Igor Strelkov (real surname Girkin), who in 2014 was the defense minister of the self-proclaimed DPR, used a “cover passport” issued by Russian intelligence services. This is stated in the investigation of Bellingcat and The Insider.

Strelkov claimed in 2014 that until March 31, 2013 he served in the FSB with the rank of colonel and then was "expelled from the unit." But from at least November 2014 to February 2016, he used an internal Russian passport in the name of Sergei Runov. Investigators figured this out by examining Strelkov and his wife's air travel.

When Strelkov was given a passport in the name of Sergei Runov, it was not known. This passport series matches the passports used by alleged FSB officers, including those associated with the poisoners of Alexey Navalny.

Igor Plotnitsky, who headed the self-proclaimed LPR in 2014-2017, also used the “cover passport”. The passport was issued in the name of Igor Plotnikov. Like Girkin, Plotnitsky used it when flying with his wife.

This passport belonged to the same "range" as the passports used by the alleged GRU officers.

Last week, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Russian Federation declared the work of Bellingcat and The Insider "undesirable". Their activities pose a threat to the foundations of the constitutional order and the security of the Russian Federation, the Prosecutor General's Office said.