Russia names former FSB officer behind Ukraine invasion to lead peace talks

Terms of proposed ceasefire remain unclear as Moscow launches airstrikes and Kyiv hits Russian airbase

Russia has named a secretive former FSB chief who played a key role in planning Vladimir Putin’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine to lead next week’s peace talks with the US in Saudi Arabia.

Moscow announced that Sergei Beseda, the former head of the spy agency’s fifth directorate – who oversaw intelligence operations in Ukraine and orchestrated the recruitment of collaborators before the full-scale invasion – will travel to Riyadh for Monday’s talks with the US.

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