A former Russian reality TV chef and suspected spy was nabbed in France after he reportedly bragged about an alleged plot to cause mayhem at the Paris Olympics during a drunken rant. Kirill Gryaznov, 40, was arrested at his flat in Paris Sunday after multiple European intelligence agencies had been monitoring his movements for months, according to the French newspaper Le Monde . Fench police said they found “diplomatic material” linking him to Russia’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Security Service (FSB), upon searching the self-proclaimed private chef’s apartment at the French Interior Ministry’s request.
Agents found evidence of a “large-scale project” that suggested Gryaznov was “preparing pro-Russian operations to destabilize France” during the Olympics, according to French media. Gryaznov was charged with “intelligence with a foreign power with a view to incite hostilities in France” on Tuesday and is facing up to 30 years in prison, according to the outlet. Several European intelligence services had been hot on his trail since May and began monitoring his movements closely.
In May, the alleged spy was traveling from Istanbul, Turkey, back to Paris when he was barred from boarding his flight because he had too much to drink. He was then forced to take another flight from Bulgaria, but only after stopping in a restaurant from where he called his intelligence handlers in Moscow, according to the outlet. Gryaznov drunkenly boasted on the phone to his handler that “the French are going to have an opening ceremony like no other” just two months before the games in Paris were set to begin, according to documents obtained by the outlet.
Witnesses also claimed he had brandished his FSB identification during his boozed-up pit stop and even told neighbors he had a special mission to disrupt the Olympic Games. This led European security agencies to uncover his precise route to France and illuminated his long-standing close links with Russian intelligence services. Before moving to the French capital, Gryaznov graduated with a law degree from Russia’s Perm State University and then starred in “The Bachelor” style show “Choose Me,” where he portrayed himself as a “successful businessman and restaurateur.
” This led to the alleged spy gaining somewhat of a celebrity status in Russia. The alleged spy’s Instagram shows he has over 100,000 followers. Griaznov had reportedly been living in France for 14 years at the time of his arrest.
In 2010, he trained as a chef at Paris’s Le Cordon Bleu, one of the world’s most prestigious culinary schools, and even appeared on a reality cooking show, according to Le Monde. The following year, he became a chef at a restaurant linked to a Michelin-starred luxury hotel in Courchevel, a hot spot Alpine ski resort for Russian oligarchs. In 2012, the suspected secret agent told his landlady he’d be returning to Russia to work for the government through emails seen in a joint probe by Le Monde, German outlet Der Spiegel, and The Insider.
However, Gryaznov was back in France in 2013 to take part in civic training day — a mandatory integration step for those who want to become citizens. According to the emails, he has also been linked to a previous career in finance with two Luxembourg-based firms, where he received confidential military documents on Chechen War veteran Maj. Andrey Belyashov.
The then-young lawyer would often receive requests to verify the profiles of Russian intelligence officers. In 2010, Gryaznov received an email requesting him to verify information on a “senior economic security officer” and days later responded with a photo of the target to a senior member of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence service, according to the outlets. Gryaznov described himself as a “private chef” on his resume but never mentioned any links to the Russian government.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that authorities had screened over one million people ahead of the Games, which begin Friday. Over 5,000 people have already been barred from attending the Olympics, Darmanin revealed Tuesday. Out of them, “there are 1,000 people whom we suspect of foreign interference — we can say spying,” Darmanin said.
“We owe this security to the whole world,” Darmanin said . “The threats to our country are the threats that concern the Western world.”.
