Russian diplomats indicted for orchestrating Montenegro coup
Two alleged members of Russia’s military spy agency charged over last year’s anti-nato membership plot
TWO Russians charged with masterminding a coup attempt aimed at preventing Montenegro from joining Nato have been indicted by the Balkan country’s higher court. Eduard Sismakov and Vladimir Popov have been charged with a string of offences, including terrorism and acts against the constitutional order of Montenegro, the higher court in Podgorica said in a statement yesterday.
The pair are among 14 people facing indictments for involvement in the alleged coup attempt last October.
The higher court said the trial would begin within the next two months.
Montenegrin officials have alleged that Mr Sismakov and Mr Popov are members of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence agency, and oversaw the coup planning. Mr Sismakov was deputy Russian military attaché in Poland before being expelled for espionage in 2014.
He and Mr Popov allegedly arrived in Serbia with sophisticated communications equipment and a large amount of cash to coordinate the plot last year.
They have both since returned to Russia and are not expected to attend the trial.
The other 12 suspects indicted yesterday are accused of planning to seize the Montenegrin parliament building on election day last October and to kill Milo Djukovovic, the then prime minister. They include two opposition politicians who had previously visited Moscow and opposed Nato membership. Milan Knezevic, one of the indicted opposition officials, called the case “a political process against fierce opponents of Nato”.
Russia has vigorously denied any involvement in the alleged coup attempt.
However, Predrag Bosković, Montenegrin defence minister, told The Telegraph earlier this year there was “not any doubt” that the plot was financed and organised by Russian intelligence officers alongside local radicals.
Montenegro formally became the 29th member of Nato on Monday, despite opposition from Moscow and divisions of public opinion at home.
Russia condemned the move as a “hostile” act and said it would reserve the right to “take retaliatory measures”.
As part of Yugoslavia, Montenegro was bombed by Nato during the Kosovo crisis of 1999.
The country became independent when it split from Serbia following a referendum in 2006.