According to a new study released on Monday, Vladimir Putin attempted to assassinate a Kremlin intelligence officer, Aleksandr Poteyev, who had become an American spy. This action sparked a string of reprisals from American and Russian intelligence services.

Who is Aleksandr Poteyev?

Aleksandr Poteyev was a high-ranking Russian intelligence official more than ten years ago. She was the target of Putin’s attempt to assassinate in Miami in 2018.

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He provided information that sparked a lengthy FBI investigation that resulted in the 2010 capture of 11 spies operating undercover in East Coast suburbs and cities, including the red-haired Russian honeypot Anna Chapman. The S.V.R., Russia’s foreign intelligence service, had made a determined effort to gather information and enlist new agents, and they had adopted false identities and worked at regular occupations in order to do so.

Putin went for Poteyev because he had betrayed him and taken his spies into custody. In the meantime, Poteyev had left Russia.

In 2010, when FBI agents drew near Chapman and the other Russians who had been implanted, Poteyev fled to the US, where the C.I.A. relocated him in an effort to keep him safe. A Russian court gave Poteyev a lengthy prison term in absentia in 2011.

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Then, in July 2016, it was announced by Russian news outlets that Poteyev had passed away in the US; however, this was thought to be a plot by Putin to expose him. Poteyev was residing in Florida at the time and used his true identity to register as a Republican, get a fishing license, and register to vote.

Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a physicist from Oaxaca, Mexico, was compelled to join Russia in their search for Poteyev. Fuentes was told to rent an apartment in Miami where Poteyev lived, but not in his name. Later, he was given a description of Poteyev’s vehicle and instructed to track it down and record its whereabouts. He was instructed not to photograph it.

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Fuentes attempted to enter Poteyev’s building by following another vehicle inside, but security stopped him. His wife took a picture of Poteyev’s license plate as he spoke with the officials. The incident was documented on video. Later, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers stopped Fuentes when he attempted to fly to Mexico after searching his phone and discovering the image.

Fuentes spoke to American authorities after his detention and revealed the plan’s specifics.
In retaliation, the American government imposed sanctions and expelled 10 Russian diplomats, among them the head of the station for the Russian intelligence organization SVR. In exchange, Russia expelled 10 American diplomats, among them the head of the Moscow CIA station.