Thread by @OCCRP

NEW: On the eve of Catalonia's 2017 vote for independence, mysterious Russians reportedly offered 10,000 troops to help the territory break from Spain.

Now OCCRP and partners reveal new details about this #RussianOffer, how it was made — and by whom. 1/

occrp.org/en/investigati…

On the night before the historic vote, Catalonian President Carles Puigdemont met a man whom separatist leaders privately referred to as "Putin’s envoy.”

This was Nikolai Sadovnikov, a longtime diplomat who reportedly claimed to have a direct line to Vladimir Putin. 2/

Sadovnikov had a long career with the Russian foreign ministry — but according to a Western intelligence agency, he was also “an actor of Russian parallel diplomacy” who was “accountable only to the head of state, with whom he claims a certain proximity.” 3/

At the meeting with the Catalonians, Sadovnikov and his small entourage offered them 10,000 soldiers to help their independence bid. They also offered the astonishing sum of $500 billion.

In exchange, the Russian delegation had one request... 4/

….a promise that an independent Catalonia would pass legislation to become a haven for cryptocurrency.

Puigdemont “shit himself” at their offer, according to an associate. He made no promises. 5/

But text messages obtained by OCCRP show that the Russians and Catalonians stayed in touch for months afterwards. Reps from each group exchanged 100s of texts:

➡️ Jordi Sardà Bonvehí, a businessman who translated for Sadovnikov
➡️ Victor Terradellas, а Puigdemont associate
6/

In one exchange, Sardà claimed that Vladimir Putin would meet with Puigdemont.

“The child” was a nickname of Puigdemont — while “the one on top of the bear” is a reference to a popular meme of the Russian president. 7/

Sardà also kept promising money. At one point, he sent a photo of a suitcase of euros. Another time, he let Terradellas hold a deposit certificate showing the Russians were good for $500 billion. (Experts say it’s an obvious fake.) 8/

At one point, a potential transfer of 56 bitcoins was discussed. But in the end, the Catalonians received just one bitcoin, worth under $10,000. Despite repeated requests, they’re not known to have received any more. 9/

This investigation into the #RussianOffer is a join effort between OCCRP, @elperiodico, @Bellingcat, @irpinvestigates, and @istories_media. 10/