The Independent has received information that the course of events and the decisions of the dictator Vladimir Putin were significantly influenced by the deputy director of the FSB Serhey Korolev.
Korolyov has influence over Putin, the FSB and the course of the Russian Federation's war against Ukraine
Large-scale personnel changes in the Kremlin came as a surprise not only to Russians, but also to the West. The Independent has received information that the course of events and the decisions of the dictator Vladimir Putin were significantly influenced by the deputy director of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Serhey Korolev.
What's more, he is involved in the preparation of assassination attempts on Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Kyrylo Budanov.
As the journalists learned from their insiders in the Western special services, Serhey Korolev is a well-known Chekist (a member of the Cheka, the first in the succession of Soviet secret police agencies) who is rapidly strengthening his position in the Russian political arena.
It was he who played an important role in the personnel reshuffles recently arranged by the illegitimate president of the Russian Federation.
In May, Putin dismissed Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, appointing him Secretary of the Security Council, and unexpectedly demoted the previous Secretary, Nikolai Patrushev, to Assistant President for Shipbuilding.
Moreover, it is noted that Putin's former bodyguard — the governor of the Tula region, Aleksei Dyumin — was unable to break into the Ministry of Defence of Russia, although he tried.
According to The Independent, Korolev was able to become a key player in the FSB hierarchy. Western leaders accuse him of actively participating in the invasion of Ukraine. In addition, he implemented reforms in intelligence that increased its effectiveness.
Putin's henchman is under sanctions from the European Union, Britain, France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand.
You can learn more about the struggle of Ukrainian forces against the FSB of the Russian Federation and the Russian invaders from Online.UA's interview with the Armed Forces serviceman and partisan Artem "Skhidny" Karyakin.
Korolev was involved in the organisation of assassination attempts on Zelenskyy, Budanov and Malyuk
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, Kyrylo Budanov, and the head of the the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), Vasyl Malyuk, have survived more than one attempt by the Russian authorities, who consider them to be their main enemies.
The Independent learned that it was Serhey Korolev who was involved in the preparation of these special operations, which were to be carried out by officers of the State Security Directorate of Russia.
In addition, it is known that he was a protégé of Anatoly Serdyukov, the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation from 2007 to 2012.
As a special adviser to the Ministry of Defence, he oversaw the GRU (the Russian Main Intelligence Directorate), Russia's military intelligence service, and is considered the founder of the Special Operations Forces and the Special Operations Directorate. His rise in the FSB hierarchy coincided with the death of Yevgeny Zinichev, Minister of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation, who was also a candidate for the post of First Deputy Director of the FSB.
According to journalists, Putin's "gray cardinal" is also suspected of ties to organised crime.
Yes, it is known about his suspicious connections with Oleg Makovoz, the leader of the "gang of brothers", which engaged in robberies, extortion and contract killings. Korolev himself often called Makovoz a "valuable informant".
In 2007, Spanish law enforcement officers secretly recorded Korolev's conversation with Gennady Petrov, the leader of the Tambov criminal group. After that, it became known that Korolev, on the instructions of the group, helped promote people to senior positions in Russian law enforcement agencies.
In 2018, the Russian criminal authority Aslan Gagiev, who was detained by the Austrian police, admitted in court that he was helped to leave Russia by the head of the 9th Department of the FSB, who at that time was Korolev.
