Bulat Yanborisov, a Russian living incognito in Paris and director of the Silk Way Rally, was awarded a high Russian military medal by GRU deputy head Vladimir Alexeyev on April 22, 2022.

Intelligence & EspionageHuman Intelligence (HUMINT)Recruitment of locals

Aggressor

Summary

On April 22, 2022, Bulat Yanborisov, a Russian agent living in Paris and director of the Silk Way Rally, received the Order of Alexander Nevsky medal from Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia's military intelligence service (GRU). The medal was awarded for his significant contributions to the Russian armed forces and success in special operations as per a presidential decree. Yanborisov also wore another military decoration, the Order of Valor. The award ceremony, filmed on a phone and obtained by Der Spiegel, The Insider, and Le Monde, showed Yanborisov placing the medal in vodka before drinking in line with Russian military tradition. Yanborisov travels freely between France and other countries under the cover of organizing the Silk Way Rally, which operates between Russia and China, while residing near Parc Monceau in Paris with his family. This case reveals a high-level Kremlin agent operating covertly on French soil.

Classification

Confidence: High

The article clearly identifies Bulat Yanborisov as a high-ranking Russian intelligence (GRU) agent operating covertly in Paris and awarded by Russian military intelligence officials. This is a definite hostile espionage operation, making it a clear aggressor event without any defensive measures described.

Source URL

https://lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2023/04/21/a-russian-spy-in-paris-bulat-yanborisov-rally-organizer-and-high-flying-kremlin-agent_6023758_117.html

Open source

Provenance

Publisher: extension
Submitted: Feb 14, 2026, 12:22 UTC
Last updated: Nov 8, 2026, 20:15 UTC
Event time: Apr 22, 2022, 00:00 UTC

Published as a hybrid-warfare signal with a public source and reviewer-approved assessment bands. See the methodology for how records are assessed.

Raw record

{
  "id": "71b67ac5-4312-431c-8dca-c4580db6f276",
  "url": "https://lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2023/04/21/a-russian-spy-in-paris-bulat-yanborisov-rally-organizer-and-high-flying-kremlin-agent_6023758_117.html",
  "source": "extension",
  "status": "approved",
  "category": "Intelligence & Espionage",
  "subcategory": "Human Intelligence (HUMINT)",
  "incident_type": "Recruitment of locals",
  "country": "France",
  "source_reliability": "C",
  "info_credibility": "3",
  "tags": [
    "russian spies",
    "GRU",
    "espionage",
    "France",
    "Paris",
    "Kremlin agent",
    "Silk Way Rally",
    "military medals",
    "intelligence operations"
  ],
  "nodes": [
    "Node 2: 5th Column"
  ],
  "countries": [],
  "where_text": "Land",
  "headline": null,
  "description": "Bulat Yanborisov, known as the director of the Silk Way Rally in Paris, was revealed by investigations from Der Spiegel, The Insider, and Le Monde as a high-ranking Kremlin agent. On April 22, 2022, he received the Order of Alexander Nevsky, a prestigious Russian military medal awarded by the deputy head of the GRU, Vladimir Alexeyev, recognizing his contributions to Russia's military capabilities and special operations successes. Yanborisov also holds the Order of Valor. The award ceremony was filmed with a phone. Yanborisov lives incognito in Paris near Parc Monceau with his family and travels internationally with full impunity, leveraging his rally director role as covert cover. The award highlights Yanborisov's deep integration and long-standing service within the Russian intelligence and military apparatus, operating under diplomatic and social cover in France.",
  "summary_short": "Bulat Yanborisov, a Russian living incognito in Paris and director of the Silk Way Rally, was awarded a high Russian military medal by GRU deputy head Vladimir Alexeyev on April 22, 2022.",
  "summary_extended": "On April 22, 2022, Bulat Yanborisov, a Russian agent living in Paris and director of the Silk Way Rally, received the Order of Alexander Nevsky medal from Vladimir Alexeyev, deputy head of Russia's military intelligence service (GRU). The medal was awarded for his significant contributions to the Russian armed forces and success in special operations as per a presidential decree. Yanborisov also wore another military decoration, the Order of Valor. The award ceremony, filmed on a phone and obtained by Der Spiegel, The Insider, and Le Monde, showed Yanborisov placing the medal in vodka before drinking in line with Russian military tradition. Yanborisov travels freely between France and other countries under the cover of organizing the Silk Way Rally, which operates between Russia and China, while residing near Parc Monceau in Paris with his family. This case reveals a high-level Kremlin agent operating covertly on French soil.",
  "actor_primary": "Bulat Yanborisov",
  "target_primary": null,
  "location_text": "Paris, near Parc Monceau",
  "location_region": null,
  "location_coordinates_lat": 48.875,
  "location_coordinates_lon": 2.308,
  "location_precision": "Approximate",
  "is_aggressor_signal": true,
  "signal_type": "HYBRID_SIGNAL",
  "is_hybrid_war_signal": true,
  "classification_complete": true,
  "hybrid_signal_complete": true,
  "classification_confidence": "High",
  "classification_rationale": "The article clearly identifies Bulat Yanborisov as a high-ranking Russian intelligence (GRU) agent operating covertly in Paris and awarded by Russian military intelligence officials. This is a definite hostile espionage operation, making it a clear aggressor event without any defensive measures described.",
  "event_time_utc": "2022-04-22T00:00:00.000Z",
  "end_time_utc": null,
  "event_time_confidence": "pm24h",
  "created_at": "2026-02-14T12:22:52.058Z",
  "updated_at": "2026-11-08T20:15:19.541Z",
  "reliability_band": "strong",
  "location_precision_band": "approximate",
  "time_precision_band": "within_24h",
  "severity_band": "moderate",
  "attribution_confidence_band": "low",
  "attribution_basis": "single_source"
}

Public assessmentReliability: StrongSeverity: ModerateAttribution: LowSingle sourceTime: Same dayLocation: Approximate

Source reliability

Info credibility

Event time

Apr 22, 2022, 00:00 UTC

Event time confidence

pm24h

Location

Paris, near Parc Monceau

Primary actor

Bulat Yanborisov

Country

France

Tags

russian spies, GRU, espionage, France, Paris, Kremlin agent, Silk Way Rally, military medals, intelligence operations

Nodes

Node 2: 5th Column

Loading signal...

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