Russian technical team at Saudi Arabia negotiations led by chief ideologue of Ukraine invasion
Technical negotiations between the U.S. and Russia to establish a ceasefire in Ukraine are ongoing in Saudi Arabia today. Reports suggest that parties will discuss a 30-day truce, not just in the energy sector but also in the Black Sea, which is expected to pave the way for the resumption of shipping route.
What has particularly drawn experts' and media's interest is the appointment of Sergei Beseda as the head of the Russian negotiation team. Beseda, the former head of the Fifth Service of the Federal Security Service, continues to serve as an advisor to the director of the FSB. In essence, Beseda is a chief ideologue of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. His department compiled analytical reports that gave Vladimir Putin the confidence that Kyiv could be occupied within three days, Russian soldiers would be welcomed with flowers, and President Volodymyr Zelensky would either be killed, flee, or live in exile. "The feeling that their path would be strewn with flowers was the FSB's assessment," a Western security official told The Washington Post.
They were so sure they would soon control Kyiv's government that they spent the last days before the war setting up safe houses for their operatives in the city.
According to The Washington Post, for decades, the Fifth Service spied in Ukraine, aiming to dominate governmental institutions, bribe officials, and prevent Ukraine's closer alignment with the West. After the initial days of the invasion, the service's leadership fell out of grace: Beseda and his deputies were placed under house arrest.
There were even reports of his detention in Lefortovo prison. The reasons cited were misappropriation of funds for operations in Ukraine and failed intelligence work.
Despite rumors of Beseda's dismissal, pro-Kremlin outlets maintained that he continued in his role, participating in various events. Thus, Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov's comment confirming Beseda's presence at talks indirectly marked the first acknowledgment of his removal from the Fifth Service, which he led since 2009, purportedly due to reaching the service's age limit of 70, and reassignment as a consultant to FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov. Russian media speculate this role change may indicate that Putin still trusts him. It's also noted that in February 2014, during the Maidan protests in Kyiv, Beseda met with the fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych and, since July of that year, has faced sanctions from the U.S., EU, Canada, UK, Australia, Switzerland, and Ukraine. In October 2023, Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov described Beseda as a "very problematic figure" for Ukraine.