The Russian FSB is trying to create a new agent network in Ukraine and launch a political project “focused on the remnants of the pro-Russian population.” Aleksey Arestovich, an ex-rader from the Office of the President, may be involved in this network. The head of the National Security and Defense Council Alexey Danilov stated this on the social network X. He did not name Arestovich, but this follows from the message.
— Signs of such activity are the sharp activation of various “experts,” “actor-intelligence agents” and other types of swindlers in promoting the Russian agenda in Russian. It is they who at this moment cry out about the “failure” of the counteroffensive, hint at the need to revise the goals of the war (and this is no longer going to the borders of 1991), give out advice on how to fight the Armed Forces of Ukraine, give out false insights about “conflicts” among the military-political leadership, they call to accept “good Russians” and in the end they hint that it is necessary to negotiate with Russia,” Danilov wrote.
Danilov said that law enforcement officers “monitor manifestations of such hostile actions, identifying and stopping them.”
Danilov’s post was preceded by Arestovich’s message on Telegram criticizing the NSDC secretary: “Arestovich’s function is to explain the situation to millions of people. The Secretary of the RNBO also has a function. Fuck the sovereign. But no, he still brings slides to the president, I’ve seen him a couple of times. In two and a half years in the Office, I have not noticed any other benefit from it.”
At the beginning of the war, Alexey Arestovich acted as the official military speaker of the Office of the President and conducted briefings. From the beginning of the full-scale invasion until August 2023, Arestovich went live every evening with Russian lawyer Mark Feigin to discuss the situation at the front and current news. His predictions about the end of the war became a meme, in particular the phrase about “two to three weeks.” For a long time, the Ministry of Defense had no complaints about Arestovich’s expertise. In December 2022, Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said that Arestovich “explains the state of the war in simple language,” but at the same time emphasized that “only officially authorized persons can be trusted.”
Over time, Arestovich's statements became more scandalous. The media often accused him of playing along with Russian propaganda. In particular, on October 2, Arestovich said at the Free Russia Forum in Tallinn that “real fascism is recording all Russians as fascists.” This speech was witnessed by people's deputy Oleg Dunda, who called on law enforcement officers to check Arestovich's statements.
At the end of September, a complaint was filed against Arestovich for statements about women at seminars. The statement caused outrage: “Guys, the girls can’t hear us yet and we can talk to you normally and openly. Tell me, what do you want to do with these creatures? Suppress!
