This is a joint investigation between The Insider and Bellingcat
student failure
On April 1, 2022, Brazilian citizen Victor Müller Ferreira landed in the Netherlands at Schiphall Airport. He flew in from the US to begin his internship at the International Criminal Court (ICC). Behind Ferreira's shoulders was training as a political scientist at Trinity College Dublin, and then at the American School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. Now, the ICC has accepted a 33-year-old political scientist for an internship so that he can study with his own eyes how war crimes are investigated in Ukraine and Syria, for example. In an autobiography later found on him, the student described in detail how his Brazilian mother died of pneumonia while still young, how he was raised by his aunt, how he lived in a poor neighborhood, how he stole socks from a store, how he fell in love with a geography teacher, how he decided to become political correspondent and therefore went to study as a political scientist (read his full autobiography in the appendix at the end of this text). Victor Ferreira was not allowed into Holland, detained at the border and sent to Brazil on the next flight, informing the Brazilian authorities that they considered his identity to be fake, and that he himself was an employee of the GRU, Sergei Vladimirovich Cherkasov, born on September 11, 1985.
When he was met by the police at the Brazilian airport, witnesses say he tried to resent and convince them that he was the same Brazilian as they were, which looked ridiculous because of his strong accent, easily distinguishable by ear for any native speaker. It quickly became clear that his late Brazilian mother had never had children. But Cherkasov was tried not for espionage, but for using forged documents, which, according to local laws (taking into account how long and how often he used them), led to a huge term – 15 years in prison.
The Russian authorities found themselves in a difficult situation: in fact, in order to return their agent to the country, they would have to admit the fact of espionage. The Kremlin approached the way out of the situation ingeniously. In July 2022, the Russian investigating authorities turned to the Brazilian authorities demanding the extradition of the imprisoned Russian, who, according to them, was really Sergey Cherkasov. However, Russian authorities have maintained that Cherkasov was not a covert GRU spy, but a hardened criminal who was on the run from Russian justice and ran a heroin smuggling ring in Russia in the early 2010s. In support of this, Russia provided Brazil with dozens of pages of incriminating documents and forensic affidavits. They alleged that Sergei Cherkasov was a member of a criminal gang that between 2011 and 2013 smuggled drugs from Afghanistan through Tajikistan and sold them through drug trafficking groups in Russia. Sergei Cherkasov reportedly confessed to these crimes and, moreover, asked to be deported to Russia. This confession and the request for deportation amused the Brazilian law enforcement officers, since in Russia with such a corpus delicti (CC 229.1, paragraph 4) he could face from 15 years to life imprisonment. In fact, this sudden outburst of unfounded patriotism served as another confirmation of his involvement in the special services.
Criminal to the rescue
This is not the first time that the Kremlin is trying to return "their own" under the pretext of a criminal investigation. For example, Artem Uss, the son of the ex-governor of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, was arrested in Italy in October 2022 in connection with the US accusation against him of purchasing American military technology and Venezuelan oil in circumvention of sanctions. In response to U.S. requests to extradite Artyom Uss, Russian authorities opened their own criminal case against him, alleging that he was guilty of large-scale money laundering in Russia. As in the case of Cherkasov, the first evidence of a criminal case against Uss appeared after his arrest in Italy.
Another example: in 2017, Turkey detained a man whom local authorities suspected of complicity in the murder of a Chechen asylum seeker. The French authorities have requested the man's extradition to France in connection with his suspicion of being involved in the 2012 gelsemium poisoning of Alexander Perepilichny while he testified about Russian corruption. Russia also immediately requested his extradition, stating that the real identity of this man is Valid Lurakhmaev (this is a well-known leader of the criminal world, nicknamed "Validol"). Turkey later exchanged this man for Crimean Tatar activists arrested in Russia, but, as The Insider and Bellingcat found out, he was not Validol at all, but an FSB killer from the Vympel group named Alexander Fedin.
The Kremlin is confused in the testimony
Copies of the case file available to Bellingcat and The Insider indicate that the Russian version of events is contrary not only to easily verifiable facts, but also to its own logic.
Russia initially requested the Brazilian justice minister to extradite Cherkasov on June 27, 2022, a month after he was sentenced in Brazil. The request, signed by Deputy Chief Prosecutor of Russia Gorodov, alleges that he was indicted by the Moskovsky District Court on June 24, 2022 (three days before the letter was sent) on charges of drug trafficking as part of an organized criminal group. In the letter, the prosecutor assures that after the extradition, Cherkasov will not be prosecuted for political reasons, he will be given full protection under Russian law, and if found guilty, he will serve his sentence in a Russian penitentiary.
Attached to the extradition letter is a 20-page indictment signed by the head of the investigative department of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs for the fight against drugs. The indictment alleges that not earlier than June 2011, while in Moscow, Cherkasov accepted an offer to join an organized crime group engaged in drug trafficking in Russia. The first paragraph of the document briefly describes Cherkasov's role as responsible for delivering heroin from Moscow to other members of the Lipetsk-based criminal gang.
After this introduction, the indictment tells of a complex drug smuggling scheme involving several stages and requiring multiple crossings of the border from Afghanistan to Russia. The indictment papers feature several other individuals whose role in the drug-smuggling scheme is described in great detail, listing their exact whereabouts on certain dates, the phone numbers they used to carry out their criminal activities, and even the locations of hiding places and addresses of safe houses. Indeed, the names mentioned in this detailed part of the indictment correspond to suspects who were indicted in 2015 and found guilty in 2017 of running a drug smuggling ring similar to that described in the indictment. But Cherkasov's name does not appear in any of the published court documents. And none of the three lawyers interviewed by The Insider (Olga Mityushina, Nina Bernatskaya, Larisa Grubaya) could remember that a person with that name appeared in the case file.
The 20-page indictment filed with the Brazilian authorities is accompanied by a subpoena, which usually contains the signature of the accused. In this case, the summons is signed by the lawyer assigned to Cherkasov with a handwritten note: "The accused Sergei Cherkasov did not appear without a good reason."
The allegations of the Russian authorities contained in the extradition documents give the impression that the Russian authorities immediately involved Sergei Cherkasov in an existing criminal case from a decade ago, in which real drug dealers were prosecuted. There is no evidence that Cherkasov was even a suspect prior to his arrest in Brazil. Moreover, travel data shows that Cherkasov was not even in Russia at the time of his alleged criminal activities.
Although the indictment very specifically indicates the periods when the other members of the organized crime group were engaged in criminal activities, there are no such clarifications about Cherkasov. The only reference to a specific time that can be verified with objective data is contained in the introductory paragraph of the indictment, which states that Cherkasov “not later than June 2011, while in Moscow, accepted the offer of the head of the organized criminal group to join the leadership of the gang and engage in the supply of drugs to dealers in Lipetsk region. Further, the indictment contains two contradictory points concerning the events of August 2013. In the first paragraph on page 23, the Russian prosecutor's office claims that members of the criminal group (but not Cherkasov) were detained on August 10, 2013, after which Cherkasov and Sandalov's accomplice delivered 1 kg of heroin to Lipetsk. However, a subsequent description of the same events on page 25 reports that Cherkasov himself was arrested on August 10, 2013, which allegedly resulted in him being unable to complete the crime. This inconsistency gives the impression that Cherkasov's name was retroactively – and, apparently, without due care – inserted into the previously consistent prosecutor's narrative. This impression is supported by the fact that the paragraph on page 25 reporting Cherkasov's arrest gives a detailed list of every arrest made, with name, time and place, but does not mention Cherkasov at all.
In addition, Russian prosecutors allege that Cherkasov began his criminal activities “not later than July 2011” and carried on until his arrest (or not arrest) in August 2013. However, Russian travel records and border-crossing stamps in the passport of Cherkasov’s figurehead, “Viktor Müller Ferreira,” a copy of which is in the case file and available to The Insider and Bellingcat, show that Cherkasov was not in Russia. This is confirmed by an extract from the Magistral police base, which tracks the movements of Russians: Cherkasov's last domestic trip in 2011 was on January 23, 2011, when he flew from his native Kaliningrad to Moscow. Then his trips appear only on June 29, 2015, when he again appears in Russia and flies, on the contrary, from Moscow to Kaliningrad.
This hiatus between 2001 and 2015 is consistent with the travel and work data of Cherkasov's alter ego, "Viktor Ferreira." According to a resume posted on the Internet, "Viktor" began working at a travel agency in Brazil in March 2011, shortly after he was last seen in Russia, according to Magistral. His work there, judging by the resume, continued until January 2014. These data are confirmed by an extract from his work book, which is part of a criminal case made public during the extradition procedure and studied by The Insider and Bellingcat. It is not known whether this was a real job in a travel agency or if it was just a front company, but, apparently, during this period Cherkasov was really doing something in Brazil, and did not supply heroin to Lipetsk dealers.
And, finally, the most striking contradiction: if Cherkasov is wanted in Russia, how could he safely come to his homeland and travel around the country in recent years? According to Magistral, Cherkasov flew to Russia in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021, and each time traveled around the country between Kaliningrad, Moscow, Belgorod, Samara under his own name. The Insider was also unable to find Cherkasov in any databases of wanted criminals in the period leading up to his detention in Brazil. He first entered the databases as a defendant in a drug case only on June 22, 2022 – just a day before the Deputy Prosecutor General of Russia wrote a 25-page indictment and sent it to Brazil demanding Cherkasov's extradition.
To be continued…
Addendum: Legend of Sergey Cherkasov
(found with Cherkasov after his arrest, original in Portuguese)
I, Victor Müller Ferreira, I was born on April 4, 1989 in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, in the city of Niteroi. Until November 1993, my mother and I lived in ******. Citizenship – Brazilian, citizen of Brazil.
Father – ****** Ferreira, born ****** . Citizenship – ******, citizen ******.
My father currently lives in Brazil. When he was 15, he learned that his biological mother had died in childbirth. Her name was ****** . Nationality – ****** .
His father's wife did not want to adopt him, but agreed that his father acknowledge paternity and find a tutor for him. ****** , a close friend of his mother, agreed to be his tutor. In December 1974, he and his tutor moved to ****** . In December 1982 he returned to ****** . He made some money working as an English teacher. In 1988, his tutor moved to ****** and their ties were severed. My father came to Rio in May 1988 where he met my mother. At the end of 1991, he left for ****** to obtain citizenship there.
Mother – ****** Muller was born in ****** in Brazil, ****** . Occupation – musician. She died ****** of pneumonia. She was cremated and her ashes were buried in the cemetery of the city ****** .
Paternal grandfather was ****** Ferreira, he was born in ****** . He is currently retired and lives in ****** City.
Maternal grandfather, ****** Müller, died at ****** after suffering a heart attack.
Grandmother ****** Muller died at ****** of cancer.
When I was born, my father lived in the city ****** . Although his love for my mother had ended, he followed in the footsteps of his father (my grandfather), who many years ago officially recognized his relationship with his son. That is why my father returned to Brazil in early April 1989 to formalize everything before returning to ******. My mother fought a lot with her parents because of this unplanned pregnancy, which led to the rupture of her relationship with her parents. Thus, my mother was left to herself in raising me. She earned money by performing at various restaurants and bars in Niteroi and Rio. There wasn't enough money. ****** – my mother's aunt – helped us a lot. She lived alone in ******.
I remember my aunt as a little woman with gray hair, kind eyes and soft hands. She spoke poor Portuguese and taught me a few Spanish words. From my youth, I have vivid memories of the Costa y Silva Presidential Bridge. I loved watching the cars drive over the bridge from Niteroi to Rio. But I didn't like the stench of the fish that hung in the port next to our house. I guess that's why I hate fish, unlike most other Brazilians who enjoy everything the sea has to offer.
When my mother fell ill, my aunt came to Brazil. I moved to ****** with my aunt and until 2011 I lived in ******.
It was a three-story boarding house, most of whose residents were middle-class people, pensioners and people without permanent jobs. The house had several large rooms with high ceilings, double doors, wooden floors. Several shared bathrooms, two kitchens with gas stoves, a washing and drying room, an outdoor terrace. The monthly rent was 100-130 dollars. My aunt worked as a seamstress at home. She sewed dresses and shirts, which she then sold in the market. The room was always cluttered with patterns and rolls of colorful fabrics. But I loved the sewing machine more than anything, although my aunt would not let me touch it, ever; when I touched it, she said it was the only thing in her life that still worked properly.
Despite our financial difficulties, we lived together in perfect harmony. I loved my aunt. Neighbors came and went, but I remember ****** very well. At that time he was the oldest boy I knew. Once, when I was at home alone (it was a market day, so my aunt was away), ****** knocked on the door. He said that he was a Gray Shadow (a character in a fairy tale) and that he had come to eat me. This scared me so much that I spent the whole day in a small box on the balcony, praying until my aunt came home.
I attended kindergarten ****** which was also an elementary school. This school was on ****** Street. The kindergarten has been in existence since 1993. There were 150-200 children there. The building was two-storied, old (before there was a seminary). As a child, I was often sick, so I spent little time in kindergarten. Primary school for me came when I was seven years old.
Due to financial problems caused by the crisis that hit the country in 2001, we moved to a cheaper family hotel on ****** . It was a two-story boarding house with an attic where poor people lived. Compared to the previous accommodation, it was just awful. The ceilings were leaking and had water stains on them. The floorboards creaked so that every time someone went to the toilet or the kitchen, everyone knew about it. A family of three lived on the first floor, saving money for a down payment on a mortgage. We liked to visit them and drink mate. The monthly rent was about 80-100 dollars.
In the same year, when I was twelve years old, I started going to ****** school, which is located on ****** street. There were approximately 600-700 students in this school. The school's motto was "Let's Forge Forward Together". When I started studying, the class consisted of 30 students. Mrs ****** was the headmaster at the time. She was loved and respected by all the students. She was an old lady and pretty soon she was replaced by Mrs ****** who taught ****** . Both students and other teachers hated her, they thought she was a bit stupid. It was said that with her arrival, some school traditions were abandoned, many respected teachers then left. I liked the music lessons because we didn't have to cook anything and we were allowed to talk and play during the lesson. The music teacher's name is ****** , but everyone called her ****** .
In February 2004, my aunt was admitted to the hospital with heart problems and I had to drop out of school. I had to work to earn money for medicines and rent. In 2005, I started studying at ****** school at ****** .
What I remember about my time in high school is that during my studies, I had to work in the ****** commercial district on ****** Street, handing out flyers and selling things. I liked working near the sock and underwear store because I always managed to steal a few socks.
Much later, I got a job as an apprentice in a garage located next to the ****** block. The store was small, with a platform in the middle that could barely fit three cars. Wheels were piled along the walls. There was a constant smell of grease and vulcanized rubber. A poster of a young Veronica Castro hung on the door of the supply room, later replaced by a poster of Pamela Anderson. The owner of the store was very fat (it was rumored that he was from ****** city), and everyone called him Mr. ****** or simply ******. He was known for his violent temper and reclusiveness when it came to his past, that is, how he acquired money to open a chain of stores in different parts of the city. As a rule, he came to the office on payday. If he came before that day, it meant that something bad was about to happen.
At work, I was friends with ****** who lived in the ****** block and was a fan of ****** . I supported ****** , which made our friendship strange and original, and we liked to joke about it. His parents drank, so the boy stayed away from home and school. He liked to say that the street is the best school. Sometimes he lived with friends, when he rented a room in ****** constantly moved from one place to another. But when he was nervous, he stuttered, so it was difficult for him to communicate with girls. We had our own tactics: ****** smiled, attracting girls, and I started chatting with them. In high school, I especially liked the geography teacher, Mrs. ****** . She was so beautiful and all the boys in the class were in love with her. Many came with stories that began the same way – the teacher asked them to stay after class – but they all ended differently: one saw her dancing a striptease, others had sex with her. I did not like these stories, I felt that my crush on ****** was real and honest.
I don't like to remember those years because my classmates often made fun of my appearance and accent. Although I looked like a German, they called me "gringo". That's why I didn't have many friends and that's why I spent a lot of time with my aunt, who liked to show me old family photo albums. She always said that I looked like a grandmother ****** . When she talked about my mother, she always said that she was an eternal child – frivolous and excitable. It was easy for her to fall in love and be disappointed in people, as was the case with my father. But when I was born, she suddenly changed. She became more responsible and reasonable. Mom collected butterflies, but the collection had to be sold to pay for the treatment.
Due to the constant lack of money, I traveled little: once I went on a school trip to waterfalls ****** , and the second time with friends to a seaside resort ****** . At school I participated in biblical and historical plays. I also danced a little, but due to lack of time, I began to walk only in fits and starts, and all the skills that I had then, I have lost now.
****** aunt died of heart failure. She is buried in the ****** cemetery. Her grave is located on the site ****** . Before her death, she gave me a prayer book and a medallion, which I still keep. After the death of my aunt – the only person close to me – I dropped out of school and moved in with my friend ******. In those days, he lived in ****** in an apartment with four other teenagers who, like him, lived literally from day to day. What I remember well is the layout of the apartment – the kitchen was more like a closet, the door of which could only be opened if the door to the bathroom was open.
Despite the mental trauma and financial difficulties, I decided to finish school. For passing examinations for a specialist, I chose social and human sciences. There were two more options: foreign languages and cultures and technical sciences. The humanities were very difficult, and because I am ambitious, I wanted to prove to myself and others that I could pass the most difficult exams, despite my low social status. During the exam in the history of sociology, which was one of my worst subjects, I managed to bring my coat with me. I used it throughout the exam, and because of this, I got the nickname Zorro. In November 2009, I passed my exams and received my bachelor's degree.
I was a ****** fan. During one of their games, I met ******, a woman ****** who told me that her sister ****** was studying and working at ****** and that she too I would like to go live there. Since then, I began to think about studying abroad at a good university.
In 2007, during a visit to ****** , I met a journalism student ****** who worked as a journalist for a local newspaper and wrote political articles that spoke favorably of ****** and their presidential candidate ****** . As a result of my interaction with ****** , I began to think about working as a political correspondent or journalist, which determined my choice of direction in high school.
Since I did not have enough money for higher education, I decided to look for my father. Before she died, my aunt ****** gave me my father's address in ****** , but she said that at that time she had not received a letter from him for five years. After I wrote to this address, I found out that my father moved to Brazil and lives near Rio de Janeiro. When I wrote to him there, the answer came surprisingly quickly. My own father has been looking for me for a long time.
In August 2010, I came to Rio to meet my father. We agreed to meet at ****** . My father turned out to be a very friendly and open person, but to my surprise I found that I blame him for the death of my mother and aunt, as well as for all the difficulties and humiliations that I had to endure in life. For this reason, the conversation was very tense, despite my father's sincere desire to be a part of my life. Added to this was the fact that my father did not speak Spanish well, and I had forgotten Portuguese. Still, I decided to stay in Brazil to learn the language and regain my citizenship. It was psychologically difficult to live with my father, so I moved to Brasilia, thus killing two birds with one stone: firstly, the capital is the best place to solve my problems with citizenship, all important institutions are located there, and secondly, it was a good reason not to see your father.
In September 2010 I moved to Brasilia. I lived in ****** area. The rent was 1000 reais per month. The room was in an extended stay hotel, the rooms were identical to those in which I lived with my childhood friend ****** . Later I found a cheaper accommodation for 550 reais a month at ****** . In parallel with the question of the restoration of citizenship, I took private lessons in Portuguese. In my free time, I went to see the cultural sights of the city. I liked the kilo restaurants, which are few in ****** , in particular A Tribo, which was located at SCLN 105, Bl.B 52-59, North Wing. This restaurant serves the best brown bean stew in town. Several times I visited the club Macadamia, which is located at: SCES Tr.2, Conj 31, South Wing. This is the only club where trance music plays. I keep in touch with my father via the Internet.