Oct 3-17, Year 1
We arrived in Moscow and met our contact Magdalena Trikovsky at Trans-Asiatic Shipping and took delivery of our gear. After inspection and familiarization, we checked into our hotel and spent the rest of the day casually familiarizing ourselves with the significant locations named in the briefing.
General Markov's house is one half of a four story duplex that sits in the middle of a residential block. The front door is visible from the street and there is no off-street parking. Rear access is through a service alley way. Side access is a two-foot wide walkway between buildings, with no discernable doors or windows on that wall of the building. Street parking is common and used by a wide variety of vehicles.
Napoleons's Folly Cafe is a pub-style restaurant that seats aprox 75 in both indoor and patio dining areas. There is access through the front door from the patio. An emergency exit in the kitchen leads to a back service alley. The neighborhood consists mostly of small first floor store fronts with office and residential space on the second and third floors. Street parking is common and used by a wide variety of vehicles.
The Painted Lady appears from the outside to be a four story brick building with windows on the second and fourth floors. A bouncer watches the front door and a line forms quickly in the evening. Inside, the second floor has been removed to create a high-ceilinged night club. Predominantly, this is a typical night club with a bar, light fare, intimate tables and a dance floor with loud music and flashing lights. In addition there are erotic dancers performing on four raised platforms. In the back corner is a spiral staircase guarded by two plain-clothes sentries. Access to the upper levels is exclusive, and cannot be obtained simply through money or influence. Not even staff are admitted to the upper level. An emergency exit through the kitchen at the back of the building opens to a service alley where the kitchen staff goes to smoke. The neighborhood around the club is seedy, low-rent retail and residential. Parking in front of the club is restricted to allow for VIP drop-offs.
Early the next day, a Sunday, we began surveillance of Markov. Using the Tempest Surveillance System we were able to pick up the radio frequency of his security detail, his home telephone and his home computer. Markov and an elderly man (presumably his father) departed the house mid-morning in a chauffeured car. While they were gone, two older women (presumably cleaning women) arrived and were allowed entrance by the guards. They left shortly before Markov and his father returned, presumably from church. The chauffeur remarked over the security force radio that he was taking the car for its daily sweeping.
That evening Markov made a phone call to 'Ekaterina.' They discussed a proposal before 'the committee' and Markov assured her it would be received favorably. Markov flirted with Ekaterian but she rejected his advances. After the call Markov spent several hours playing the PC video game "Planetside" on his home computer using the screen name 'DorianH3x'. He is quite good.
On weekdays, we observed that Markov departs his house at approximately 6:30 am carrying an attache case. X-ray observation would later reveal that this case holds a laptop computer as well as other miscellaneous supplies. His door is guarded on the inside by a sentry armed with an AK-47. He is accompanied in his car by two uniformed guards carrying side arms. The car stops at Napoleons's Folly where Markov has breakfast each morning on the patio. He and his guards then proceeded to the Kremlin where Markov is dropped off at the front door and escorted into the building. At the end of the day Markov and his guards are picked up at the same place. They are driven back to Napoleons's Folly where Markov has dinner in the dining room. Frequently, Markov will leave his attache case in the protection of his guards while he uses the restroom. Markov and his guards are then driven to The Painted Lady where they are dropped off and immediately admitted. Markov hands off his attache case to one of the two staircase sentries and then proceeds upstairs without his bodyguards. The sentry takes the attache case to the kitchen where it is locked in a cabinet. Markov spends from half and hour to four hours upstairs, before he comes down and his attache case is retrieved. He and his guards are then driven home. On early nights Markov plays more "Planetside".
In addition to this daily pattern, we observed that Markov's house in under 24 hour observation by his own security force from the row house across the street. An armed guard is stationed on the roof of Markov's house, in addition to at least four other guards and the chauffeur for a total of six uniformed guards. The number of plain clothes guards stationed across the street was not determined. Markov's father appears to be living with him and spends long evenings sitting on the front porch drinking vodka. Also the father appears to be estranged from Markov's mother. Two arguments between them were observed, and the mother does not appear to live with them.
Also, we observed approximately 40 other people, all male, all well dressed in various uniforms and business suits, who were admitted to the upper level of The Painted Lady. On one occasion we identified Henry Docturo, a Canadian-American who lives in Boston and works for Pierce Securities, carry a large attache case upstairs with him. Later, Markov carried the same case back downstairs and handed it to one of his guards who carried it outside. X-ray observation revealed that the case held a small, extremely dense package that we could not identify. Other upper level patrons were also identified, but no specific connections to Markov were noted.
On the eleventh day of our mission, we made our move on the laptop. Based on our ample photographs, we acquired an attache case identical to Markov's in all ways including weight. When Markov left the attache case behind to use the restroom at Napoleons's Folly, we were able to distract the guards and swap Markov's case for our duplicate. Utilizing boot-up by-pass software, we copied Markov's hard drive and then loaded the data tap program. Markov arrived as usual at the Painted Lady and the duplicate attache case was taken back to the kitchen. The agency arranged for the power grid to the Painted Lady's neighborhood to be shut down on our signal. Once the power went out, utilizing night vision goggles, we entered the kitchen, cracked the combination lock, and switched our duplicate with Markov's original case.
We continued observing Markov for the remainder on the mission duration and did not notice any change in his behavior that would indicate awareness of the compromised laptop. Afterwards, we concluded our surveillance, returned our gear to Magdalena Trikovsky, and returned home.