Russian Olympics 'spy' who threatened to bring chaos to Paris Games is 'star of Bachelor-style reality show who blew his cover when he got drunk and was kicked off a flight to France'

The alleged Russian spy facing 30 years successful situation for threatening to bring chaos to nan Paris Olympics opening ceremonial was coming named arsenic erstwhile reality TV prima Kirill Gryaznov.

The 40-year-old was connected Wednesday successful a high-security situation charged pinch moving ‘with a overseas powerfulness to effort and incite hostilities successful France.’

A image he put connected his Instagram account, which is followed by immoderate 10,000 people, show him posing pinch weapons.

Gryaznov – who denies immoderate wrongdoing – has been identified arsenic moving for nan FSB, Russia’s Federal Security Service home intelligence agency.

He is said to person boasted astir turning nan commencement of nan Paris Olympics into ‘an opening ceremonial for illustration nary other’.

It is owed to statesman connected Friday night, pinch 80 barges afloat of athletes and different competitors sailing down nan River Seine infront of thousands of guests including VIPs.

Gryaznov, who has 10,000 Instagram followers, starred successful a Russian Bachelor-style show, successful which six women tried to seduce him.

According to Le Monde, Griaznov has been surviving successful France for 14 years, and was first exposed erstwhile he sewage drunk and was kicked disconnected a level that was owed to return him from Istanbul to Paris successful May.

He switched to a formation from Bulgaria, and stopped disconnected en way astatine a edifice from wherever he rang his intelligence handlers successful Moscow.

Griaznov past boasted that he was going to springiness Paris an ‘opening ceremonial for illustration nary other’, according to telephone intercepts.

It was connected July 21 that Gryaznov was arrested successful his level connected Rue Saint-Denis, adjacent to Notre Dame Cathedral and nan Louvre museum.

Prosecutors successful Paris said nan hunt of nan Russian national’s flat had been carried retired astatine nan petition of nan Interior Ministry.

Agents recovered grounds of a ‘large-scale project’ that could person had ‘serious’ consequences during nan 3 weeks of nan Games.

According to prosecutors, investigators besides recovered ‘diplomatic material,’ relating to President Vladimir Putin’s regime.

Two days later, Gryaznov was placed successful detention and charged pinch nan offence that comes pinch a maximum 30 twelvemonth sentence, earlier being held connected remand earlier trial.

Gryaznov first arrived successful France successful 2010 and nan pursuing twelvemonth joined a edifice linked to a Michelin-starred luxury edifice successful Courchevel, nan Alpine skis edifice favoured by Russian oligarchs.

The fishy near for Paris successful 2012, where, according to emails making love from September that year, told his landlady, named by Le Monde only arsenic Viviane, that he was returning to Moscow to activity arsenic an charismatic successful nan Russian government.

But he took portion successful a civic training day, a mandatory integration measurement for those who want to go French nationals, successful April 2013.

He described himself connected his CV arsenic a ‘private chef’ but made nary mention of immoderate Russian authorities links.

His apprehension came aft constabulary officers from nan elite investigation and involution brigade, called successful by nan DGSI, nan French MI5, conducted a dawn ambush connected his home.

In June, Microsoft said Russia was seeking to undermine nan Olympics pinch nan creation of clone websites replicating authentic French media outlets stirring up claims astir terrorism.

Gérald Darmanin, nan French Interior Minister, said this week that authorities had screened complete 1 cardinal group up of nan Games.

‘We are present to guarantee that athletics is not utilized for espionage, cyber attacks aliases to criticise and sometimes moreover dishonesty astir France and nan French,’ he said.

In June, a 26-year-old Russian erstwhile worker was arrested aft accidentally triggering explosives successful a edifice room astatine Paris Charles de Gaulle airport.

He was said to beryllium targetting a hardware shop northbound of Paris, arsenic portion of a ‘vast sabotage run orchestrated successful Moscow,’ said an intelligence source.

High-profile stunts person besides raised suspicion that overseas actors are trying to power French nationalist sentiment aliases stoke divisions, notably astir Russia’s penetration of Ukraine aliases nan sidesplitting of thousands of civilians by Israel successful Gaza.

Stunts see dummy coffins labelled ‘French soldiers successful Ukraine’ near by nan Eiffel Tower successful June, and reddish hands tagged connected Paris’s main Holocaust memorial successful May.

In October, soon aft Hamas’s attack, stars of David were tagged connected buildings successful nan Paris region, pinch 2 Moldovans suspected to beryllium moving for nan FSB later arrested.