Sergey Beseda, former head of the 5th Service of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), was an unconventional choice to represent his country in the talks with the U.S. in Saudi Arabia on March 24.
Seventy-year-old General Beseda, however, has been deeply involved in Russia’s all-out war against Ukraine from the very beginning.
He is thought to have played one of the key roles in keeping Russian President Vladimir Putin informed about the situation in Ukraine ahead of the full-scale invasion.
Based on the intelligence provided by the 5th Service, the Russian authorities were confident that the Russian army would not meet serious resistance in Ukraine, the Russian investigative outlet IStories reported early in the all-out war.
The data provided by Beseda’s 5th Service turned out to be inaccurate in many ways.
Soon after, Beseda allegedly faced backlash but wasn’t written off. Last summer, he resigned from his post and now serves as an advisor to FSB Head Aleksandr Bortnikov.
The Russian delegation is also spearheaded by Grigory Karasin, 75, a Russian senator and career diplomat who is a staunch supporter of Moscow’s all-out war against Ukraine.
Both officials are under Western sanctions.
The talks in Riyadh have reportedly focused on Washington's push for a possible ceasefire, including one at sea.
Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov described Beseda as “a very problematic person for Ukraine.”
When asked who among Russian generals is the most dangerous for the country, Budanov was undecided but said that Beseda “has always brought problems to Ukraine.”
“He is a very problematic person. He has done a lot of evil for Ukraine. It is fine, time will sort everything out,” Budanov said in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda in the fall of 2023.
Kateryna Hodunova
Who’s Sergey Beseda?
Beseda has been a career intelligence officer for most of his life, beginning his work in the FSB predecessor — Soviet KGB.
He led the 5th Service for 15 years, taking office in 2009 and being ousted in 2024.
Beseda’s name made headlines in 2014. He was present in Kyiv from Feb. 20 to 21, during the bloodiest days of the EuroMaidan Revolution. Between Feb. 18 and 20, around 100 protestors were gunned down, and hundreds were injured by law enforcement loyal to pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, the former head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said that Beseda was based at the SBU training ground.
“Russia's military involvement essentially started not in Crimea, but with the events on Maidan (Independence Square), by the interference of Russian generals in the events in Ukraine,” Nalyvaichenko said.
According to Nalyvaichenko, Beseda was planning Ukraine’s law enforcement's attacks on protestors.
Facing outrage in Ukraine, the FSB admitted in 2014 that Beseda was in Kyiv during the revolution, claiming that he was sent to determine the “level of protection” of the Russian Embassy in Ukraine and “other Russian institutions” in the city.
Last year, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office concluded that the murders were carried out by Ukrainian law enforcement officers under the orders of Ukrainian authorities and Russia's guidance.
Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation charged FSB’s Chief Bortnikov and other 20 top officials of Russian special services with the obstruction of protests during the revolution.
In his memoir, former U.S. Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan wrote that Beseda was also involved in talks on a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Russia in 2021.
In charge of Ukraine
FSB’s 5th Service, led by Beseda for years, is officially in charge of the agency’s relations with foreign partners and gathering information in former Soviet republics, including Ukraine.
The Washington Post (WP), citing its sources, reported in 2022 that the FSB “has spent decades spying on Ukraine,” trying to infiltrate its institutions, bribing officials, and preventing any shift towards the West.
There were reports that Beseda had been arrested after the failed swift conquest of Ukraine, but Moscow did not officially confirm this information. Russian journalist Andrey Soldatov claimed that he was charged with embezzling funds allocated for subversion in Ukraine.
According to Budanov, Beseda was “suspended” from his duties for some time but was soon back on track.
Budanov said that as of the fall of 2023, the FSB general was actively involved in operations against Ukraine.
“He continues to work and is a very serious enemy of our state,” he said.
After the first round of the U.S.-Russia talks, the Washington Post outlined a draft document prepared by a Moscow think tank that worked closely with the 5th Service.
The document reportedly laid out Russia's maximalist demands for ending the war, including a buffer zone in northeastern Ukraine along the borders with Bryansk and Belgorod oblasts and a demilitarized zone in southern Ukraine.
The document, drafted in February, further calls for "the complete dismantling" of Ukraine's current government and says that peace is unlikely before 2026.
It is unclear what — if any — role this document plays in the Kremlin's decision-making.
Natalia Yermak
