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Spotlight

RUSSIA

FSB, SVR, GRU: Russian intelligence faces up to its lack of foresight

From left: Valeri Guerassimov, Chief of Staff, Vladimir Putin, Sergei Shoigu, Minister of Defence, and Igor Kostyokov, GRU boss. © Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik/Kremlin Pool

The first days of the offensives launched by Moscow against Ukraine revealed significant shortcomings in the Russian intelligence services. If, at the tactical level, the Spetsnaz and other 'little green men' were well-placed before the operations, their strategic and military plans were weakened by a series of individual biases. [...] (802 words)

Issue dated 07/03/2022 Reading time 4 minutes

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Government Intelligence

War in Ukraine: trouble at the top amongst Russian General Staff

Two officers are coordinating Russia's military offensive in Ukraine directly with Putin, further damaging the image of Minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov. As the Northern Hemisphere's winter approaches, the so-called "special military operation" has had its strategy revised once again. [...]

RUSSIA UKRAINE 13/07/2022

Kyiv goes after FSB's mole recruitment unit

The Ukrainian intelligence services are keeping a very close eye on the actions of the FSB's operational information department, which has recruited several local operatives able to spread Russia's narrative within Ukraine. [...]

RUSSIA BELARUS 11/07/2022

Belarus's KGB administers caution on intelligence cooperation with Russia

The Russian and Belarusian intelligence chiefs met in Moscow on 7 July for what was a routine meeting but not one without its share of tension. Minsk is striving to retain autonomy from its great neighbour to the east. [...]

Spy Way Of Life EUROPE 01/07/2022

Le Plux, Brussels' NATO information goldmine for spies

Across the globe, spies gather in inconspicuous dens, where they meet contacts and hold discreet conversations. This week, Intelligence Online explores Brussel's Place de Luxembourg, known as Le Plux, where EU and NATO officials quaff Belgian beer and chat as Russian spies listen in. [...]

RUSSIA UKRAINE 30/06/2022

Russian army high command reviews its strategic plan in Ukraine

The military situation has forced Moscow to change tactic throughout the conflict zone, from Kharkiv and the Donbass to Odessa. At the same time, the military defence staff is preparing to change the timeline and strategic objectives Russia has set itself in Ukraine. [...]

RUSSIA UKRAINE 23/05/2022

FSB still at forefront of intelligence gathering in Ukraine

Rumours abound about the leadership of the Russian security services deployed in Ukraine to back the military offensive and feed Moscow with intelligence from the field. [...]

RUSSIA 16/05/2022

Operation new recruits: Russian intelligence targets conscripts and students

The increased human resource needs of the intelligence services has lead them to expand their pool of candidates to include those from the army and universities. These drives are being supported by the adoption of new legislative measures by the Duma. [...]

RUSSIA 20/04/2022

Moscow's shadow advisers, intelligence officers and lobbyists lay low

As the hunt for those responsible for Russia's setbacks in Ukraine continues, lobbyists, private consultants and advisers close to the Kremlin, as well as former and current civil servants, are fearing a wave of purges. [...]

UNITED STATES RUSSIA 25/03/2022

US intelligence got confirmation of Russia's plans to invade Ukraine on 18 January

After regular alerts over a two-month period, American intelligence services were able to corroborate their suspicions about Russia's intentions towards Ukraine on 18 January. It was on this date that Washington was finally able to assemble the trail of clues left by Moscow into a coherent whole. [...]

EUROPE RUSSIA 14/03/2022

Ukraine war plunges Russian embassies in Europe into uncertainty

Moscow's diplomatic missions in Western Europe, which parrot the Kremlin line on the Ukraine conflict, remain suspended on the fate of Western embassies in the Russian capital. This is despite the fact that, the expulsions of the last few years notwithstanding, the embassies last year were boosted by the arrival of new intelligence officers. [...]

RUSSIA 07/03/2022

Alexander Zorin, the Russian security super envoy in Syria and Ukraine

The Ukraine conflict has brought back to the fore the negotiation skills of Alexander Zorin, now a general, who had first demonstrated these during Russia's intervention in Syria and then on the Libyan crisis. [...]

A satellite image shows a battalion-sized unit in a convoy near Filativka training area, Crimea February 15, 2022. © Maxar Technologies/Handout via Reuters

Spotlight

UNITED STATES FRANCE RUSSIA UKRAINE 03/03/2022

Geospatial intelligence providers caught in the middle of Russia-Ukraine war

The Russian invasion of Ukraine is almost the first conflict in history to be followed with live and publically available satellite imagery. The intelligence fuelling the information war between Russia and the West is not coming from state services alone. [...]

RUSSIA UKRAINE 01/03/2022

Following Wagner's lead, RSB makes its move into Ukraine

While media attention in Ukraine has been focused on the Wagner group, other Russian private military companies have also been operating in Kyiv. Among those tasked with tracking down President Volodymyr Zelensky is RSB, a company made up of former GRU members that has long been operating in Wagner's shadow. [...]

RUSSIA 17/02/2022

Alongside the Ukraine crisis, the Elysée and the Kremlin keep up talks on military memorials

As Emmanuel Macron was travelling to Moscow, the first steps were taken towards a military memorial project that would be a monument to the dead of the Battle of Borodino in Russia. Moscow views this as a highly symbolic opportunity to strengthen its ties with Paris. [...]

KAZAKHSTAN RUSSIA 15/02/2022

Guided by the FSB, Nur-Sultan and Moscow forge closer links

Kazakhstan and Russia are strengthening ties on several fronts as Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's recent trip to Russia testifies. In fact, this new show of friendship is a sign of the growing cooperation between both countries' intelligence services, over which the FSB has the upper hand. [...]

Kazakstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

FRANCE UKRAINE 15/02/2022

Ukraine's business community steps up pressure on France to align on Nord Stream 2 sanctions

Investment opportunities in Ukraine and sanctions against the Nord Stream 2 pipeline were on the agenda of a recent Paris gathering of Ukrainian and French politicians, business leaders and consultants. [...]

Spotlight

UNITED STATES FRANCE RUSSIA 08/02/2022

TotalEnergies is potential thorn in side of French-US talks on Russia

While French President Emmanuel Macron is trying a new diplomatic approach with Vladimir Putin this week in the Russian-US crisis over Ukraine, a behind-the-scenes battle is being waged to preserve Total's interests in Russia, which is under threat of US sanctions. [...]

RUSSIA 26/11/2021

NIIRK spymasters scrutinise Baltic and Central Asian countries via state media

NIIRK, the small scientific research centre made up of ex-KGB agents is making assessment of "communication flows" a central priority. It is examining these in the three Baltic countries and five Central Asian states where Moscow is trying to push its narratives using soft power tools, such as the Rossotrudnichestvo and state media outlets. [...]

RUSSIA 23/11/2021

Next generation of Russian siloviki blocked by old guard

The Kremlin allowed its most powerful generals to stay on an extra 5 years beyond retirement age and is now looking to extend their careers even further on an ad hoc basis, dashing the prospects of younger officers. [...]

RUSSIA UKRAINE 22/10/2021

Kyiv quietly fuming over Russian memorial to Soviet-era secret agent in Crimea

Being both head of the SVR and chairman of the Russian Historical Society puts Sergey Naryshkin in a position to reinstate a number of Soviet-era intelligence officers and in doing so furthering the Kremlin's regional strategy. [...]

RUSSIA 20/10/2021

CIS spymasters take their orders from Moscow

Summoned to Moscow by the SVR ahead of a CIS summit, the intelligence chiefs of its member states were given a list of urgent issues ranked by order of regional priority. Afghanistan stands out as a primary focus but US influence is never far from the picture. [...]

RUSSIA 14/10/2021

FSB hushes up Russian space programme

FSB Director Alexander Bortnikov's decision to impose restrictions on the dissemination of information about Roscosmos' activities conveniently allows Moscow to conceal space weaponry development. Furthermore, it means public information sharing of difficulties faced by the Russian space agency can be avoided. [...]

RUSSIA 12/05/2021

Putin struggles to renew strategic guard in Middle East

Faced with significant diplomatic and security stakes in that part of the world, the Kremlin is renewing the close guard of siloviki in charge of Russian strategy in the Midle East. But it is struggling to include the younger generation. [...]

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Alexander Bortnikov
European Union
FSB
GRU
GU
Igor Kostyukov
Olaf Scholz
Sergei Narychkin
SVR
Valeri Gerasimov
Vladimir Putin
Volodymyr Zelensky
Wagner

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FSB, SVR, GRU: Russian intelligence faces up to its lack of foresight

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Receive free prompts for these topics

War in Ukraine: trouble at the top amongst Russian General Staff

Kyiv goes after FSB's mole recruitment unit

Belarus's KGB administers caution on intelligence cooperation with Russia

Le Plux, Brussels' NATO information goldmine for spies

Russian army high command reviews its strategic plan in Ukraine

FSB still at forefront of intelligence gathering in Ukraine

Operation new recruits: Russian intelligence targets conscripts and students

Moscow's shadow advisers, intelligence officers and lobbyists lay low

US intelligence got confirmation of Russia's plans to invade Ukraine on 18 January

Ukraine war plunges Russian embassies in Europe into uncertainty

Alexander Zorin, the Russian security super envoy in Syria and Ukraine

Geospatial intelligence providers caught in the middle of Russia-Ukraine war

Following Wagner's lead, RSB makes its move into Ukraine

Alongside the Ukraine crisis, the Elysée and the Kremlin keep up talks on military memorials

Guided by the FSB, Nur-Sultan and Moscow forge closer links

Ukraine's business community steps up pressure on France to align on Nord Stream 2 sanctions

TotalEnergies is potential thorn in side of French-US talks on Russia

NIIRK spymasters scrutinise Baltic and Central Asian countries via state media

Next generation of Russian siloviki blocked by old guard

Kyiv quietly fuming over Russian memorial to Soviet-era secret agent in Crimea

CIS spymasters take their orders from Moscow

FSB hushes up Russian space programme

Putin struggles to renew strategic guard in Middle East

Receive free prompts for these topics

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