Russia has created a new espionage unit targeting the West and carrying out secret attacks in Europe and other countries, as reported by The Wall Street Journal, citing Western intelligence officials.
The unit, known as the Special Operations Department, is based at the headquarters of the Russian military intelligence services. Its previously unreported operations have included assassination attempts, sabotage, and a plot to install incendiary devices on airplanes.
Western intelligence services indicate that the establishment of the department reflects Moscow’s stance against the West during the war. According to two European intelligence chiefs and other American and European security services, it was created in 2023 in response to Western support for Ukraine and recruited veterans of some of Russia’s boldest secret operations in recent years.
According to these officials, the Kremlin sees the West as complicit in Ukraine’s attacks on Russia, such as sabotaging the Nord Stream pipeline, assassinating high-ranking officials in Moscow, and Ukrainian strikes using long-range Western missiles.
“Russia believes it is in conflict with what it calls the ‘collective West’ and acts accordingly, to the point of threatening us with a nuclear attack and building its military,” said James Appathurai, NATO’s Deputy Assistant Secretary General for Hybrid Warfare.
The new unit, known by Western intelligence officials as SSD, is believed to be behind a series of recent attacks on the West, including the attempted assassination of the CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and a plot to install incendiary devices on DHL transport planes.
SSD has brought together various elements of Russian intelligence services. It has taken on some powers from the Russian Federal Security Service and absorbed Unit 29155, which Western intelligence and law enforcement agencies say was behind the 2018 poisoning of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in the UK.
### Main Missions
According to Western intelligence officials, SSD has at least three main missions:
– Committing crimes and sabotage abroad
– Infiltrating Western companies and universities
– Recruiting and training foreign agents
In particular, the department has sought to recruit agents from Ukraine, developing countries, and countries considered friendly to Russia, such as Serbia. It also runs an elite special operations center known as Senej, where Russia trains some of its special forces.
The unit is led by Colonel General Andrei Vladimirovich Averianov and his deputy, Lieutenant General Ivan Sergeevich Kasianenko. The former is wanted by the Czech police, suspected of participating in a 2014 ammunition depot explosion operation. Meanwhile, in Russia, President Vladimir Putin awarded him the highest honor – the Hero of Russia medal for his role in the occupation and annexation of Crimea.
Western intelligence officials believe his deputy, Kasianenko, coordinated the poisoning operation of Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the UK.
Kasianenko’s role includes overseeing secret operations in Europe and overseeing the paramilitary operations of the Wagner mercenary group in Africa after the assassination of its founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in 2023.
According to European intelligence officials, Kasianenko speaks Persian and once worked in Tehran under diplomatic cover, and more recently was involved in facilitating the transfer of skills and technology from Russia to Iran.
In December, the European Union imposed sanctions on a unit of the department, without naming SSD, for organizing “coup attempts, assassinations, bombings, and cyberattacks” in Europe and other countries. In December, the US indicted SSD members for similar charges. The State Department offers a reward of up to $10 million for information on five members accused of cyberattacks on Ukraine.
The publication notes that SSD’s hostile activity peaked last summer but has recently declined. According to two European intelligence chiefs, the pause in the department’s activity may be aimed at creating diplomatic space for Moscow to negotiate with the new American administration.
In May, the Security Service of Ukraine announced that it had uncovered a Russian plot to set fire to several supermarkets and cafes. Ukraine stated that the plan was coordinated by Major Yuri Sizov.
Western intelligence officials said that Sizov, now part of SSD, coordinated another arson operation, a few days later, at a mall in the Polish capital of Warsaw.
Then, in July, similar incendiary devices sent by DHL ignited at transit nodes in Leipzig, Germany, and Birmingham, England. If one of the devices were to ignite during a flight, it could cause a plane crash.
### Main Target: Germany
Western and Russian officials say SSD operates under broad orders from Putin, but commanders may not seek approval for specific operations.
The department has focused particularly on work in Germany, as Russia sees the country as a weak link in NATO due to its reliance on Russian energy resources, growing anxiety about nuclear escalation, and sympathy for Russia among some politicians and voters. Last May, SSD agents set fire to a Berlin factory owned by Diehl, a company that supplies weapons systems to Ukraine.
Meanwhile, American intelligence warned Germany that it had uncovered a plot to assassinate European arms industry leaders, including Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall, the largest provider of artillery ammunition to Ukraine, who is also building a tank factory in Ukraine. Attacks have also been recorded in other European countries.
At that time, some parliamentarians and American security officials called on the West to step up covert actions in response to Russia’s operations. The statement was later echoed by Senator Tom Cotton. The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said during a recent hearing that the CIA “must be bolder and more innovative in its covert actions.”
In conclusion, the creation of Russia’s Special Operations Department poses a significant threat to Western countries, with its activities ranging from assassinations to cyberattacks. The complex network of operations and the involvement of high-ranking Russian officials indicate a strategic and coordinated effort to undermine Western interests and security. As tensions escalate, it is crucial for Western intelligence agencies and governments to remain vigilant and proactive in countering these threats.