October 25, 2023

From Saboteurs to Bureaucrats


From Saboteurs to Bureaucrats
Training of a special force GRU unit. Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, Wikimedia Commons

Journalists from The Insider analyzed the career progression of operatives from the GRU (Russia's military intelligence agency) special unit, which was involved in acts of sabotage in Europe during the 2010s. Their findings reveal that many of these former saboteurs have, in recent years, assumed high-ranking civilian positions in various regions of Russia.

In particular, Nikolai Yezhov, currently the chief federal inspector of Magadan Oblast, and Rustam Jafarov, Putin's first deputy representative in Russia's Far East region, were implicated in a sabotage operation in Bulgaria in 2011. They were associated with Sergei Chepiga, who was suspected of poisoning former Russian spy Sergei Skripal in 2018. Together, they orchestrated an explosion at an ammunition depot in the mountain village of Lovnidol in Bulgaria. This depot stored over 3,000 Soviet-made artillery munitions, which, it was believed, Georgia might have been interested in acquiring for use against Russia.

In 2015, another explosion took place in a warehouse in Bulgaria, this time in Iganovo, where missiles and grenades were stored for the armed forces of Ukraine. A few days prior, Nikolai Yezhov, along with Ivan Terentyev, who would later become the federal inspector for Sakhalin region, had arrived in the country. All evidence related to this explosion was obliterated in a fire at the Sofia Forensic Medical Center, but the trail leads to a GRU special unit. Another participant in these sabotage operations, Sergei Romanov, later transitioned into a diplomatic role as a member of the Trade Delegation of the Russian Federation in Thailand.

This trend of former military security forces personnel transitioning into public service continues. For instance, ex-military personnel who fought in Ukraine are now considering careers as teachers in schools.

Meanwhile, officials from Russian regions are traveling to front-line areas, where they are being photographed wearing military uniforms and holding weapons.

You Might Also Like

600 Days of War
  • October 16, 2023

600 Days of War

Russia's War on Ukraine has been going on for 600 days. Some Facts & Figures.
Kadyrov: A Medal for My Son
  • October 12, 2023

Kadyrov: A Medal for My Son

The Head of the Chechen State awarded his son a medal after he extrajudicially beat a prisoner accused of burning a Qu'ran.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.
Moscow and Muscovites

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955