Andriy Naumov, the former head of the Main Directorate of Internal Security of the SBU, who helped the Russians seize the Chernobyl nuclear power plant on the first day of the invasion, may receive asylum in the Russian Federation, The Insider writes, Ukrainian reports. Truth.

According to a Reuters investigation in July, Ukraine’s State Bureau of Investigation said it was investigating former top intelligence official Andrii Naumov on suspicion of treason for passing Chernobyl security secrets to a foreign country.

Sources in the Ukrainian special services told Insider that they believe that Andriy Naumov could have passed on information to the Russian special services that allowed the Russian military to take control of the exclusion zone on the very first day of the invasion. The plant was under the control of the Russian military for a month before the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Kyiv region in March 2022.

Russia’s success in Chernobyl, which was captured less than two hours after the invasion, was not an accident, but part of a long Kremlin operation to infiltrate Ukrainian institutions by secret agents, Reuters writes on July 28.

Who is Andrii Naumov?

Naumov headed the Main Department of Internal Security of the SBU from the summer of 2019 to July 2021.

Previously, he headed the state enterprise “Center for Organizational, Technical and Information Support of the Management of the Exclusion Zone”, and due to the nature of his activity, he had access to and was able to collect information, which constitutes a state secret, about the security systems of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

After his escape, Naumov lost his general rank, and on March 31, 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyi demoted him “for anti-heroism”

Naumov, detained in Serbia

Andriy Naumov hastily left the territory of Ukraine with money and jewelry, just a few hours before the start of the war for Germany.

According to The Insider’s sources, the former SBU employee lived in Germany for several months after escaping from Ukraine, but was detained in Serbia.

According to official information, the BMW car in which he tried to cross the border contained 600,000 euros in cash, a large amount in US dollars, and precious stones, including diamonds.

For smuggling undeclared valuables, according to Serbian law, he faces up to 12 years in prison, but he can get away with it.

As “Obozrevatel” wrote, Russia offered Andriy Naumov “asylum” in exchange for testimony against Zelensky. In Serbia, the Minister of Internal Affairs Oleksandr Vulin deals with the transfer of Andrii Naumov to Russia.

As reported, on August 23, the head of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs met in Moscow with the Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Mykola Patrushev.

The official reports of the meeting do not say anything about Naumov’s fate, but, according to the media, this issue was discussed.

The source reported that after Naumov’s departure to the Russian Federation, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Serbia, Vulin, may move to Moscow himself in anticipation of the appointment of Serbia’s ambassador to Russia.