---
title: "Russia eyes major FSB shake-up as Bortnikov prepares to exit "
url: https://moldova1.md/p/85227/russia-eyes-major-fsb-shake-up-as-bortnikov-prepares-to-exit
published: 2026-09-13T07:50:00Z
language: en
author: "Redacția  TRM"
section: "International"
source: moldova1.md
---

# Russia eyes major FSB shake-up as Bortnikov prepares to exit 

> Russia's Federal Security Service faces a sweeping leadership reshuffle in the coming months, with veteran director Aleksandr Bortnikov poised to step down, according to investigative outlet iStories.

![themoscowtimes.com](https://storage.moldova1.md/images/b301d418-b181-4234-8884-f59b48b90874.jpg)

*Sursa: themoscowtimes.com*

Russia's Federal Security Service faces a sweeping leadership reshuffle in the coming months, with veteran director Aleksandr Bortnikov poised to step down, according to investigative outlet iStories.

The leadership changes could take effect as early as October, citing two former security service officers. Bortnikov, who has led the agency since 2008, *“has long requested retirement”* due to declining health and spending extended periods in sanatoriums, sources told the outlet. His day-to-day responsibilities are increasingly being assumed by First Deputy Director Sergei Korolyov, who is widely seen as the leading contender to take over the domestic intelligence agency.

**Korolyov tipped as leading contender amid clan friction**

Other high-level candidates under consideration include Ivan Tkachyov, head of the Military Counterintelligence Department (DVKR) and a known protégé of Rosneft chief Igor Sechin, as well as Counterintelligence Service chief Vladislav Menshchikov. 

Meanwhile, Sergei Alpatov, head of the influential Economic Security Service (SEB), has already stepped down on health grounds, with his successor pending. Alpatov previously led Directorate “M”, which oversees law enforcement and justice bodies. During his tenure, he oversaw high-profile inquiries, including the arrest of police colonel Dmitry Zakharchenko, from whom authorities seized nearly 9 billion rubles in cash (approx. $140 million at historical rates), as well as a bribery probe involving Investigative Committee executives who took over $1 million from mob boss Shakro Molodoy.

The SEB wields vast domestic power through Directorate “K”, which monitors the financial sector and the presidential administration, and Directorate “P”, supervising industrial, energy, and defense enterprises. Bortnikov led the SEB before his 2008 promotion, followed by Korolyov until 2021. 

A 2021 investigation by iStories alleged that Korolyov maintained documented ties to figures in the criminal underworld implicated in contract killings and abductions. Furthermore, security-linked Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reported that the broader personnel shifts may stem from friction surrounding billionaire Arkady Rotenberg, a close confidant of President Vladimir Putin. When Kremlin relations with Rotenberg briefly soured, Alpatov's service initiated proceedings against his associates. With Rotenberg back in favor, allied figures—including Directorate “T” transport chief Nikolai Babakov—could face dismissal in the upcoming shake-up.

Translation by **Iurie Tataru**

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