News 17:03 February 25, 2021

The Dossier Center released an investigation into the activities of Rossotrudnichestvo under the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

It states that personnel from the FSB and the Foreign Intelligence Service work under the agency’s “roof.”

The history of Rossotrudnichestvo goes back to Soviet times. The agency's predecessors, under other names, were engaged not only in their direct tasks, but also in espionage and the recruitment of agents. For example, the Dossier writes, in the period 1994 to 2008, at least 17 employees were related to the Foreign Intelligence Service. In 2002, the then Roszarubezhtsentr was subordinated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and according to the publication’s source, it was actively engaged in propaganda campaigns under the pretext of promoting the Russian language and culture and remained a good cover for intelligence. According to one of the Dossier’s interlocutors, most of Rossotrudnichestvo’s representative offices abroad work for show: this is called “balalaika diplomacy.” The agency actively cooperates with the Soviet Peace Fund, whose predecessor was associated with the KGB.

As the Dossier writes, there are intrigues woven within Rossotrudnichestvo: employees trick their colleagues, write denunciations, or, for example, as in the so-called “ricin case,” when agency employee Igor Rybakov allegedly anonymously reported the plans of the head of the representative office in the Czech Republic, Andrei Konchakov, to poison two Czech politicians to take his place. Then a loud diplomatic scandal broke out and both officials were expelled from the country.

Let us note that Rybakov hinted at Konchakov’s connections with the intelligence services.
Now the RS representative office in Prague is headed by Alexander Tkachev.
The Dossier Center's interlocutor refused to answer whether Tkachev has anything to do with the intelligence services.

The Dossier Center has released an investigation into the activities of Rossotrudnichestvo under the Russian Foreign Ministry - News - Echo of Moscow, 02.25.2021