GRU General Overseeing Sabotage Abroad, Mistakenly Buried, Surfaced in Guinea

GRU General Andrey Averyanov (left, behind the tribune). Photo here and further: administration of the President of Guinea

The GRU general, who oversees sabotage abroad and whose death was reported by RFI, has appeared at a weapon transfer ceremony in Guinea.

GRU General Andrey Averyanov heads military unit No. 29155, which is responsible for sabotage abroad. He was noticed by “Agentstvo” in photos from a ceremony for the transfer of military equipment to the armed forces of Guinea. In early April, French radio RFI reported that Averyanov died aboard the oil tanker Qendil (“Kendy”) which was attacked on the night of December 19, 2025, in the Mediterranean Sea.

The ceremony for the transfer of Russian military equipment to the armed forces of Guinea took place on Friday, the country’s presidential administration reported. According to the press release, the ceremony was attended by Guinea’s President Mamady Doumbouya, the country’s Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah, and other high-ranking officials, while from the Russian side participated “a senior representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, who was also a special envoy of President Vladimir Putin, and the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Guinea.”

Павялічыць

Photos from the ceremony show Russian Ambassador to Guinea Alexey Popov standing to the left of the country’s Minister of Defense Aboubacar Sidiki Camara, and Averyanov standing between President Mamady Doumbouya and Prime Minister Amadou Oury Bah. Other photos from the ceremony show Guinean officials, accompanied by Averyanov, inspecting the transferred weapons and uniforms, and Averyanov delivering a speech.

Павялічыць

The press release states that Guinea purchased military uniforms, heavy helmets, bulletproof vests, combat boots, modern drones, and other equipment for combat operations, surveillance, and air defense from Russia.

Where did the information about Averyanov’s death come from? In December, the tanker Qendil was attacked off the coast of Libya. In early April, the French radio station RFI, citing Libyan sources, reported that about ten high-ranking Russian intelligence officers, disguised as sailors, were on board the vessel. According to RFI’s sources, two people died in the attack, one of whom was Averyanov, and seven were injured.

Investigative journalist Christo Grozev called these reports “a completely fake story” and wrote that Averyanov was alive.

RFI later deleted the news.