Two top officials in the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) tasked with preparations for the ground invasion of Ukraine are reportedly under house arrest, Kremlin surveillance expert Andrei Soldatov told Fox News on Monday.
Soldatov, a fellow with the Center for European Policy Analysis, suggested that Colonel-General Sergey Beseda and his deputy might be under suspicion of misusing allocated funds in an operation to infiltrate Ukraine to promote pro-Russian sentiment.
"It never happened, as we know. And so, it's also about misusing the funds spent on probably imaginary networks of agents," Soldatov told the network.
"They represent the most sensitive department of the FSB department, which is in charge of espionage in Ukraine. And now it looks like [Russian President] Vladimir Putin finally understood that the intelligence he was given before the invasion was not extremely accurate. And he has started looking around trying to find someone to blame."
The security expert then pondered whether Putin has considered whether the agency might already be compromised by Western counter-intelligence.
"This department of the FSB is a foreign intelligence branch is also officially in charge of maintaining official contacts with Western security and intelligence agencies, including the CIA," Soldatov said. "So now lots of people in Moscow ask themselves, why is the U.S. intelligence was so good before the invasion? And they are trying to find who might be the source."
Soldatov also commented on the retirement of former deputy National Guard Chief Roman Gavrilov, who could be facing imminent criminal charges.
"He was in charge of special forces of the National Guard, involved in the fighting in Ukraine, and the performance of its units they're not extremely impressive," Soldatov emphasized. "So probably that is the reason why he was attacked."
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