Did An Undercover FSB Agent In Krasnojarsk Interrogate Me? No, But...
- Konrad Tillman
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Intro
During my one-night transit in Krasnojarsk to review the Aeroflot A350 in business class, I decided to head out to the local bars, seeing that it's a big college town, and I am a college student...
Well, something quite interesting happened, and after speaking to some friends, they informed me that this is common practice in remote regions where few tourists go. Was it an FSB agent? We shall never know, but I am not convinced after talking to many Russians on Instagram.
Let me share an interesting story...
What Happened
After hopping around a few quieter bars and enjoying one too many shots of Vodka, I stumbled into the next bar that seemed more lively. Some people were singing karaoke, the bartender had a big smile on his face, and everything seemed like this was the spot to spend the rest of the night before my online class.
As I went to order my drinks, it became inherently clear that just like the rest of Krasnojarsk, no one spoke English (not saying this in a bad way, it's on me for coming into a country and not knowing the language). I mean, the word "Vodka" was understood 😅, but that's about it LOL.
Moving on. Enjoying a few drinks for 30 minutes or so, a man walks in and sits down next to me. He orders a drink and immediately begins speaking to me in perfect English. We talk a little bit, and he ends up buying me some drinks. A nice man overall, no doubt about it.
However, after about 15 minutes of chatting, some weird questions start coming up. "What are you doing in Krasnojarsk?". "Do you support the war?". "What do Americans think about the war?". Etc., etc.
Now, I have no issues talking about the war, actually, as someone who has traveled immensely to almost every conflict zone. It's a simple thing for me with the response, "It's not my war, I don't support it, but I understand why it is taking place". So for a while, I entertained this conversation as he did seem like a really nice man, just like everyone else I met in Russia...
Until after about an hour, he went to the restroom, and I slipped out after paying the bill. Just in case of any issues, I didn't want any issues in Krasnojarsk, and found it peculiar that the 1/2 people I met that spoke English, happened to sit down right next to me at the bar, and talk about the war...
This Is Somewhat Common
Contrary to popular belief, I don't see this as necessarily "bad", per se. An American walking into a bar in Siberia raises flags, as few people do. However, after speaking to a few of my Russian friends, they informed me that this is somewhat of a common practice.
He mentioned that they are not there to arrest you or anything, just to understand what on earth you are doing there. He also mentioned that since there are such few tourists, these contract agents for the FSB are somewhat bored and just check out foreigners that come into town.
But honestly, I don't see this as a bad thing. Security should be tighter across the world, and someone just coming to get to know you, to make sure you are not a threat to Russia, is completely fine. I wish this were something that occurred in the United States as an example, but it's not...
But at the end of the day, was it FSB, or was it just a curious Russian? Most likely, it was just a curious Russian, but even if it was the FSB, he bought me free drinks 😅.
Final Thoughts
During my time in Krasnojarsk, I had quite an interesting interaction with a Russian at a bar. Whether or not it was some contract FSB agent, or just an undercover FSB agent, or just a normal man who was curious what Americans thought of the war, it was all pretty interesting. However, be advised that the FSB is notorious for this, and as long as you haven't donated to Ukraine or are in Russia for any reason to bring down the government in any way, they don't care. And if you are, well then, why are you going to Russia 😅?
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