Putin sent Spy Manager to Peace Calls in Istanbul

A speaker, soldier, technocrat and spy. So describes the independent Russian news site Meduza Russia’s representatives during Friday’s peace talks with Ukraine in Turkish Istanbul.

Ukraine President Zelenskyj has in turn called the delegation « decorative ».

The Russian envoys in Istanbul were led by Putin’s adviser Vladimir Medinsky, who has previously been Russia’s Minister of Culture. With him, he had Deputy Defense Minister Alexandr Fomin, intelligence manager Igor Kostjukov and Deputy Foreign Minister Michail Galuzin.

A quartet lightweight In Russian politics, according to Johan Norberg, Russian scholar and military analyst at FOI.

– It is none of the big heavy names in Russian politics and administration. It was not the president himself, it was not Usjakov who is Putin’s foreign policy adviser and who is close to the president, it was not Foreign Minister Lavrov and it was not the Minister of Defense, says Johan Norberg.

– If you really wanted a ceasefire, you would first not continue war and then send a delegation that can actually negotiate and decide on something, he continues.

Putin sends one Clear signal with its choice of delegates, says Johan Norberg.

– They have no powers to say or do anything crucial, and I think it’s all about showing that the Russians ignore a peace agreement. It is just cheeky and fuzzy, simply.

– I think it is an insult to Ukraine, but also against the United States actually.

Russia and Ukraine Had not met before Friday in direct calls since the end of March 2022, in Istanbul. At that time, the delegation of Putin’s adviser Vladimir Medinsky was also led.

By giving him again that assignment, Russia wants to demonstrate continuity with negotiations in 2022, according to Jakob Hedenskog, an analyst at the Center for Eastern European Studies at the Foreign Policy Institute.

– He is the man behind much of the re -evaluation of Russian history and how history writing is used in politics – how to formulate history to suit political purposes simply, says Jakob Hedenskog.

The location of the Ukrainian -born Medinsky at the conversation table also has a symbolic value for Putin.

– Since Medinjki was born in Ukraine, he will represent the part of the Ukrainian population who want to belong to Russia, says Jakob Hedenskog.

Igor Kostjuvov, on the other hand A new face at the negotiating table. The head of the military intelligence service GRU is the « spy » in the delegation, according to the independent Russian news site Meduza.

– Such people usually do not occur in such conversations, they usually do not be in the public at all, says Jakob Hedenskog.

Both the EU and the United States Has directed sanctions on Kostjuvov for his suspected links to the poisoning scandal in British Salisbury 2018 and Russia’s alleged involvement in 2016.

– To bring him in such public contexts then become naps, says Jakob Hedenskog.

The other two in the Russian delegation – Alexandr Fomin and Michail Galuzin – are not as familiar with.

– But as vice ministers, there is low rank on them, so it is not even regular ministers. Ukraine’s delegation was led by Ordinary Defense Minister Umerov and the head of the presidential office Jermak – which has a higher rank than Medinsky.