The Russian embassy has refused to cooperate with investigative authorities in the case of the death of Alexei Panov, who is said to have been an officer of the Russian military intelligence service GRU, the British Guardian reported.
According to Cypriot police spokesman Vyr ona Vyronos, the case is being treated as an unnatural death as autopsy findings point to suicide. However, the investigation is further complicated by the fact that the Russian embassy did not allow access to the scene, nor did it hand over to the Cypriot authorities the alleged farewell message that, according to their claims, was left by the 41-year-old Panov. The police could take the body only in the courtyard of the diplomatic complex.
In a post on Facebook, the Russian Embassy confirmed the death of a person with the initials AV Panov, stating that he was an “employee” of the mission who died on January 8. The statement added that it was a personal tragedy for the family and friends, and that the family was provided with the help they needed.
Panov’s death came just a day after Vladislav Baumgertner, the former CEO of Russian potash producer Uralkali, was reported missing. The search for the 56-year-old businessman, who lived alone in Cyprus, has also been extended to the staff of British sovereign bases on the island. Baumgertner was last seen in Limassol, a city known for its large Russian community.
Independent researcher Dmitry Khmelnitsky stated that Panov was a GRU officer, which, according to him, was confirmed by sources in Cyprus. According to these statements, Panov was in charge of monitoring the equipment for espionage in the embassy, and the possibility that he planned to escape or move to the other side is not excluded.
Although the police officially state that so far there are no indications that the death of the diplomat and the disappearance of the oligarch are connected, some Western diplomats in Nicosia express their doubts. One of them assessed that, despite the official claims, the connection between the two cases could be hidden, while the other described the whole situation as “mysterious and ominous”.
These events come at a sensitive political moment for Cyprus, which under the leadership of President Nikos Christodoulides is increasingly turning towards the West. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Nicosia has openly supported Kyiv and intensified cooperation with the United States of America.
(Vijesti.ba)
