Former Russian secret service agent tells how Russia stole Crimea, and admits that most Crimeans didn't need this

Translating from the Obozrevatel:

"Most Crimeans didn't need this: a former FSB officer explained how Russia's operation to seize Crimea was prepared

Maria Drofich, 20.10.2025

FSB General Alexander Tatko, who at the time held the position of First Deputy Head of the Second Service of the FSB, played a key role in the preparation and implementation of the illegal seizure of Crimea by the aggressor state Russia. It was he who organized the events on the peninsula. 

Former FSB officer Alexander Fedotov spoke about this in an interview with The Insider. According to him, most Crimean residents showed no interest in these events. 

The Crimea annexation operation was led by FSB Lieutenant General Alexander Yevgenyevich Tatko, who held one of the highest positions in the agency's Second Division. Initially, the goal was to help then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych cling to power during the Revolution of Dignity in Kyiv, in particular by recruiting militants from the Kharkiv-based organization "Oplot." However, after Yanukovych failed to maintain control, Moscow made a decision on Crimea. 

Since November 2013, Tatko has visited Crimea three times on extended business trips, each lasting approximately a month. After his last trip, a "referendum" was held in Crimea, and Tatko finally returned to Moscow.

His absence was carefully concealed: a service car drove daily to the FSB building to create the illusion that the general was at work. In reality, he was directly overseeing the annexation of the peninsula on the spot.  

Tatko placed his primary reliance on local Crimean figures, particularly Sergei Aksyonov, who wielded influence due to his past. It was through these "authorities" that the pseudo-referendum was organized, leaving the people with virtually no choice. According to the former officer, most residents of the peninsula preferred to remain aloof from politics, unsure of what would happen next and unwilling to see such changes.

"Most people wanted to stay away from politics and just stay home because no one understood what would happen tomorrow. And most certainly didn't need these changes in their current form," Fedotov noted. 

Voting was conducted under the supervision of "combined Crimean defense regiments," which included local residents and mercenaries without Russian military uniforms. People were forced to go to the polling stations, warned that those who didn't vote would be "put on special watch."  

No documentary traces of the operation were allowed. Only verbal agreements, secret phone calls, and the transfer of envelopes marked "in person only" were used. This was done to ensure that no one could officially prove the referendum's illegality in the future.

According to the source, Tatko had extensive experience in foreign operations—previously, he headed a department that operated in Syria, supporting the Bashar al-Assad regime. Despite his high rank, he remained a low-profile figure, making him a convenient choice for operations that required the highest level of secrecy."