Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online visits Shokoladnitsa in Moscow, a simple cafe that serves as an annex and an anteroom to Russia's presidential administration.
A sweeping glance inside the unassuming Shokoladnitsa in Moscow's historic centre reveals an unusual clientele. Seated on one table, the head of the youth department browses through her notes on the sports and cultural events to be deployed in the self-proclaimed Donetsk Republic (DNR). In another corner, two fresh-faced plain-clothed security guards, given away by their cauliflower ears, are holding a personal conversation while scanning their surroundings almost instinctively out of professional
