligence, espionage, spies and spying Tagged with Andrei Bezrukov, Elena Vavilova, espionage, India, News, non-official-cover, Operation GHOST STORIES, Russia, Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum