Latest news Ukraine

WSJ: Russia’s new intel dept orchestrates attacks across Europe

GRU Special Tasks Department’s operations included attempted killings, sabotage, and a plot to put incendiary devices on planes, reflecting Moscow’s wartime footing against the West.

byYuri Zoria

16/02/2025

2 minute read

Russian GRU’s Lt-Gen Ivan Kasianenko (L) and Col-Gen Andrey Averyanov (R), who run the operations of the Department of Special Tasks. Images via WSJ

WSJ: Russia’s new intel dept orchestrates attacks across Europe

Russia has created a new covert unit, known as the Department of Special Tasks (SSD), conducting attacks across Europe and other regions, WSJ reports, referring to Western intelligence officials. The unit, established in 2023, operates from Russia’s GRU military-intelligence headquarters on Moscow’s outskirts, known as the aquarium.

Russia wages an undeclared war against the West through covert operations, destabilization, and hybrid tactics, while the West’s weak response enables Moscow to violate international law, undermine global security, and attack Ukraine, its primary target, without facing significant consequences.

The department is reportedly led by Col-Gen Andrey Averyanov and his deputy, Lt-Gen Ivan Kasianenko. Western intelligence officials say Kasianenko coordinated the 2018 Skripal poisoning in the UK and now oversees covert operations in Europe and Wagner operations in Africa.

According to WSJ, James Appathurai, Deputy Assistant Secretary-General of NATO for Hybrid Warfare noted:

“Russia believes it is in conflict with what it calls ‘the collective West’ and is acting accordingly, up to and including threatening us with nuclear attack and building up its military.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports as “completely unsubstantiated accusations,” WSJ says.

According to Western intelligence officials, the SSD has been behind multiple recent attacks, including:

An attempted assassination of Rheinmetall’s chief executive
A plot involving incendiary devices on DHL planes
Setting fire to a Diehl weapons factory in Berlin
Planned attacks on supermarkets in Ukraine and Poland

The threat level prompted US officials to intervene. According to US and Russian officials, then national security adviser Jake Sullivan and CIA chief William Burns contacted Russian leaders last August to halt the attacks.

Some US officials, including Sen. Tom Cotton and former CIA officer Nick Thompson, advocate for enhanced covert responses to Russian operations.

European Union officials sanctioned a unit of the department in December for orchestrating “coups, assassinations, bombings, and cyberattacks” in Europe. The US State Department offers rewards up to $10 million for information about five members accused of cyberattacks on Ukraine.

Related:

You could close this page. Or you could join our community and help us produce more materials like this. We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society. A little bit goes a long way: for as little as the cost of one cup of coffee a month, you can help build bridges between Ukraine and the rest of the world, plus become a co-creator and vote for topics we should cover next. Become a patron or see other ways to support. Become a Patron!

To suggest a correction or clarification, write to us here

You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter

We are an independent media outlet that relies solely on advertising revenue to sustain itself. We do not endorse or promote any products or services for financial gain. Therefore, we kindly ask for your support by disabling your ad blocker. Your assistance helps us continue providing quality content. Thank you!