Alnur Mussayev alleged Trump was given the codename “Krasnov”.
By Isabel van Brugen | Published Feb. 21 2025 3:00PM EST
A former Soviet intelligence officer has alleged that Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename “Krasnov.”
Alnur Mussayev, 71, a former Kazakh intelligence chief, made the explosive claim in a Facebook post on Thursday. He claimed that he served in the 6th Directorate of the KGB in Moscow, which was responsible for counter-intelligence support within the economy. One of its key objectives, he claimed, was “recruiting businessmen from capitalist countries.”
Mussayev wrote that in 1987 “our directorate recruited Donald Trump, a 40-year-old American businessman, under the pseudonym Krasnov.”
He reiterated that the department specialized in recruiting spies and intelligence sources from the West, asserting once again that Trump had been brought into the fold.
“I hope I’ll survive a third assassination attempt,” he said in a comment below his post.
He made another shocking allegation in another comment, saying: “Today, the personal file of resident ‘Krasnov’ has been removed from the FSB. It is being privately managed by one of Putin’s close associates.”
Mussayev’s allegations, while unfounded, add to ongoing speculation about Trump’s connections to Russia. Trump’s first visit to Moscow as a real estate developer in 1987 drew intense scrutiny and speculation that the trip was arranged by the KGB for dubious reasons.
According to Politico, in 1985, the KGB updated a secret personality questionnaire distributed among the agency, advising case officers what to look for in a successful recruitment operation.
The document instructed agents to target “prominent figures in the West” with the goal of drawing them “into some form of collaboration with us… as an agent, or confidential or special or unofficial contact.”
Trump has denied any improper ties to Moscow or collusion with President Vladimir Putin.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House and Russia’s Foreign Ministry for comment.
U.S. officials have also expressed concerns about Trump’s relationship with Putin.
Anthony Scaramucci who briefly served as Trump’s White House communications director in 2017, said during an episode of “The Rest Is Politics: US” podcast with co-host Katty Kay on Friday that he thinks there is a mysterious “hold” on the president.
Scaramucci did not elaborate on what he believes that “hold” might be, adding only: “I don’t know why it’s like this. [H.R.] McMaster couldn’t figure it out, [James] Mattis couldn’t figure it out, [John] Kelly couldn’t figure it out.”
Source: The Daily Beast
Isabel van Brugen is a journalist whose work has been published in outlets including Newsweek, The Times, the London Evening Standard, and the Daily Express, covering beats ranging from the Russia-Ukraine war, U.S. elections and politics, and human rights in China. Originally from London, Isabel graduated from City, University of London with an M.A. in Newspaper Journalism, and from Queen Mary, University of London with a B.A. in Russian.