Kirill Gryaznov: The reality star accused of being a Russian spy and trying to destabilise Paris Olympics

The Paris Olympics are yet to begin officially — the opening ceremony is set for Friday (July 26) — but the sporting event is already cooking up a storm.

On Sunday, a 40-year-man man identified as a Russian chef was arrested during a raid of his apartment in central Paris following which he was indicted of staging “large scale” acts of “destabilisation” during the Olympic Games in Paris .

And days later, on Friday (July 26), the identity of the 40-year-old was revealed to be Kirill Gryaznov according to a joint probe by French newspaper Le Monde, Germany’s Der Spiegel and The Insider.

But what do we know of Gryaznov? And what was his plan for Olympic Games? We have the answers.

Who is Kirill Gryaznov?

Forty-year-old Gryaznov, a Russian by birth, moved to France 14 years ago after graduating with a law degree from Russia’s Perm State University.

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A joint probe by Le Monde, Der Spiegel and The Insider reveal that Gryaznov, who is now believed to be a spy for Russia’s FSB, starred in the Russian reality television dating series Choose Me – modelled on the US show The Bachelor – as a self-styled “successful businessman and restaurateur”.

The Insider, the Russian investigative media outlet, reported that his resume detailed a previous career path in finance, with two Luxembourg-based firms.

It was in 2010 that Gryaznov, who was a Russian deep cover agent by then, came to Paris, and learned to cook at Le Cordon Bleu, one of the world’s most prestigious culinary schools. Le Monde reports that he even appeared on a reality cooking show.

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The following year, he joined a restaurant linked to a Michelin-starred luxury hotel in Courchevel, the Alpine ski resort favoured by Russian oligarchs. In 2012, he left for Paris with emails from September of that year showing that he had written to his landlady, saying he was returning to Moscow to work as an official in the Russian government.

However, in April 2013, he took part in a civic training day — a mandatory integration step for those who wish to be French nationals. His resume describes him as a private chef and there’s no mention of any Russian government links.

A look at his Instagram feed, which has over 10,000 followers, is a smorgasbord of food images, likely to give anyone a foodgasm.

Gryaznov’s involvement with Russian special services is apparent from his email and travel patterns. In 2019, flight records show, he took a plane from his native Perm to Moscow on a ticket that was purchased for him by Colonel Vladimir Bondarchuk, the former chief inspector of FSB Unit 53916, the service’s internal security department.

How did he come under the authorities’ radar?

Gryaznov was first noticed by the European authorities earlier this May. On May 8, Le Monde reports, that he was in Turkey and was due to board a plane from Istanbul to Paris. However, he had had too much to drink and was barred from boarding the plane. He then took another flight from Bulgaria.

On the way, in a restaurant, he called his superior from the Russian domestic intelligence service. Two months before the start of the Olympic Games in Paris, the young man blurted out that “the French are going to have an opening ceremony like no other”.

He also reportedly called his FSB handler, informing him the Paris operation was on track and that he had hired “one more Moldovan from Chisinau”. This detail piqued the interest of French investigators as they had previously found out that Moldovans who have links to Russian espionage groups carrying out hybrid attacks in France.

What happened on Sunday? What next?

On Sunday, at 6 am, police officers from the elite ‘research and intervention brigade (BRI), called in by the General Directorate of Internal Security raided his home on Rue Saint-Denis on the right bank of the Seine. It is claimed that the police found “documents of diplomatic interest” among his possessions.

The Parisian Prosecutor’s Office states that the “diplomatic material” and certificates points at Gryaznov’s involvement in the “subunit V” of Russia’s special services. The Insider assumes that this might be the certificate of the Vympel — a part of the special forces unit of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB).

Reports citing agents said that evidence of a ‘large-scale project’ that could have had ‘serious’ consequences during the three weeks of the Games was disclosed at his home.

Speaking on the same, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said in a recent interview with BFM TV, “We think very strongly that he was going to organise operations of destabilisation, interference, spying. He’s now in the justice system which will be able to confirm the suspicions of the police.”

Two days later, Gryaznov was placed in detention and charged with the offence that comes with a maximum 30-year sentence, before being held on remand before trial.

Now, lodged in a high-security prison, he’s been charged “with a foreign power to try and incite hostilities in France”. The 40-year-old, however, denies any wrongdoing.

While sitting in prison, Gryaznov may remember one of his former love interest’s warnings that “alcohol will get to you one day.”

Is the Paris Games under threat?

The Paris Olympics Games are already touted to be one of the riskiest in history. There is political uncertainty in France. To add to this, there are geopolitical tensions amid the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza conflict.

There’s also the looming concern of terrorism. French authorities have foiled at least “four terrorist conspiracies” in Paris so far this year, reports ABC. Last week, a right-wing sympathiser was arrested in eastern France on suspicion of plotting attacks during the Olympics. Last month, a Ukrainian-Russian man blew himself up with explosive materials in a hotel room near Paris. He is suspected of participating in a terror conspiracy and a bomb plot after materials to manufacture bombs were recovered from him.

Cyber activists have also pointed out that France’s decision to side with Ukraine in the ongoing war will see pro-Russia hackers targeting the Games.

And on the day of the opening ceremony, France's high-speed rail network was hit by “malicious acts”, including arson attacks that have disrupted the transport system, train operator SNCF said. A source close to the investigation told AFP the attacks were coordinated acts of “sabotage”.

This incident would cause “very serious consequences” for rail traffic throughout the weekend with connections towards northern, eastern and northwestern France halved, Transport Minister Patrice Vergriete said, while rail operator SNCF chief executive Jean-Pierre Farandou said 800,000 passengers were affected.

With inputs from agencies