Russian military intelligence unit member arrested in Colombia as intercepted communications reveal assassination plans for dissidents in West.
Arrest in Colombia
A member of unit 75127, also known as centrum795 – established by Russian military intelligence GRU – was arrested at the end of February at Bogotá’s airport in Colombia. The Russian was wanted by the FBI on suspicion of directing operations targeting the killing of Russian dissidents in the West.
Communication Methods
Denis A. had perfectly forged documents and communicated with his closest Serbian collaborator using an encrypted messenger. However, agents didn’t communicate in the same language and used Google Translate for translations, which allowed the FBI to intercept their correspondence, according to Der Spiegel.
Elite Unit with Drones
Western intelligence initially dismissed the unit, which emerged in 2023, believing its activities would be limited to Ukraine. The arrest of a group member in Colombia indicates broader ambitions for this elite unit, reports the German weekly. The unit, consisting of hackers, snipers, and spies, hunts opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin in the West under the guise of a training center at Kalashnikov arms factories. It is directly supervised by Russian Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov and is equipped with drones.
Unit Size and Purpose
The unit consists of approximately 500 people and operates under the cover of a training center at Kalashnikov arms factories to mislead foreign intelligence. Western services estimate the unit was created after its predecessor was compromised, as its members engaged in corruption scandals and information about its operations reached the public.
Alleged Operations
According to the weekly, members of this group are allegedly responsible for the 2018 assassination attempt on former Russian agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter, as well as an attack on a Bulgarian arms dealer and the bombing of a weapons factory in the Czech Republic.
