Elena and Nikolai Shaposhnikov: The GRU Illegal Family’s Role in Explosions and Poisonings Across Europe

Elena and Nikolai Shaposhnikov, originally from Kyiv, were involved in organising diversions in Europe, according to The Insider.

The details provided by The Insider shed light on the activities of the Shaposhnikovs, who are citizens of the Czech Republic, having moved there in the early 1990s.

Elena Shaposhnikova is reported to possess a passport with a number from a range reserved for Russian intelligence operatives.

Czech authorities suspect the Shaposhnikovs of involvement in explosions at ammunition depots in Vrbětice in 2014.

Former military officerNikolai Shaposhnikov, a graduate of the engineering faculty of the Baku Higher Military Command School, served in Afghanistan for three years.

In 1987, he was stationed in Czechoslovakia, where he served as the commander of a motorized rifle company.

However, his expulsion from the Communist Party of the Soviet Union due to repeated thefts of gasoline and batteries from the army led to his dismissal from service.

After the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Czechoslovakia, Shaposhnikov returned to the country and applied for political asylum, citing his expulsion from the party as justification.

His request was approved in August 1991, and soon after, his wife Olena and their two young children were also granted asylum.

In 1999, after several rejections, Nikolai obtained Czech citizenship, while Elena received hers in 2004.

In the early 2000s, Shaposhnikov found employment with Imex, a company involved in arms trading, under the leadership of Petr Bernatik, a former secret informant for the Czechoslovak State Security Service.

Shaposhnikov was seeking new clients for the company. Imex leased warehouses in Vrbětice, where explosions occurred in October 2014.

In May 2022, Czech publication Respekt reported a criminal case against Mykola and Olena Shaposhnikov for espionage. Czech police obtained access to correspondence between the Shaposhnikovs and the head of Russian military unit GRU No. 29155, General Andriy Averyanov, containing confidential information about ammunition depots.

The daughter of the Shaposhnikovs confirmed to journalists that the family had met Averyanov in Lisbon in early October 2014. The explosion at the ammunition depot in Vrbětice, Czech Republic, occurred on October 16.

The Insider reports that in 2009, the Shaposhnikovs purchased a villa in Halkidiki, Greece, for €275,000, claiming the purchase was financed with their parents’ money.

The publication describes the villa as a “secret apartment” for members of GRU unit 29155.

The Insider also notes that on April 25, 2014, a GRU employee, Alexey Kapinos, arrived in Thessaloniki with a diplomatic passport. Shaposhnikov referred to him as a “family friend.”

The day before, three members of GRU unit 29155 arrived in Bulgaria, where local entrepreneur Emelyan Gebrev would be poisoned.

Gebrev stated that he had been acquainted with the Shaposhnikovs since 2012 and that they actively sought communication with him.

At the time of the poisoning, Gebrev was considered a supplier of ammunition to the Ukrainian army.

Two sources involved in arms procurement in Ukraine told The Insider that after Gebrev’s poisoning, Nikolai Shaposhnikov offered “reliable replacements” for Ukrainian government buyers. However, Ukraine declined to purchase ammunition from the suggested supplier due to the poor quality of the goods.

According to Czech police, Elena Shaposhnikova provided General Averyanov with information via email about future arms deals discovered by her husband during his work at Imex.

It is believed that GRU used this information for sabotage operations if these supplies harmed Russian military interests.

The investigation suggests that the Shaposhnikovs provided physical access to storage facilities controlled by Imex at least three times for GRU operatives to install remote-controlled detonators.

According to travel data obtained by The Insider, Elena Shaposhnikova secretly obtained a Russian passport from a range of numbers reserved for members of unit 29155.

The Insider claims that during her first trip to Russia in December 2015, she was awarded the title of Hero of Russia, although this information lacks official confirmation.

Elena and Nikolai Shaposhnikov refused to come to the Czech Republic for questioning, so representatives of the Greek and Bulgarian authorities communicated with them.

They stated that all their contacts with GRU members were “personal” or related to business interests with Imex. They claimed they were unaware that Kapinos and Averyanov were Russian intelligence operatives and denied knowingly aiding GRU in any sabotage operations.

In February 2024, Nikolai Shaposhnikov passed away under unclear circumstances, with The Insider suggesting he began abusing alcohol after becoming a subject of investigation by the Czech police.

Elena Shaposhnikova continues to reside in Greece.

As previously reported by The Insider, GRU unit No. 29155 has been carrying out explosions in EU countries since 2011.

The first diversion occurred at a warehouse in Bulgaria, where ammunition destined, presumably, for sale to Georgia was transported.

Elena and Nikolai Shaposhnykov, Photo/Collage: The Insider