World

Russian diplomat found dead on road outside Berlin embassy

November 5, 2021
Sezarr

The body of the 35-year-old diplomat was found on the morning of 19 October; Der Spiegel reported that he apparently fell from the top floor of the Russian embassy building in the German capital, although it was not clear why he fell or the cause of death.

Der Spiegel and the Investigative Site bellingcat Report that the dead diplomat was recognized as second secretary at the Russian embassy in Berlin since 2019, but German security officials believe he is an undercover officer for Russia’s FSB, Internal Security and Counterintelligence The service was there, and he belonged to a high-ranking FSB. Officer.

Der Spiegel reported that the Russian embassy did not agree to an autopsy, and that the man’s diplomatic immunity meant that Germany’s public prosecutor could not investigate.

Russian and German officials on Friday acknowledged the death of the diplomat following the Der Spiegel report.

“On October 19, 2021, a tragic accident occurred with a Russian diplomat,” the Russian embassy said in a statement. “All formalities relating to the repatriation of the diplomat’s body to his homeland were resolved promptly with the competent law enforcement and medical authorities of Germany in accordance with current practice.”

“We consider the speculation in many Western media about this tragic event to be absolutely false.”

A spokesman for the German foreign ministry told CNN that the government was aware of the diplomat’s death, but “due to the personal safety of the individuals concerned and their relatives, no further details will be disclosed at this time.”

Diplomat died almost a year later Investigations by CNN and Bellingcat revealed that an FSB toxic team of about six to 10 agents implicated Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny for more than three years before poisoning him with the deadly nerve agent Novichok in August 2020.
One of the FSB agents was later tricked into telling Navalny over the phone that Novichok was fitted in his underpants – a detail that came to light when Navalny served as a member of Russia’s National Security Council. Presented. did and called the agent to pressurize him for details. operation, as it was revealed specifically In another CNN-Bellingcat investigation.