00:00 Sergei Zhirnov is an absolutely fascinating character.
00:02 He is a former Russian spy who frequently attacks Vladimir Putin and the Russian services.
00:07 Sergei Zhirnov is a spy who did his studies with Vladimir Putin.
00:18 In 1984, after studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations,
00:23 Sergei Zhirnov joined the Russian secret services.
00:26 The KGB was very strong to detect particularly intelligent people.
00:29 Zhirnov is very good in language and especially in French.
00:32 His first job is to broadcast in French on Russian television.
00:37 It's his cover.
00:38 So he invites industrialists who try to do business with Russia.
00:41 So he is very nice, he goes on TV.
00:43 And France says, "Ah, well, in the end, it would be nice to have young elites."
00:47 We are at the Gorbachev era.
00:48 Russia is changing.
00:50 And so they talk to Zhirnov, saying, "Would you like to take a course in France?"
00:55 And Zhirnov says, "Of course."
00:56 Because, of course, he already works for the KGB very actively.
01:00 He is already an intelligence officer.
01:02 And so he ends up at the National School of Administration in formation as a guest student.
01:08 He even has a French government stock exchange to come and meet the French elites.
01:14 In 1991, he joined the National Security Council and joined the Leon Gambetta promotion.
01:19 His mission? To locate future agents ready to work for the USSR.
01:24 So there he is a bit of a star, because succeeding in integrating the French elite's nursery
01:30 is still an achievement.
01:30 Zhirnov arrives at the UN.
01:32 He is delighted because he will meet a lot of very high-ranking officials in the future.
01:36 A student is catching his attention.
01:38 Valérie Pécresse, former minister of Nicolas Sarkozy,
01:41 and now president of the Regional Council of Île-de-France.
01:45 He knows his interest in Russian culture and Orthodox religion,
01:48 but his attempt to recruit would have gone short.
01:51 She protected herself quite quickly when she started to take important positions
01:55 in the political world.
01:56 She was undoubtedly alerted by the high authorities of the intelligence.
02:00 In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed.
02:03 Sergei Zhirnov no longer recognized himself in the Russia he was building.
02:07 Zhirnov at one point said that Russia was not the country he was made for.
02:13 He is becoming more and more passionate about France.
02:15 He will leave the KGB.
02:18 He will obviously be screened by the French services.
02:20 And since then, he has been frequently interviewed.
02:23 He writes books to tell what the Russian services are,
02:26 because he has a perfect knowledge of them.
02:28 After the opening of an investigation by the Russian authorities
02:30 against him for the disclosure of state secrets,
02:32 Sergei Zhirnov is exiled to France.
02:34 Zhirnov did not bring much information to Russia.
02:37 In fact, it was promising to end up at the UN with young high-ranking officials
02:43 who were going to have responsibilities.
02:45 It was an investment for Russia.
02:46 So he did not provide information.
02:48 And that's also why France welcomed him and gave him political asylum,
02:53 since he broke with Russia for political reasons.
02:55 Today, he is being watched by his old house.
02:59 For him, going on TV, writing books, is a way of protecting himself.
03:02 We know that many Russian spies,
03:05 according to Russia,
03:06 end up poisoned or mysteriously disappear.
03:09 (Music)
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03:21 (upbeat music)
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