Stanislav Lunev
Encyclopedia
Stanislav Lunev is a former Soviet military officer, the highest-ranking GRU
officer to defect from Russia
to the United States
.
He was born in the family of a Soviet Army
officer. He graduated from the Suvorov Military School in Vladikavkaz
, and then from Joint Arms High Command Military Academy.
He then worked as a GRU intelligence officer in Singapore
in 1978, in China
from 1980, and in the United States
from 1988. He defected to U.S. authorities in 1992. Since then he has worked as a consultant to the FBI and CIA. He remains in the FBI’s Witness Protection Program.
In the book he also described some active measures
against the "Main adversary". He stated that "the GRU and the KGB
helped to fund just about every antiwar movement and organization in America and abroad." According to Lunev, the Soviet Union spent more money on funding of U.S. anti-war movements during the Vietnam War
than on funding and arming the VietCong forces.
that have allegedly been prepared by the KGB
and GRU against the western countries. It was known from other sources that large arms caches were hidden by the KGB in many countries for these planned acts of terrorism
. They were booby-trapped with "Lightning" explosive devices
. One of such cache, which was identified by Vasili Mitrokhin
, exploded when Swiss authorities tried to remove it from woods near Berne
. Several others caches were removed successfully.
Lunev asserted that some of the hidden caches could contain portable tactical nuclear weapons known as RA-115 "suitcase bomb
s". Such bombs have been prepared to assassinate US leaders in the event of war, according to him Lunev states that he had personally looked for hiding places for weapons caches in the Shenandoah Valley
area and that "it is surprisingly easy to smuggle nuclear weapons into the US, either across the Mexican border or using a small transport missile that can slip undetected when launched from a Russian airplane.
US Congressman Curt Weldon
supported claims by Lunev but noted that Lunev had "exaggerated things", according to the FBI. Searches of the areas identified by Lunev — who admits he never planted any weapons in the US — have been conducted, "but law-enforcement officials have never found such weapons caches, with or without portable nuclear weapon
s."
with chemical or biological weapons, "targeting the residents of Washington DC". He also noted that it is "likely" that GRU operatives placed "poison supplies near the tributaries to major US reservoirs." These allegations have been confirmed by former SVR
officer Kouzminov who was responsible for transporting really rather dangerous pathogens from around the world for Russian program of biological weapons
in the 1980s and the beginning of 1990s. He described a variety of biological terrorism acts that would be carried out on the order of the Russian President in the event of hostilities, including poisoning public drinking-water supplies and food processing plants.
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
officer to defect from Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
He was born in the family of a Soviet Army
Soviet Army
The Soviet Army is the name given to the main part of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union between 1946 and 1992. Previously, it had been known as the Red Army. Informally, Армия referred to all the MOD armed forces, except, in some cases, the Soviet Navy.This article covers the Soviet Ground...
officer. He graduated from the Suvorov Military School in Vladikavkaz
Vladikavkaz
-Notable structures:In Vladikavkaz, there is a guyed TV mast, tall, built in 1961, which has six crossbars with gangways in two levels running from the mast structure to the guys.-Twin towns/sister cities:...
, and then from Joint Arms High Command Military Academy.
He then worked as a GRU intelligence officer in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
in 1978, in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
from 1980, and in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1988. He defected to U.S. authorities in 1992. Since then he has worked as a consultant to the FBI and CIA. He remains in the FBI’s Witness Protection Program.
Writings
Lunev published a memoir, Through the Eyes of the Enemy. He also occasionally writes for online newspapers. In the book, he described his work as a Soviet spy. He said that his work was extremely successful because he followed a very basic rule that "the best spy will be everyone's best friend, not a shadowy figure in the corner."In the book he also described some active measures
Active measures
Active Measures were a form of political warfare conducted by the Soviet security services to influence the course of world events, "in addition to collecting intelligence and producing politically correct assessment of it". Active measures ranged "from media manipulations to special actions...
against the "Main adversary". He stated that "the GRU and the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
helped to fund just about every antiwar movement and organization in America and abroad." According to Lunev, the Soviet Union spent more money on funding of U.S. anti-war movements during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
than on funding and arming the VietCong forces.
Nuclear sabotage operations
Lunev is mostly known for his description of nuclear sabotage operationsNuclear terrorism
Nuclear terrorism denotes the use, or threat of the use, of nuclear weapons or radiological weapons in acts of terrorism, includingattacks against facilities where radioactive materials are present...
that have allegedly been prepared by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
and GRU against the western countries. It was known from other sources that large arms caches were hidden by the KGB in many countries for these planned acts of terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
. They were booby-trapped with "Lightning" explosive devices
Molniya (explosive trap)
Certain buried or otherwise concealed containers used by the KGB to cache items such as shortwave radio receivers and cryptographic materials were booby-trapped with an explosive device known as Molniya . A sequence of specific actions had to be taken in the correct order to render the device safe...
. One of such cache, which was identified by Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Mitrokhin
Vasili Nikitich Mitrokhin was a Major and senior archivist for the Soviet Union's foreign intelligence service, the First Chief Directorate of the KGB, and co-author with Christopher Andrew of The Mitrokhin Archive: The KGB in Europe and the West, a massive account of Soviet intelligence...
, exploded when Swiss authorities tried to remove it from woods near Berne
Berne
The city of Bern or Berne is the Bundesstadt of Switzerland, and, with a population of , the fourth most populous city in Switzerland. The Bern agglomeration, which includes 43 municipalities, has a population of 349,000. The metropolitan area had a population of 660,000 in 2000...
. Several others caches were removed successfully.
Lunev asserted that some of the hidden caches could contain portable tactical nuclear weapons known as RA-115 "suitcase bomb
Suitcase bomb
A suitcase nuke is a tactical nuclear weapon which uses, or is portable enough that it could use, a suitcase as its delivery method. Synonyms include suitcase bomb, backpack nuke, mini-nuke, pocket nuke and snuke....
s". Such bombs have been prepared to assassinate US leaders in the event of war, according to him Lunev states that he had personally looked for hiding places for weapons caches in the Shenandoah Valley
Shenandoah Valley
The Shenandoah Valley is both a geographic valley and cultural region of western Virginia and West Virginia in the United States. The valley is bounded to the east by the Blue Ridge Mountains, to the west by the eastern front of the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians , to the north by the Potomac River...
area and that "it is surprisingly easy to smuggle nuclear weapons into the US, either across the Mexican border or using a small transport missile that can slip undetected when launched from a Russian airplane.
US Congressman Curt Weldon
Curt Weldon
Wayne Curtis "Curt" Weldon is an American politician. He served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1987 to 2007, representing the 7th district of Pennsylvania. He was defeated in November 2006 for reelection by Joe Sestak. Weldon was vice-chair of the Armed...
supported claims by Lunev but noted that Lunev had "exaggerated things", according to the FBI. Searches of the areas identified by Lunev — who admits he never planted any weapons in the US — have been conducted, "but law-enforcement officials have never found such weapons caches, with or without portable nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
s."
Poisoning of Potomac River
According to Lunev, a probable scenario in the event of war would have been poisoning the Potomac RiverPotomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
with chemical or biological weapons, "targeting the residents of Washington DC". He also noted that it is "likely" that GRU operatives placed "poison supplies near the tributaries to major US reservoirs." These allegations have been confirmed by former SVR
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
officer Kouzminov who was responsible for transporting really rather dangerous pathogens from around the world for Russian program of biological weapons
Soviet program of biological weapons
The Soviet Union began a biological weapons program in the 1920s despite the fact that the USSR was a signatory to the 1925 Geneva Convention, which banned both chemical and biological weapons...
in the 1980s and the beginning of 1990s. He described a variety of biological terrorism acts that would be carried out on the order of the Russian President in the event of hostilities, including poisoning public drinking-water supplies and food processing plants.