Cyprus investigates ‘sinister’ death of Russian diplomat said to have been GRU spy | Cyprus

Authorities in Cyprus are investigating the “unnatural death” of a diplomat at the Russian embassy.

“The incident at the embassy is considered an unnatural death because, according to the autopsy, it appears to have been a suicide,” Cyprus police spokesman Vyron Vyronos said.

The death comes as police are also trying to get to the root of a corruption scandal that has rocked the country.

The Russian embassy refused to hand over the suicide note reportedly written by the late diplomat Alexei Panov, 41, to Cypriot authorities or grant them access to the scene. Instead, police had to retrieve the body from the diplomatic compound courtyard.

“We asked for permission to enter the embassy, ​​but it was refused,” Vyronos said.

In a post on Facebook, the delegation stated that the “employee” was AV Panov and said that he “passed away” on January 8. “His death is a deeply personal tragedy for his family and friends,” the post said. “All necessary assistance and support was provided to the family of the deceased.”

Dmitry Khmelnitsky, an independent researcher writing about Russia from Berlin, said Panov was an officer in Moscow’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, a claim echoed by well-placed Cypriot insiders. Khmelnitsky was quoted as saying on his Telegram channel Echo that Panov oversaw the maintenance and management of the embassy’s espionage equipment in Cyprus. Khmelnitsky said the possibility of him defecting could not be ruled out.

Panov’s death occurred 24 hours after the death of Vladislav Baumgertner, the former CEO of Russian potash giant Uralkali. reported missing in Cyprus.

On Tuesday, the search for Baumgertner, 56, was expanded to include personnel in British-dominated base areas. The oligarch, who lives alone on the island, was last seen in Limassol, the coastal city preferred by Russian expats and where his home is located. Cyprus has long been a haven for wealthy Russians, and the community’s presence has earned the country the nickname Moscow on the Mediterranean.

Police spokesman Vyronos said, “The operation to find the Russian businessman continues.” He said so far there is no indication of any connection between the two cases.

A Western ambassador in Nicosia said skeptically: “There may be many conspiracy theories here, but it wouldn’t surprise me if the two were linked.”

Another EU diplomat echoed this sentiment, saying: “Two words come to mind: mysterious and sinister.”

Under the rule of Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides, a former foreign minister once considered pro-Russian, the country has turned west since Moscow’s 2022 invasion, supporting Ukraine and improving ties with the United States.

The Cypriot government, which has just taken over the EU’s rotating presidency, is also struggling with corruption allegations contained in an online video that led to high-level resignations.

Christodoulides and his closest aides have been stunned since the eight-and-a-half-minute video was posted on social media five days ago.

Cypriot officials stated that the claims in the video were not only “malicious” but also bore “all the signs” of hybrid attacks carried out by Russia against other EU countries. Authorities claimed that the “komromat” video uploaded to the social media platform

They also suggested that Russia may have been angered by the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was the guest of honor at the opening ceremony of the EU presidency on January 7.

Authorities said there was no connection between the video and Panov’s death or Baumgertner’s disappearance.

But outrage over the video’s allegations of financial impropriety at the presidential palace shows no sign of abating.

Rather than allowing public anger to prevail, the resignation of chief of staff Charalambos Charalambous (seen in a quote allegedly offering potential investors access to the leader in exchange for money) and the president’s wife as head of the charity to which cash donations allegedly flowed appears to have only strengthened demands for sweeping changes.

Charalambous described the video as a montage of “deliberate distortions” and “selective editing,” and on Monday Christodoulides insisted he had “nothing to fear” because his hands were clean.

“The president’s image has been greatly damaged,” said Hubert Faustmann, professor of history and political science at the University of Nicosia.

“Many see the government’s response as a classic deflection strategy to distract from the substance of the accusations by discrediting the source. This is undoubtedly the biggest political crisis Christodoulides has faced since taking office.”