Aleksei Panov, a Russian diplomat with alleged ties to Moscow’s GRU intelligence, was found hanged inside the Russian embassy in Nicosia, Cyprus. His death came just a day after a top Putin-linked oligarch mysteriously vanished nearby. Shockingly, Moscow kept the news under wraps for four days, stoking fresh rumours of a cover-up.
Spy Drama Unfolds at Russian Embassy
- Panov, 41, officially a third secretary but reportedly a GRU captain, was discovered hanging on January 8 within the embassy grounds.
- Staff delayed alerting Cypriot police and refused access for an autopsy or to inspect the scene or alleged suicide note.
- His wife, Anastasia Panova, works at a secretive Moscow research institute involved in advanced aerospace radar—and linked to Russian intelligence.
- Independent reports claim Panov died by hanging “through the bronchus,” a method raising suspicion.
- Cypriot authorities were blocked from conducting an independent autopsy, deepening the mystery.
Oligarch Vanishes Days Before Spy’s Death
- Vladislav Baumgertner, former CEO of Russian potash giant Uralkali and a well-connected Putin oligarch resident in Cyprus since 2017, disappeared January 7.
- Last seen leaving his Limassol home casually dressed, he failed to answer calls thereafter.
- His phone was traced to the Pissouri coast, triggering helicopter and drone searches hampered by bad weather.
- Baumgertner is reportedly close friends with the Russian ambassador to Cyprus.
- He was once at the centre of a major diplomatic crisis after being arrested in Belarus in 2013 and only freed following Putin’s personal intervention.
Spy Expert Sniffs Cover-Up
Dmitry Khmelnytsky, a Russian intelligence analyst, told Ekho: “If this was purely personal, why hide his death for four days? There was clearly something sensitive. They were negotiating with Moscow. I don’t rule out that Panov might have been planning an escape, which was uncovered and ‘prevented’—typical of Soviet and Russian intelligence.”
Khmelnytsky added there’s no clear link between Panov and Baumgertner’s cases but noted Panov likely handled spy tech around the embassy, highlighting the growing role of Russian embassies as intelligence outposts.
Official Silence and Conspiracy Theories
Moscow finally labelled Panov’s death a “profound personal tragedy,” revealing no details or recognition of his service. Cypriot officials have found no proven connection between the oligarch’s disappearance and the spy’s death.
Yet theories swirl that Baumgertner’s vanishing relates to business rivalries. The suspicious timing — a suspected GRU spy dead and a Putin oligarch missing within 24 hours in the same area — fuels wild speculation of a covert conspiracy.
These drama-packed incidents join a troubling list of mysterious deaths and disappearances tied to Putin’s Ukraine war and under-the-radar power struggles.
