Russian President Putin
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began about a year ago, European governments have expelled hundreds of Russian diplomats from their territories, and many of those ordered to leave are alleged to be “spies” operating from embassies under diplomatic cover, according to the Times.
As a result, Russian intelligence agents wrote a joint letter to President Putin complaining that their families were left in a state of drought at home when embassies expelled them due to the war in Ukraine, stressing that they suffered a “personal tragedy” when they were expelled. from Europe, as one of their wives advised them to think… Work as a pizza delivery boy.
The Insider, a Russian-language investigative site, obtained the text of a letter purportedly written by 11 GRU officers to Putin, complaining about limited job opportunities for their wives upon their return to Moscow and a lack of places for their children in kindergarten.
The officers addressed Putin politely, reminding him that “many intelligence officers, who performed difficult and often risky service in the diplomatic missions of the Russian Federation, had to leave European countries” after Moscow sent its forces in Ukraine.
The complaint about schools and associated jobs is part of a broader set of grievances expressed in the letter to Putin, which also accused Russian media of ignoring the heroism of GRU special forces fighting in Ukraine.
The Kremlin did not comment on the letter and usually does not respond to news reports from security and intelligence services.
For example, Lord Lebedev, 43, a Russian-British media mogul, attended a Church of England primary school in Kensington, west London, in the 1980s after his father, Alexander, was appointed a KGB officer at the Soviet embassy.
Russia began to resort to “illegals”, i.e. those who work without diplomatic cover, due to the denunciation of Unit 29155 by Western countries.
Western intelligence agencies believe Unit 29155 is a top secret unit accused of sabotage and assassination attempts across Europe, including poisoning attempts with the nerve agent Novichok, according to the newspaper.
Russian diplomats living in Western capitals often enjoy a very high standard of living as their embassies often provide accommodation and education.