Cypriot 'coder' Found Dead At Russian Embassy In Cyprus Was In Touch With Lavrov

There was no investigation into the mysterious "suicide".

A cryptographer of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service Anton Panov, who was found dead in the building of the Russian embassy in Cyprus, had been on the phone with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and a number of high-ranking officials of the Russian Foreign Ministry before traveling. According to the official version of the Russian side, Panova committed suicide, but there was no investigation, writes OBOZ.UA.

According to Russian media, in addition to Lavrov, Panov was in contact with ministerial adviser Bakhtiyor Khakimov, deputy ministers Mikhail Bogdanov and Galina Shulga, as well as the head of the Foreign Ministry's currency and finance department Andrey Lisikov. Journalists note that this department often includes SVR and GRU officers who work under diplomatic cover.

The journalists also recorded telephone conversations between Panov and the Russian ambassador to Moldova Vasily Vasiliy Vasnetsov, the ambassador to Hungary Evgeny Stanislavov and the counselor of the Russian Embassy in Uzbekistan Andrey Lanchikov. Separately, journalists found contacts with former senator from occupied Crimea Sergei Tsekov and Lugansk resident Alexander Borisov, who wrote denunciations of opposition politicians and independent media.

What preceded

A Russian embassy official in Cyprus was found dead in his own office on January 8. Cypriot police were not immediately informed of the incident, law enforcers were not allowed to enter the diplomatic mission, citing diplomatic immunity, and the embassy immediately claimed suicide. Only after the media publicity did the Russian side officially confirm the death.

First, the media referred to the deceased as Alexei Panov, the third secretary of the embassy, but investigative journalists claim that it is Anton Panov, a native of Khabarovsk Krai, who arrived in Cyprus in late summer or early fall 2025. His biography is linked to the scientific and technical center "Atlas", which specialized in cryptographic developments for law enforcement agencies and was previously directly subordinate to the FSB. Panov later worked for the Russian Foreign Ministry, and his apartment in Moscow is located near the headquarters of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

Cyprus police said an autopsy showed no signs of violent death, and the cause of death was attributed to asphyxiation by hanging. It is also known that there was a suicide note that Russian diplomats handed to Moscow, but its content and addressee remain unknown.

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