Thread by @bellingcat

New details of the Czech arms depot explosion in 2014 from Bellingcat, including details of a senior GRU leader's direct involvement, and details of other team members involved bellingcat.com/uncategorized/…

Bellingcat has established that the GRU operation which Czech authorities have linked to the explosion of the munition depot in Vrbetice on 16 October 2014, involved at least six operatives from GRU’s Unit 29155.

It was supervised personally by its commander, Col. Gen. Andrey Averyanov, a senior deputy to the head of the GRU, who traveled undercover to Central Europe at the exact time of the operation and left back to Moscow mere hours after the explosion.

This was one of only two known clandestine operations for which Gen. Averyanov has personally traveled abroad, indicating the significance of this subversive mission for the Russian government.

Gen. Andrey Averyanov is a high ranking military official who, based on telephone call records reviewed by Bellingcat, has a direct line of communication to both the chief of the GRU chief and to the Kremlin.

The operation also involved at least two GRU officers who traveled under diplomatic cover to Budapest, a roughly five hour drive from the munitions depot, shortly before the explosions.

Notably, at least one of the same diplomats traveled to a region within a similar range of Bulgaria’s capital several months later, during the days that Emilian Gebrev (pictured below) was poisoned with a chemical weapon by the members of the same GRU unit.

Travel data discovered by Bellingcat also points to the fact that the operation was initially likely planned for an earlier date, but was postponed by about one week due to unknown circumstances.

The operation appears to have involved several coordinated trips of members of unit 29155 to Czechia via neighbouring countries, as well as a preparation mission in Switzerland. More details to come later this week.