The Ex-Taxi Driver at the Center of Russia’s Shadow War
The New York Times • • world
Key Points:
- Western security officials reveal a series of sabotage plots linked to Russia’s intelligence services, including arson attacks on over 1,000 businesses near Warsaw and an IKEA in Lithuania, as well as plans to place incendiary devices on cargo planes in Britain, Germany, and Poland.
- A key figure in these operations is Aleksei Vladimirovich Kolosovsky, a 42-year-old former taxi driver from rural Russia with criminal ties to hacking, fake IDs, and car theft, who has become instrumental in orchestrating these unconventional attacks.
- Kolosovsky is not a formal intelligence officer but acts as a service provider collaborating closely with Russian military intelligence (G.R.U.) officers, highlighting a new method of conducting covert sabotage
