Russia Tried To Assassinate CIA Spy In 2020 But Failed Miserably: NYT

Russia reportedly made a bold but unsuccessful attempt to assassinate a valuable CIA informant in Miami. 

What Happened: Moscow tried killing Alexander Poteyev, a former colonel in Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service, who played a significant role in assisting U.S. authorities in dismantling a covert Russian spy network known as “the illegals” in 2010, The New York Times reported, citing three anonymous former senior U.S. officials.

According to the report, Russia had recruited a Mexican scientist Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes in 2019 to locate Poteyev in Florida, where the double agent had settled after he fled to the U.S. days before the FBI arrested the spy ring,

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In 2011, Russia sentenced Poteyev in absentia to 25 years in prison for treason.

Days after the failed operation outside Alexander Poteyev’s heavily guarded residence, Fuentes was apprehended while attempting to fly back to Mexico.

In a criminal complaint filed by the Department of Justice in 2020, the Mexican scientist revealed his contract with a Russian official to U.S. authorities.

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"The Russian government official provided Fuentes with a physical description of a U.S. Government source's vehicle," the Department of Justice statement said. 

Russia "told Fuentes to locate the car, obtain the source's vehicle license plate number, and note the physical location of the source's vehicle," it added.

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"Fuentes admitted to law enforcement officers that he was directed by a Russian government official to conduct this operation. According to court documents, messages on Fuentes's phone showed that the Russian official initiated and directed the meetings," it said, as per NYT.

The revelation of the assassination attempt on Poteyev is disclosed in the upcoming British edition of the book titled “Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West,” set to be published on June 29.

Following Poteyev’s incident, in April 2021, Washington imposed sanctions and expelled 10 Russian diplomats, including individuals believed to be spies. In retaliation, Russia also expelled 10 American diplomats.

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