"Ukrainian secret services remain deadly" - The Economist on the murder of Russian General Kirillov
The Economist, in its long article, concludes that the recent murder in Moscow of Russian General Igor Kirillov shows that Ukrainian spies are still deadly
"The Internal Security Service of Ukraine is not wasting any time. On December 16, the SBU accused General Igor Kirillov, who headed the Russian radiation, chemical and biological defense forces, of "mass use" of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine. A day later, Kirillov was dead," the publication says.
The magazine calls this murder "possibly the most brazen and high-profile of all those committed by Ukrainians to date." But it is not the first, the authors of the article remind.
"The SBU's secret Fifth Directorate of Counterintelligence, which has a mandate to carry out targeted assassinations abroad, and the GUR, Ukraine's military intelligence, operate on Russian territory. Both agencies have sophisticated networks and methods of operation inside the country," the authors write.
The Ukrainian spies' latest target was likely weapons expert Mikhail Shatsky , who helped Russia modernize cruise missiles used against Ukraine. He was shot dead near his home last week , The Economist reports.
The executioners also targeted the head of the Yelenivska prison colony in Donbas, whom Kyiv holds responsible for the deaths of Azov fighters held there. He was blown up in his own car.
"Since the start of the conflict, Ukrainian agents have killed dozens of Russian commanders, officials suspected of collaboration, and propagandists, mostly in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. U.S. intelligence officials believe Kyiv was also involved in the car bombing that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of Russian nationalist ideologist Alexander Dugin, in 2022. Dugin may have been the target," the authors write.
Previously, agents moved between the Fifth Directorate of the SBU and the GUR. Today, these two units compete, the magazine adds.
There is a not very good history of personal relationships between the heads of these departments.
"Deputy Head of the SBU Oleksandr Poklad, who oversees the Fifth Directorate, and the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov, are in particularly tense relations. There are rumors that Poklad is laying claim to Budanov's position, who has lost the favor of some members of the presidential staff," the journalists write.
However, regardless of the rivalry between the agencies, the murder of Kirillov shows that Ukraine's secret services are still deadly, The Economist concludes.
"Ukrainian agents transmitted a message that they could attack the top command of the Russian armed forces even in Moscow," the magazine concludes.
At the same time, Russia, “which has failed to carry out a similar campaign inside Ukraine, will probably respond in the same way as it has since the beginning of the conflict – by bombing Ukrainian cities,” the British publication believes.
English version :: Read in English "Ukrainian secret services remain deadly" – The Economist on the assassination of Russian General Kirillov