Spotlight | Russia, Ukraine
Kherson to serve as Moscow's laboratory for integration of occupied territories

Russia, Ukraine
Petr Konyushenko, Russia's new energy honcho in Donbass

The director of Rosatom's electricity trading subsidiary is launching a business in Ukrainian regions controlled by Moscow.

Russia
Moscow tightens administrative grip on Russian-occupied Ukrainian territory

Kremlin ideologues are preparing elections in Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Donbass regions in a bid to strengthen Moscow's administrative control.

North Korea, Russia, Ukraine
North Korean labourers ready to start rebuilding the Donbass in mid-July

Russian deputy PM Marat Khusnullin's teams are ready to start welcoming North Korean building workers in Moscow before sending them off into the territories occupied by Russia in eastern Ukraine. The operation is creating a lot of work for Russia's security and para-security services.

Russia
Kremlin sends in star private consultant Firdus Aliyev to bring opposition LPDR party into line

Powerful presidential adviser and ideologist Sergey Kiriyenko plans to place one of his political strategists in the opposition LPDR party to keep tighter control over its positions on the Russian military campaign in Ukraine.

Russia, Ukraine
Russian intelligence puts down roots in Donetsk

Firmly established in Donbas for many years, Russia's intelligence services have been gradually taking over the dense security apparatus in Donetsk.

Russia
Kremlin-linked Kiriyenkos consolidate influence over cyber and big data markets

Anton Gerasimov's appointment as deputy head of the Ministry of Emergencies adds another link in the chain forming between the Ministry of Digitalisation and Rostelecom around presidential adviser Sergey Kiriyenko.

North Korea, Russia
Pyongyang in talks with Moscow on access to Donbass

North Korean diplomats recently attended several meetings at Russia's foreign affairs ministry to discuss their country's possible role in Donetsk and Lugansk. Pyongyang is reported to have asked for access to Western weapons seized by Moscow and to have offered civilian manpower.

Spotlight | Ukraine
Kyiv seeks ground-based ISR sensors to match Russia's air supremacy

The Ukrainian armed forces still rely heavily on data provided by their US partners. As flying its intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft becomes increasingly hazardous, the ministry of defence sent out feelers to acquire ground-based sensors.

The Agencies' Gazette
Truce in Yemen, Russian executives, Transnistria, Rosfinmonitoring

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community. This week, we home in on Saana, Moscow and Tiraspol.

YemenAnsarullah still vindictive despite truce

RussiaTemporary lease of life for top security officers

MoldaviaTransnistria, on the lookout, barricades itself

RussiaFinancial intel service keeps its staff happy

Russia, Ukraine
Moscow's shifting security and political strategies in the Donbass

The heavy losses suffered by its armies in Donetsk and Luhansk are forcing Moscow to review its political and security roadmap for the territories.

Spotlight | Russia, Ukraine, United States
Kyiv and Washington coordinate future sanctions against Moscow

A group of senior officials, lobbyists, academics, activists, investigators and communications experts are drawing up lists of potential targets for US sanctions against Russia, as well as promoting new international political reprisals.

Russia, Ukraine
Kyiv and Moscow battling for control of European media narrative

Following Russia's attack on Ukraine, information, and who controls it, has become even more vital to both sides as they try to shape the narrative on the war to their liking, with scrutiny of European media reports high in Kyiv and Moscow.

Spotlight | Russia, Ukraine
Kyiv and Moscow weaponise citizenship in battle for influence

The "Centre", the headquarters of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency, has long used compatriots for intelligence or influence operations. Ukraine has in contrast relied little on its own nationals or descendants living abroad. But Volodymyr Zelensky now intends to exploit this precious resource.