ALL ARTICLES - EUROPEAN UNION

• AUSTRIA - Analysts not optimistic about Ukraine's chances

• RUSSIA - Russian influence agency supports African journalists

• UKRAINE - Asset recovery agency steps in line with Europol

• UNITED KINGDOM/UNITED STATES - Britain buddies up with US Space Force

• UZBEKISTAN - Senior officials investigated by State Security Service

• PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - Abbas's presumed successor falls from grace

• BRUSSELS - Kremlin opponents and separatist leaders gather at European Parliament

• CHINA - Xi changes reservist conscription system

APCO working on both sides of Belarusian unrest 

Washington-based lobbying giant APCO just terminated a contract it had just signed with dissident Sviatlana Tskihanouskaya. From Vilnius, she is leading a movement opposing the regime in Minsk. In 2021, APCO briefly represented the opposite side.

• LUXEMBOURG - EIB boosts corporate intelligence budget.
  

• LONDON - FCDO veteran Kilby joins Herminius.

• LONDON - Former Alaco staffer becomes MD at Nardello's London office.
  

• BRUSSELS - European Commission brings in specialist conflict minerals investigators.
  

• LONDON - Enyo sends in lawyers to ICSID

• RUSSIA - Mobilisation a pretext for settling scores between siloviki and opponents.

• IRAQ - The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan puts end to internal feud.
  

• EUROPEAN UNION - EEAS seeks private sector contractor for future strategic foresight hub.
  

• FRANCE/GERMANY/UNITED STATES - Macron tries to revive cyber action programme at UN.
  

• UNITED STATES/CHINA - Battle of defence attachés in Indo-Pacific region.
  

Infinite Orbits moves up from satellite maintenance to high orbit space surveillance 

Geostationary orbit services company Infinite Orbits is aiming to provide in situ surveillance for space assets. Its activities will take it into competition with the programmes of the leading space powers, which are preoccupied with the need to defend their satellites.

• EUROPEAN UNION - Commission ramps up counter-intelligence

• LEBANON - Military intelligence to tackle drug trafficking

• KAZAKHSTAN - Kazakh spymaster enlists financial investigator

• CHINA - Xi Jinping confident Li Shulei named vice director of CCP's propaganda unit

Belgian army benchmarks anti-drone systems before launching procurement 

The Belgian military, which is currently preparing to issue a call for tenders for anti-drone systems, has been meeting the main providers of the anti-drone market.

• UZBEKISTAN/AFGHANISTAN - Tashkent refuses to return Afghan planes to Kabul.

• RUSSIA - Moscow decorates military engineers.

• FRANCE - Marc Burg lures more top spies to his degree course.

• PARIS - Senators call for a law on facial recognition.

• UNITED STATES - DNI tasked again to tackle China's support to Russia.

• EUROPE - Europol, future watchdog of foreign investment in the EU.

European Commission hires US's Rhodium to monitor Chinese investments 

The New York firm will keep a database on Chinese direct investments in Europe, following a less than stellar report on the European mechanism to control foreign investment that came into force in October 2020.

Former Kazakh KGB operatives to provide security for EU delegation in Nur-Sultan 

Former Kazakh armed forces and intelligence service veterans, now working for private sector security operator Grupp Chetyre, are to provide protection for the EU delegation in Kazakhstan.

• LONDON - Wallbrook beefs up China team.

• PARIS - Montlahuc's moves to leave ESL & Network pave way for firm's integration into ADIT.

• BRUSSELS - EUBAM competition gets underway.
  

France weighs in on hybrid warfare debate in NATO 

A document sent by the French prime minister's office to other NATO members highlights the role economic predation can have in hybrid warfare, and points the finger at Beijing and Moscow.

Brexit unleashes uncertainty on EU security contracts in Iraq 

The EU will soon contract a new armed security supplier to protect its delegation in Erbil. Its representation in Baghdad may also be forced to relocate.

Europol's antiterrorism projects annoy Paris 

Earlier this month, the European Commission sent a delegation in an attempt to shift France's refusal to endorse its plans for Europol.

Accusations withstanding, FRONTEX pushes on with technology drive 

While its critics get louder, the European Union border management agency has been increasing the use of technology to conduct its missions.

France's Intrinsec and Britain's Security Alliance help ENISA track down hackers 

As the European Commission's cyber strategy published on 16 December emphasises threat intelligence, ENISA has launched an overhaul of its dedicated infrastructure, with the help of Intrinsec and Security Alliance.

Germany's Secunet to provide cyber-protection for EU Secret 

The European Union (EU), which would like member states' intelligence services to step up their information-sharing, has hired the German cryptography company Secunet to protect European institutions' classified EU Secret information.

Anti-corruption consultants at front line in Ukraine 

Western nations are taking it in turns to tackle corruption in Ukraine, officially to consolidate the country's institutions but also to uncover the financial circuits of pro-Russian oligarchs.