Igor, Olga, Mikhail with friends: Names of Russian spies working in Kosovo under UN flag

After Kosovo authorities declared “persona non grata” a Russian UNMIK official last week, Istga.ba in co-operation with TheGeopost.com, managed to find the names of other Russian military intelligence officers serving in Kosovo and BiH. Andrey Nikolaevch Antonov, Mikhail Krasnoschekov, Alexander Kasatkin, Vyacheslav Gannenko, Olga Mokrova, Igor Kulga. All had worked for the UN mission in Kosovo. Some have also served in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Adrey Nikolaevich Antonov is not alone. At least five other Russian diplomats who served in UNMIK in Kosovo were operatives of the Russian military intelligence service GRU. Istraga.ba in collaboration with TheGeopost.com, have managed to learn their names and biographies.

We remember that hours before New Year 2022, Kosovo authorities declared “persona non grata” a Russian UNMIK official. Andrey Nikolaevich Antonov went on vacation to Russia a few days ago. It was hit by news that “persona no grata” was declared and that it could not return to Kosovo. So he became the second Russian official in the UN to declare “persona non grata” from Kosovo. The first was Mikhail Krasnoschekov, who broke through in May 2019, at the time when former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said on Facebook that the “ved was taken because of the action of a Russian citizen against Kosovo constitutional order, universal values, peace and stability”.

Kosovo's then-US Ambassador Vlora Citaku accused Mikhail Krasnoschekov of helping set up barricades in Zubin Potok, as a UN Mission officer in Kosovo UNMIK. The Russians denied this, but Krasnoschekov was deported.

However, he and Antonov are not the only members of the Russian GRU to have served in UNMIK. International sources of Istuga.ba and TheGeopost.com confirmed the names of several other GRU officers. At the beginning of the UNMIK mission in Kosovo, Russian intelligence officials intended to provoke interethnic unrest to delay the process of negotiations on Kosovo's status and present Serb settlements and Serbian Orthodox churches as endangered countries. After declaring independence of the Republic of Kosovo, Russian officials in UNMIK tried to present the work of Kosovo institutions as weak and misinterpreted of violence against Serbs, which U n NMIC then introduced them to reports and hearings at the UN Security Council. Russian intelligence officials at UNMIK are mainly engaged in challenging Kosovo's sovereignty and national security, promising to portray Kosovo as a failed “state”. Recently, they have engaged in promoting riots in northern Kosovo, in municipalities populated with Serbs, supporting Serbian illegal structures in Kosovo and co-operating with Serb criminals to undermine the work of local and international institutions to expand rule of law and prevent smuggling, organised crime and corruption. The following are the names of GRU officers who have served in UNMIK.

Igor Kulga

I started the military service in 1986 as the Cadet of the Military Academy. After graduation I went through several positions as an officer in the Russian Federation army of”, wrote Igor Kulga in his biography.

In his profile in LinkedIn, he says he is an experienced security guard in a testimony to the work in the international relations industry. Crisis management skills, government, emergency management, physical security and strategic planning. A strong professional in military and security services with a Master's degree in public administration by the Russian Presidency Academy of Economy and Public Administration.

He is currently a United Nations official in Egypt, and his last military position was “Sector Chief at the Military Co-operation Department”. Igor Kulga was in Kosovo from 2007 to 2010.

Olga Mocrova

Olga Mocrova had served in the United Nations Security and Security Department (UNDSS) in Kosovo as part of the Military Intelligence Service. According to her account, she worked as military intelligence analyst at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) from 2003 to 2006. Macrova served in Kosovo from 2009 to 2010 and currently works at the United Nations Security and Security Department, the Middle East. She was educated at the Russian Military Academy.

Vyacheslav Ganenko

This Russian military intelligence service officer, GRU, has been in Kosovo during 2002 and 2003. Vyacheslav Ganenko served as part of the Russian police contingent in Kosovo (UNMIK Police). He had previously served as a KGB intelligence officer. He currently serves as commander of the Russian police contingent at the United Nations Mission in Sudan.

Alexander Kasatkin

We didn't find a picture of him. Alexander Kasatkin worked on the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) from 2007 to 2010. According to international sources, Alexander Kasatkin was Colonel of Russian Military Intelligence (GRU). Prior to his appointment to UNMIK, he was a member of the United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He served in Sarajevo.