An employee of the Russian Embassy in Cyprus, who was found dead in his office last week, turned out to be a cryptographer linked to the security services, according to the VChK-OGPU telegram channel, as well as the publications “Important Stories” and “Agency”.
According to the VChK-OGPU, the deceased, identified by the surname Panov, was a cryptographer of the Russian diplomatic mission in Cyprus. In addition to the Foreign Ministry and the Scientific and Technical Centre (STC) Atlas, he was also associated with military unit 33949. As the Russian publication Novaya Gazeta wrote, “the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is hiding behind these figures.”
The 47-year-old Anton Panov worked at NTC Atlas in at least 2002 and 2023, the Agency wrote, based on an analysis of leaks. In the early 2000s, STC was directly subordinate to the Russian Federal Security Service.
The STC is engaged in the development and production of confidential communications and information protection equipment: the structure has a licence from the FSB for the development and production of equipment to ensure confidentiality of government communications, and most of its developments are certified by the FSB Communications Security Centre.
The centre’s website states that it also holds licences from the SVR, the Russian Federal Tax Service, the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control and the Russian Ministry of Industry and Trade.
Since at least 2011, Panov has worked for the Russian Foreign Ministry, the leaks show.
Along with his move to the Foreign Ministry, the man moved to the Sosenskoye settlement near Moscow’s Yasenevo district, which is about a 10-minute drive from the Russian SVR headquarters, the journalists said.
On 8 January, he was found dead in his office at the Russian embassy. The cause of death was asphyxia caused by hanging, Cypriot police told the Cyprus Mail.
On 7 January, the day before his death, former Uralkali CEO Vladislav Baumgertner went missing in Cyprus. Rescuers picked up his phone signal and put a helicopter and drones in the air, but he could not be found.