ISDEI Instituto de Seguridad, Defensa y Estudios Internacionales

On March 26, the Federal Security Service (FSB) detained former Russian minister Mikhail Abyzov. The Investigative Committee accuses Abyzov of organizing a criminal group and, together with other individuals, embezzling 4 billion rubles ($62 million) from two energy companies supplying electricity to the Novosibirsk region in Siberia. Abyzov, 46, was minister for open government affairs in Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev’s cabinet until 2018. He was tasked with coordinating cooperation between the government and representatives of civil society and the business community. During his time in office, he was criticized for “sabotaging” government intiatives. Besides this, Abyzov was named the richest member of the 2012-2018 cabinet with a net worth that had grown to $600 million. Mikhail Abyzov Abyzov is accused of founding and running the criminal group in the period between April 2011 and November 2014 and embezzling money from the Novosibirsk-based Siberian Energy Company and R...

Click to see full-size image On March 28 th , the Venezuelan Security Service’s HQ – el Helicoide in Caracas, Venezuela – caught fire. It serves as the headquarters of the Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN). Guaido’s arrested chief of staff Roberto Marrero was also held there,  according to a report by Te Lo Cuento. There has been no official announcement by the Venezuelan authorities as of the morning of March 29 th . For their part, the firefighters of the Capital District are in the place trying to put out the fire, but according to journalist Román Camacho,  the fire was possibly produced by the adjacent brush. Roberto Marrero was the last person to be put in the branch for political prisoners of el Helicoide, but the director of the NGO Penal Forum, Alfredo Romero, explained that the fire occurred on the opposite side in which the prisoners are, so it would not affect the prisoners. He also said that the political prisoner wing currently held ...