According to The Wall Street Journal, the Department of Special Tasks was established within the structure of Russian intelligence agencies in 2023, with the mission of conducting covert operations against the West. Sources of the publication identify three main tasks of the department: assassinations and sabotage abroad, infiltration into Western companies, and recruitment of foreign agents from Ukraine, developing countries, and "friendly" states.
This unit is equipped with the elite special operations center "Senezh." It also includes military unit 29155, which was behind the poisoning of the Skripal family in the UK. The Department is headed by the former commander of this military unit, General Andrey Averyanov. His deputy in this position is Lieutenant General Ivan Kasyanenko, who, according to Western intelligence agencies, coordinated the operation to poison Skripal. He, as the publication writes, oversees covert operations in Europe and is responsible for taking control of African structures of the PMC "Wagner" after the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Department of Special Tasks is behind a number of attacks on the West, including a planned assassination attempt on the CEO of the German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, and the ignition of parcels in DHL logistics centers, claims WSJ. After the parcel ignitions in 2024 in Germany and the UK, Joe Biden's national security advisor Jake Sullivan called Putin's aide Yuri Ushakov, and at that time CIA Director William Burns called SVR Director Sergey Naryshkin and Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu, three sources told the newspaper. According to them, Shoigu and Ushakov denied knowing about the parcel incidents. WSJ interlocutors believe that leaders may not request approval for each specific operation.
The activity of the new unit peaked in the summer of 2024, but has recently declined, sources among officials in the US and Europe told the newspaper. This may be related to preparations for negotiations with the new American administration.