War doesn’t just happen on the battlefield. The Russian Yuri Shikolenko is one of the Kremlin’s most important cyber soldiers. The star was able to identify him in photos for the first time and use documents to assign him to a unit of the GRU military intelligence service.
A summer day at the end of June 2022 in Moscow: The sun is shining over a shooting range of the “Association of Practical Shooting of Russia”, the visibility is clear – perfect conditions for the city championship in carbine shooting, which is taking place here today. Among the participants is a strong, slightly stocky man wearing a camouflage cap and orange sports glasses. He looks intently through the scope of his rifle, which he holds firmly at the ready. He wears knee pads over his green pants and pads also protect his elbows. This means he can throw himself to the ground as quickly as possible on the competition course.
The photo is one of three that show the man at the shooting range. Another is created at the award ceremony. On the homepage of the association, which published dozens of photos from many other events, you will search in vain for the photos. There isn’t even a competition report. The reason for this could be the man.