ISTANBUL

A Russian diplomat who died earlier this month in the Greek Cypriot Administration was allegedly a member of Russia’s military intelligence agency, according to local media reports citing an independent researcher.

The Russian Embassy in the Greek Cypriot Administration announced Monday on US social media platform Facebook that an embassy employee identified as AV Panov died on Jan. 8.

Local media reported that Panov died by hanging inside the Embassy in the capital Nicosia, with staffers attributing the death to suicide.

Dmitry Khmelnitsky, an independent researcher who studies Russian intelligence networks, claimed that the diplomat’s full name was Alexei Panov and that he was a captain in Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, according to local outlet Sigmalive.

He alleged on the Telegram channel Echo that Panov was responsible for the maintenance and management of spy equipment and had previously worked in Moscow at a radio technology institute linked to Russian intelligence activities.

“Concealing the death for days is unexplained,” Khmelnitsky said, referring to four days of silence from the embassy following the death, adding that he did not rule out a foiled escape attempt.

The researcher added that Russian embassies often function as intelligence hubs alongside their official diplomatic roles.

No link has been confirmed to the recent disappearance of prominent Russian businessman Vladislav Baumgertner from his residence in Limassol in the Greek Cypriot Administration.