Putin’s top doctor who ‘has inside knowledge of despot’s medical secrets’ is arrested by FSB after he was caught ‘trying to escape Russia via Belarus’
Putin’s top doctor, who has ‘insider knowledge of despot’s medical secrets’, is arrested by FSB after being caught ‘attempting to flee Russia through Belarus’
- Viktor Trukhin was fired over allegations of ‘fraud’ and went missing six days ago
Putin’s top doctor, believed to have inside knowledge of the despot’s medical secrets, has been arrested by the FSB after he was caught ‘looking to flee the country’.
Russian vaccine and serum chief Viktor Trukhin, 59, went missing six days ago and was simultaneously fired from his top post at a top state institute amid allegations of “fraud” after his family reported him missing.
He is said to have inside knowledge of Russia’s latest research and development in vaccines, serums and ‘bacterial preparations’.
Trukhin was detained by Vladimir Putin’s counterintelligence service, who wanted to escape abroad through Belarus, Telegram channel Cheka-OGPU reported.
He was a long-time director of the St. Petersburg Research Institute of Vaccines and Serums.
Russian vaccine and serum chief Viktor Trukhin, 59, went missing six days ago and was simultaneously fired from his top post at a top state institute amid allegations of “fraud” after his family reported him missing.
The FSB apparently knew that the director planned to travel abroad, reported Telegram channel Cheka-OGPU (File Photo)
“He attempted to leave the Russian Federation for Belarus and was detained by agents of the Russian FSB, who apparently knew that the director… planned to travel abroad,” the channel added.
A criminal case was opened against him when “it became clear that Trukhin planned to leave the Russian Federation and could tell many interesting things about Russian vaccines and serums,” the channel said.
He was found to be in possession of a Nicaraguan passport, the report said.
The case suddenly opened against him centers on an alleged payment of £4.75 million to a South American biotechnology institute, according to the channel.
According to news channel Fontanka, he is being held in pre-trial detention on a lesser charge of embezzlement of around £5,000.
His institute is at the forefront of drugs to tackle the coronavirus, hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases, and plays a leading role in the export of Russian vaccines, but it also has other mysterious contracts.
Its biggest customer was a company owned by close Putin friend Sergei Chemezov, a billionaire former KGB colleague who heads ROSTEC, a state-owned hi-tech defense conglomerate.
Trukhin (pictured right) is said to have prior knowledge of Russia’s latest research and development in the field of vaccines, serums and ‘bacterial preparations’
Trukhin’s daughter saw him in Moscow on September 3 but was not seen again afterward, according to reports
The institute Trukhin heads is part of the FMBA, a Russian state body charged with ensuring the country’s radiation, chemical and biological safety and leading health protection.
Trukhin’s daughter saw him in Moscow on September 3 but was not seen again afterward, according to reports.
He wrote a farewell letter to the employees of his ‘unique’ institute, announcing his departure and saying: ‘Unfortunately, this decision was not mine.’
His WhatsApp and Telegram apps were briefly opened on September 5, but he had no contact, reports said.
After he went missing, he was fired by the Federal Medical Biological Agency (FMBA) for alleged massive fraud.