![GRU general spotted at “grain talks” in Istanbul - Bellingcat GRU general spotted at “grain talks” in Istanbul - Bellingcat](https://static.ukrinform.com/photos/2022_07/thumb_files/630_360_1658237063-770.jpg)
GRU general spotted at “grain talks” in Istanbul - Bellingcat
That’s according to Bellingcat’s Christo Grozev, who took to Twitter to deliver the news, Ukrinform reports.
“And this is GRU's Gen. Vladimir Alexeev, call sign "Stepanych". Sanctioned over the hacking of the DNC, he is now directly supervising the PMCs killing thousands in Ukraine. In July 2014, he was in charge of PMC convoys escorting the BUK telars crossing illegally into Ukraine,” the tweet reads.
![](https://static.ukrinform.com/photos/2022_07/1658237063-626.jpg)
Grozev reports that Alekseev attended the latest round of talks, held in Istanbul, on establishing “green corridors” in the Black Sea for the exports of Ukrainian grains.
“GRU's Gen. Alexeev, seen here a few days ago in Istanbul as a Russian representative at the Turkey-brokered "peace talks". Considering the % of GRU officers on the Russian side of the delegation (at least 2 out of 5), I doubt *peace* is the goal of these meetings,” wrote Christo Grozev.
As reported by The Sun, Vladimir Alekseev was in charge of the intelligence operatives tasked with poisoning their former colleague Sergei Skripal on UK soil back in 2018, using a novichok military grade nerve agent.
Memo. On July 13, a meeting of military delegations of the defense ministries of Turkey, Ukraine, and Russia, also attended by the UN delegation, was held in Turkey, where a grain export center was agreed to be established. On July 18, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said another such meeting could be held as early as this week.