Sources for VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info have revealed the circumstances surrounding the resignation of Sergey Alpatov, the head of the FSB’s Economic Security Service (SEB) and a prominent figure among the country's security elite. It appears Russia is entering a new era where personnel reshuffles within the security bloc, ministries, agencies, and state corporations will be driven not by the familiar members of the "Ozero" cooperative or shareholders of Bank Rossiya, but by the "bodyguard clan." This group has worked long and hard to reach this position—a process our project has covered in detail. By orchestrating Alpatov’s ousting, the clan was not merely saving Arkady Rotenberg (whose financial interests largely align with the clan's) or, even less so, Ilya Traber ("Antikvar")—though it remains to be seen what assets those "saved" will have to part with in exchange for such help. Rather, this was an opportunity for the clan to demonstrate its power and the extent of its influence over Putin. And the operation was a success.
The clan’s core consists of State Council Secretary Alexey Dyumin (a former Putin bodyguard), Presidential Advisor Dmitry Mironov (also a former Putin bodyguard), Deputy Head of Rosimushchestvo Dmitry Stepanenko (another former Putin bodyguard), and FSO chief Dmitry Kochnev.
https://x.com/rucriminalinfo/status/2047603027129885148
They meet frequently and spend time together at a private karaoke club located at the country estate of Oleg Polyakov—owner of the Peton conglomerate and a key clan member—a venue fully secured against information leaks. This clan has firmly entrenched itself within all of Arkady Rotenberg’s assets, and its members wield significant influence over Sberbank chief Herman Gref, among others. Currently, the clan is wresting assets from Anatoly Yablonsky—the custodian of capital for Yevgeny Lovyrev, the deputy director of the Russian FSB. The clan has also long harbored major political ambitions.
According to a source, most of Alpatov’s appointees in various positions participated in the operations targeting the teams of Rotenberg and Ilya Traber. These included Sergey Demyanishnikov, head of the FSB Directorate for St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region; Nikolai Babakov, head of the FSB’s "Directorate T"; and other unit commanders. Given the stature of the figures involved, it is clear that the green light came from Putin. Consequently, Traber ended up in a pre-trial detention center on charges of orchestrating the murder of Alexander Petrov—the "boss" of Vyborg—while charges regarding other murders were being prepared. Criminal cases were opened one after another against members of Rotenberg’s team, and they, too, were sent to pre-trial detention.
Then, everything changed almost overnight. The source states that Putin’s stance did a complete 180-degree turn following a detailed conversation with a member of the "bodyguard clan"—presumably Dyumin. Only the two participants know the content of that conversation, though one can make inferences based on circumstantial evidence and subsequent events.
Putin was informed that a conspiracy was being hatched against him and that Traber’s arrest and the attack on Arkady Rotenberg were part of that plot, as they dealt blows to the Russian president’s reputation both domestically and in the West. Whenever any actions were taken regarding the cases of "Antikvar" [Traber’s nickname] and Rotenberg’s team, Putin’s name would immediately surface in connection with them. According to the presenter, Alpatov—despite being an experienced executive—allowed himself to be misled and, in turn, misled Putin himself. It is unknown what evidence the presenter relied upon to substantiate these claims, but the reaction was instantaneous. Traber and key members of the Rotenberg team were immediately released, while Alpatov was dismissed from his post overnight. His entire team may well lose their positions in the near future.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time the "bodyguard clan" has pulled such a stunt with Putin. According to a source, a "trial balloon" was floated in the spring of this year, when clan representatives reported an alleged assassination plot against the Russian president (recall the gunmen with assault rifles and machine guns stationed on the Kremlin walls and the Mausoleum) and then successfully "foiled the attempt." That episode revealed the extent of the clan's influence over Putin.
The affair involving Traber and Arkady Rotenberg provided an opportunity to test that influence further—specifically to "rescue one of their own" and oust inconvenient figures within the security establishment.
Sources speaking to VChK-OGPU and Rucriminal.info say that Arkady Rotenberg harbors no great illusions about the events that have unfolded. While he was indeed helped to fend off this attack, he will not regain his former standing. Rotenberg has effectively become a "pawn" in a much larger game—one not of his own making—and has become entirely dependent on the bodyguard clan. The clan has long had its eye on a number of his assets (including those held jointly with Traber), particularly the PNT oil terminal in St. Petersburg, and he will almost certainly be forced to part with them.
