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Aleksandr Poteyev

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In this name that follows East Slavic naming customs, the patronymic is Nikolayevich and the family name is Poteyev.
Aleksandr Poteyev
Александр Потеев
Born (1952-03-07) March 7, 1952 (age 73)
Brest Region, Belarusian SSR, USSR (present-day Belarus)
OccupationFormer Deputy Head of Directorate "S"
SpouseMarina
Children2

Aleksandr Nikolayevich Poteyev[a] (born 1952) is a former Colonel and Deputy Head of Directorate "S" of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) who revealed a hidden network of Russian spies known as the Illegals Program. He is believed to be living in the United States under an assumed identity.

Early life

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Poteyev was born in the Brest Region of the Republic of Belarus on March 7, 1952. His father, Nikolai Pavlovich Poteyev, was recognized as a Hero of the USSR.[1][2]

Military career

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Poteyev's career began in the 1970s when he enlisted in the army, later joining the KGB and serving in Afghanistan as part of elite special forces units. In the 1980s, he was awarded the Order of the Red Banner for his service in Kabul.[3] After returning from Afghanistan, he graduated from the Academy of Foreign Intelligence.[4] In the 1990s, he began traveling to several Western countries under the guise of a representative from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[5]

Recruitment by the United States

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Around 1999, Poteyev was working under cover at the Russian mission in New York when he offered his services as a walk-in to the FBI.[6] Alternatively, it was reported he began working in secret for the CIA after being approached by the Internal Revenue Service on allegations of underpayment of taxes.[7][8][9] In 2000, he was appointed Deputy Head of Directorate "S" of the SVR, which oversaw a network of Russian spies in the United States.[10] Around this time, he is said to have received between $2–5 million for information he provided to the CIA.[11]

Defection to the United States

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In June 2010, Poteyev fled from Russia as lie detector tests were being prepared to find a mole within the SVR. He traveled through Belarus, Ukraine, and Germany before arriving at CIA headquarters in the US on June 26, 2010.[12][13] The following day, the FBI began arresting the Russian spy ring, including prominent figures like Anna Chapman.[14][15] He is suspected of also providing intelligence on Sergey Cherepanov, a Madrid-based Russian Illegal,[16][17] as well as Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag, a German-based Russian spy couple.[18][19][20][21]

Russian reaction

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In November 2010, Russian news agency Kommersant reported that the defector who betrayed the Russians spies was Colonel Shcherbakov of the SVR.[22] Days later, a rival news agency, RIA Novosti, reported that the actual defector was Poteyev.[23][24] In 2011, he was found guilty of desertion and high treason in absentia, and was sentenceed to 25 years in prison.[25][26] In 2016, Russian news agency Interfax falsely reported that Poteyev had died in the United States.[27] He is on Russia's international wanted list.[28]

Residence at Trump Tower

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Since his defection, Poteyev has received a number of unsolicited visitors at his condominium at Trump Towers in Sunny Isles Beach, Florida.[29][30] In 2014, he was approached by a suspected Russian hit man on a valid U.S. visa.[31][32][33] In 2017, journalists for BuzzFeed News knocked on his door, but were turned away.[34][35] In 2020, Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican-Singaporean microbiologist, was arrested by the FBI after he was caught performing reconnaissance at the Trump Tower complex as part of a Russian assassination plot.[36][37][38]

Notes

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  1. ^ Russian: Александр Николаевич Потеев, romanized: Aleksandr Nikolayevich Poteyev

References

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  1. ^ Alexandrov, German (May 16, 2011). "Defector of the SVR Poteyev continues to betray Russia". rosbalt.ru.
  2. ^ Moshkin, Mikhail; Baltacheva, Marina (July 7, 2016). "A Traitor Poteyev Could Go Deep Underground". rosnext.ru.
  3. ^ Alexandrov, German (May 16, 2011). "SVR defector Poteyev continues to betray Russia". rosbalt.ru.
  4. ^ "Information is being verified. In the US, the defector who "surrendered" Anna Chapman died?". aif.ru. July 7, 2016.
  5. ^ Osborn, Andrew (November 18, 2010). "Ex-KGB soldier named as double agent who exposed Anna Chapman spy ring". telegraph.co.uk.
  6. ^ Urban, Mark (October 2, 2018). "The Skripal Files" (PDF). Secret Wars. p. 145. Retrieved June 8, 2019.
  7. ^ Weiss, Michael (July 9, 2016). "Is This American Spy Dead? Or Was He Ever Real?". thedailybeast.com.
  8. ^ Alexandrov, German (June 27, 2011). "SVR defector: I'm starting a new life". rosbalt.ru.
  9. ^ Kondrashov, Alexander (March 23, 2011). "Judas from the Ninth Circle of Hell". argumenti.ru.
  10. ^ Isachenkov, Vladimir (June 27, 2011). "Alexander Poteyev, Russian Intelligence Officer, Convicted Of Betraying U.S. Spy Ring Including Anna Chapman". huffingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2011.
  11. ^ Russo, Gus; Dezenhall, Eric (October 2, 2018). Best of Enemies: The Last Great Spy Story of the Cold War. New York, NY: Hachette Book Group, Inc. p. 233. ISBN 978-1-5387-6131-1. LCCN 2017056747.
  12. ^ Loiko, Sergei (June 28, 2011). "Former Russian spymaster convicted of treason". latimes.com.
  13. ^ Walter, Pincus (July 6, 2022). "The Unraveling of Russian Spies". thecipherbrief.com.
  14. ^ "Ten Alleged Secret Agents Arrested in the United States". justice.gov. June 28, 2010.
  15. ^ "FBI: 10 Russian Spies Arrested in U.S." cbsnews.com. June 28, 2010.
  16. ^ Briançon, Pierre (June 16, 2016). "The Spanish Story of a Russian 'Illegal'". politico.eu.
  17. ^ Sengupta, Ken (March 13, 2018). "Sergei Skripal: Mystery surrounds 'Spanish connection' linking ex-Russian agent to spying operations across world". independent.co.uk.
  18. ^ Connolly, Kate (January 15, 2013). "Married pair alleged to be Russian 'cold war' type spies on trial in Germany". theguardian.com.
  19. ^ "Moscow allegedly wants to bring spies back from Germany". spiegel.de. July 15, 2013.
  20. ^ "Germany Frees Russian Spy Andreas Anschlag". rbc.ru. June 3, 2015.
  21. ^ Fitsanakis, Joseph (June 27, 2011). "Dutch diplomat arrested for spying for Russia". intelnews.org.
  22. ^ Soloviev, Vladimir; Trifonov, Vladislav (November 11, 2010). "Fresh Betrayal". kommersant.com.
  23. ^ "The culprit of the "spy scandal" was Colonel Poteyev". ria.ru. November 15, 2010.
  24. ^ Rawnsley, Adam (November 19, 2010). "Did One of These Russian Colonels Sell Out The Sexy Spy?". wired.com.
  25. ^ Parfitt, Tom (June 27, 2011). "Russian double agent sentenced in absentia to 25 years in prison". theguardian.com.
  26. ^ Kononenko, Maxim (June 27, 2011). "For a quarter of a century". vz.ru.
  27. ^ "Russian Foreign Intelligence Service not commenting on Poteyev's possible death in U.S (Part 2)". interfax.com. July 7, 2016. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019.
  28. ^ "Poteyev will be wanted until his death is officially confirmed". interfax.ru. July 7, 2016.
  29. ^ @textifire (June 5, 2017). ""Aleksandr" is 'dead', born 3 March 1952 (says Google); but FL guy is "Alexander", born 7 March 1952, living in Trump Tower III. Curious" (Tweet). Archived from the original on March 1, 2020 – via Twitter.
  30. ^ Russian defectors, Putin critics suffer mysterious, violent deaths. 60 Minutes. November 10, 2024. Event occurs at 16:00 – via YouTube.
  31. ^ Goldman, Adam; Barnes, Julian; Schmidt, Michael; Apuzzo, Matt (September 13, 2018). "U.S. Spies Rush to Protect Defectors After Skripal Poisoning". nytimes.com.
  32. ^ Barry, Ellen (October 1, 2018). "Spy Poisoned in Britain Fed MI6 Agents Secrets on a Putin Ally, New Book Claims". nytimes.com.
  33. ^ "The attempted assassination of a Russian spy defector". October 2, 2018 – via YouTube.
  34. ^ Campbell, Alex; Leopold, Jason; Blake, Heidi (October 3, 2018). "This Russian Double-Agent Is A Lot Less Dead Than He Seemed". buzzfeednews.com.
  35. ^ Korelina, Olga (October 4, 2018). "The agent who handed over Anna Chapman and other illegal immigrants to the Americans was declared dead two years ago. He actually lives in the US: Buzzfeed". meduza.io.
  36. ^ "Individual Arrested for Acting Within the U.S. on Behalf of the Russian Government Without Notifying the Attorney General". justice.gov. February 18, 2020.
  37. ^ "Man Who Acted as Russian Agent Sentenced to Federal Prison Term". justice.gov. June 22, 2022.
  38. ^ Bergman, Ronen; Goldman, Adam; Barnes, Julian (June 19, 2023). "Russia Sought to Kill Defector in Florida". nytimes.com.
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