Marta Gichko11:46, 10.11.26

4 min.195

All of them made careers in Russia, and one of them was named in SBU charges in connection with the murders of Ukrainian intelligence officers.

The Russian delegation to the trilateral talks with Ukraine and the United States in Abu Dhabi includes three natives of what is now Ukraine. These are Vladimir Putin’s aide Vladimir Medinsky, Lieutenant General of Military Intelligence Alexander Zorin, and FSB General Dmitry Minaev. All of them have made careers in Russian government or security agencies, Glavkom reports .

The talks are scheduled for November 10–11, 2026, and the 11-member Russian delegation is headed by Vladimir Medinsky.

Vladimir Medinsky – Smila

Vladimir Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky, was born on July 18, 1970, in Smil, Cherkasy Oblast. He previously served as Russia’s Minister of Culture and currently represents the Kremlin in negotiations with Ukraine.

Medinsky is known for his statements about the history of Ukraine and Russia, promoting Russian narratives about the supposed historical unity of the two states. He also edited Russian history textbooks that attribute the full-scale invasion of Ukraine to Western actions and NATO expansion.

In May 2025, Medinsky already headed the Russian delegation at negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul.

Alexander Zorin – Kharkov

Lieutenant General Alexander Zorin was born on August 11, 1968, in Kharkiv. He represents the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces – Russian military intelligence.

Zorin took part in the Russian military operation in Syria. In May 2022, he was involved in negotiations regarding the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, which had been blockaded by the Russians.

He was also part of the Russian delegation at the negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul in May 2025.

Dmitry Minaev – Luhansk region

The third Ukrainian native in the Russian delegation is FSB Lieutenant General Dmitry Minaev. Born in the Luhansk region, he later made a career in the Russian security forces. Minaev currently heads the FSB’s counterintelligence department.

In April 2019, then-Security Service (SBU) head Vasyl Hrytsak publicly named him as the organizer of the murders of Ukrainian intelligence officers Oleksandr Kharaberyush and Maksym Shapoval. According to Hrytsak, Minaev was also involved in plotting an assassination attempt on another Ukrainian intelligence officer.

These accusations were voiced by the Ukrainian special services.

(C)UNIAN 2026