Kathrine Frich
Minaev is one of four Russian officials joining this talk format for the first time.
High-level diplomacy is rarely comfortable. When warring nations finally sit down to talk, negotiators often have to shake hands with bitter rivals. At a new round of peace talks this week, that tension reached a whole new level.
Awkward seats in Abu Dhabi
On November 10, negotiators from Ukraine, Russia, and the United States gathered in Abu Dhabi for three-way talks aimed at ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine, according to UNITED24 Media. Seated on the Ukrainian side is Kyrylo Budanov, the chief of Ukraine’s Presidential Office and former head of the country’s military intelligence agency.
Across the room sits a newcomer to the Russian team. Russian outlet Agentstvo reported on November 10 that Dmitry Minaev, who runs the Counterintelligence Operations Department at Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), has joined the Kremlin’s delegation.
That pairing carries a dark history. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ukrainian officials previously tied Minaev’s specific FSB department to a failed 2019 plot to assassinate Budanov.
Car bombs and hostages
The alleged hit on Budanov is only part of the unit’s record. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the same FSB counterintelligence department was also accused of orchestrating two 2017 car bombings in Ukraine that killed Ukrainian intelligence officers Maksym Shapoval and Oleksandr Kharaberiush.
Beyond targeting Ukrainian spies, the unit also went after Americans. The Wall Street Journal reported that Minaev’s department helped detain US citizens in Russia, including reporter Evan Gershkovich in 2023, to force Washington to hand over convicted Russian hitman Vadim Krasikov.
New faces at the table
According to Agentstvo, Minaev is one of four Russian officials joining this talk format for the first time, alongside Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, fellow senior FSB official Alexei Komkov, and arms control diplomat Oleg Postnikov. Presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky leads the broader Moscow team.
On the other side, Foreign Intelligence Service chief Rustem Umerov heads the Ukrainian group, joined by Budanov and lawmaker Davyd Arakhamia, UNITED24 Media reported.
Despite the grim history across the table, Kyiv is pushing for a ceasefire, strong security guarantees, humanitarian relief, and a plan for postwar economic recovery.
