Russia replaces spies with allies in trade posts

As in Russian embassies, spies are being replaced by children and friends of influential officials.

Consensus

Russian trade representations exist in over 50 countries.
Approximately one-third of their staff are career officers from the GRU military intelligence agency.
The GRU officers report to headquarters on Khoroševskoye Avenue in Moscow, not to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
In 2018, trade representations were transferred from the Ministry of Economic Development to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.
A large-scale reform was initiated a year later.
The reform failed due to the pandemic and international sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
The level of trade with most countries dropped nearly to zero.
Ministry of Industry and Trade head Anton Alikhanov convinced Putin to reduce the GRU presence by half.
The reform aimed to replace intelligence officers with professional trade experts.
Instead, relatives and friends of high-ranking officials were appointed to replace the spies.