Belarus, Europe, Ukraine, United States
US lobbying giant APCO to help Ukraine-based initiative pushing for Kyiv and Minsk's EU integration

Ukraine, United States
Following Penny Pritzker's appointment, USAID prepares reconstruction push in Ukraine

After an internal audit, the Ukrainian branch of the US development aid body aims to position itself as a leading player in the country's reconstruction.

The Agencies' Gazette
Voatz vs Minsk, Russkiy Mir, biometric controls in Israel, Wang Yi in DC

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 bring news from Moscow, Washington, Minsk and Tel Aviv.

US/BelarusBelarusian opposition in talks with secure online voting platform Voatz

RussiaTolstoy descendant to promote Russian soft power

IsraelBiometric cameras against foreign spies

China/United StatesWang Yi expected in Washington in early October

Belarus
Gennady Manko, new security star of exiled opposition, emerges from the shadows

Former intelligence officer and entrepreneur Gennady Manko, an eminence grise of Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovskaya, has been growing in stature as he works to open a "diplomatic mission" in Kyiv.

Belarus
Loyal lieutenant Nikolai Karpenkov prepares for post-Lukashenko

Acting on persistent rumours of President Alexander Lukashenko's possible replacement, his faithful security chief and deputy interior minister colonel Karpenkov has been rallying his network of journalists and experts to broadcast messages of support for the leader and preferred succession scenarios.

Europe
B&S Europe, the provider helping the EU gain influence in Eastern Europe

Business and Strategies in Europe has been contracted by Brussels to help Moldova and the Balkan states with their West-leaning policies, placing it in a strategic position as Russia tries to exert its own influence in these countries.

Document | Belarus, European Union
Synesis fights sanctions and informational attacks from Brussels to Warsaw

Bypol, a grouping of anti-Lukashenko law enforcement officers in exile, has intensified its attacks on social media and keeps lobbying in the EU against the Belarusian facial recognition software developer.

Belarus, Ukraine
Kyiv counts on Kalinovsky Regiment to prepare for a post-Lukashenko Belarus

The Belarusian armed opposition group Kalinovsky, which has been present in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, is becoming ever closer to the Kyiv authorities. Ukraine is hoping to tap into the movement to exert greater influence over Minsk's affairs.

Belarus, Ukraine
Belarusian dissidence forms armed unit under Ukrainian patronage

A section of the opposition to Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko's regime is working with Ukraine's military command to establish a "second international legion". The predominantly Belarusian unit is meant to first fight in Ukraine and later prepare to march on Minsk.

Belarus, Ukraine
Kyiv and Minsk keep diplomatic and trade ties despite sanctions

Despite the sanctions it has itself imposed on Belarus, Ukraine is continuing to import vital supplies from the country. Contact is being discreetly maintained between the two countries via business networks and even through the presidential office in Kyiv.

Belarus
Belarusian facial recognition company set to get a hearing before the EU Court of Justice

Belarusian facial recognition firm Synesis has been fighting for 18 months against an EU decision to sanction it for its alleged role in the repression of protests against the election of Alexander Lukashenko in August 2020.

Belarus, European Union, United States
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.

Belarus
Infighting tears apart Belarus opposition as Moscow, EU and US watch

Rival factions of the Belarusian opposition in exile have openly descended into infighting, accusing each other of collusion with foreign intelligence or even with the government in Minsk. Meanwhile, armed groups continue to plot the regime's downfall.

Spotlight | Ukraine, United States
Anti-corruption controls carried out on US weapons deliveries to Ukraine

The US and Ukraine are looking to provide a clearer framework for military supply deliveries and funding, with Washington seeking stronger guarantees from Kyiv on how funding and weapons are used.

Spotlight | Europe, Ukraine, United States
EU and US add muscle to still headless Ukrainian cyber defence

The cyber troops deployed by the Ukrainian president for the country's 30 years of independence in August have no commander as yet even as Kyiv's Western partners continue to offer generous levers for its cyber tools and Russia tries to impose its own red lines.

Ukraine
Kyiv's unborn economic security bureau caught in NABU-SBU feud

Ukraine's fledgling Bureau of Economic Security was billed as a stalwart against corruption. But its launch under Washington's watchful eye has been fraught with problems.