Russian Meddling in Catalonia: A Playbook In Destabilization

A mysterious Russian offers Catalonia’s president $500 billion and 10,000 armed soldiers to make the break from Spain and create a cryptocurrency haven. This in the days running up to an historic vote to declare independence from Spain.In this episode, Nick Wallis talks with journalists Antonio Baquero, Marc Marginedas and Lorenzo Bagnoli on how they tracked down the man pro-independence leaders called “Putin’s envoy” across Spain, Italy, and Russia — unveiling his past as a Russian diplomat with a history of representing the Kremlin.We also hear from Institute for Statecraft senior fellow Nico de Pedro on how Russia used Catalonia’s independence movement in an attempt to destabilize Spain, as well as how ordinary Catalans felt when interference from the Kremlin was revealed.Dirty Deeds is a Little Gem production for OCCRP. The host is Nick Wallis. The producers were Lindsay Riley and Ollie Peart, with research from Phoebe Adler-Ryan and Riham Moussa, at Rethink Audio.Read the investigation:https://www.occrp.org/en/investigations/fueling-secession-promising-bitcoins-how-a-russian-operator-urged-catalonian-leaders-to-break-with-madridThis week’s guestsAntonio Baquero - @antoniobaqueroiMarc Marginedas - @marcmarginedasLorenzo Bagnoli - @Lorenzo_BagnoliNico de Pedro - @nicolasdepedroTranscriptRead the transcript on the OCCRP website.More Information on OCCRPKeep up with the latest in global organized crime and corruption with our weekly newsletter.Donate.[00:00] Introduction[03:40] Antonio Baquera and Marc Marginedas explain how they began investigating Russian interest in Catalonia[05:26] A profile of Victor Terredellas, key figure in the story[08:38] How “Putin’s envoy” Nikolai Sadovnikov came to reporters’ attention[11:52] Why are there ties between Catalonian independence leaders and the Russian government?[15:36] Lorenzo Bagnoli explains Sadovnikov’s past as a diplomat in Italy[20:41] A profile of Jordi Sardà Bonvehí, who accompanied Sadovnikov during his meeting with Catalonia’s separatist leader Carles Puigdemont[23:42] How the reporters managed to interview Sadovnikov[26:30] The effect of the story on the Catalonian independence movement, Italian mafia and Carlos Puigdemont[31:23] Nico de Pedro explains why he and others are against Catalonian independence[34:02] How the Catalonian independence movement is used by the Russian government to destabilize Spain[36:56] How do ordinary Catalans feel about Russian interference in Catalonian independence?This podcast was originally produced in Spanish. Following recent events in Venezuela, we are sharing it with a wider audience through this human-reviewed AI translation. This is an experiment, so minor imperfections may be present. Original Spanish podcast below:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5inyH4WRo1H82KgvmnmUHhApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cuello-blanco-manos-sucias/id1872501127We welcome your feedback on this experiment at occrp.org/podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.