Spotlight | Russia, Ukraine
In Moscow and Crimea, Ukrainian saboteurs are a thorn in the FSB's side

Ukraine
Agents from Kyiv's foreign intelligence service active on frontline

The discreet Ukrainian intelligence agency, the SZRU, is typically seen as a bureaucratic machine dedicated primarily to analysis production. It is, however, implicated on the ground.

The Intelligence Gazette
FSB in the Black Sea, French cyber labs, Warsaw's spy clinic, US's emotional intel training

Appointments, reforms and key issues: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community, from Moscow to Warsaw, and Paris to Washington.

Russia FSB border guards rule over Black Sea coast

France Britanny's new cyber lab

Poland Military intelligence clinic gets new status

United States Emotional intelligence course for elite commandos

Russia, United States
Cyber Threat Intelligence, the latest geopolitical battleground

Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky's report on Operation Triangulation is indicative of the increasing popularity of using CTI for political influence.

Ukraine
Ukrainian know-how still exporting to Africa, despite the war

Armed with their experience in electronic warfare and interception, several Ukrainian companies are finding outlets on the African continent, such as in Ethiopia and South Africa.

Russia, Ukraine
Donetsk takes a page from Russia's anti-terrorist playbook

The self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk's main security and intelligence institution has handed the keys for its security infrastructure to Russian emissaries.

France, Russia
The thriving French networks of Russian deputy PM Khusnullin

The Russian deputy PM for construction and regional development Marat Khusnullin is very well-connected in France, counting among his valuable contacts former French minister Maurice Leroy, as well as Gérard Mestrallet, who headed a number of major French utility companies.

United States
Counter-influence expert looking for funding to develop cyber activities

EdgeTheory, a service provider to the US intelligence community, wants to extend its expertise to cyber and has approached lobbyist Alpine Group Partners to look for funding.

Russia
Financial incentives and social perks aplenty to attract new Russian intelligence talent

A series of measures has been taken since the start of the year in Russia in response to the country's military and intelligence human resource needs. The plan is to hire more broadly and improve the attractiveness of jobs in the security apparatus.

Spotlight | France, Ukraine
French intelligence service kiboshes naturalisation of Ukrainian potential asset

Despite Paris's support for Kyiv, France's domestic intelligence service remains concerned about counter-espionage. France's refusal to grant citizenship to a Ukrainian professor, based on a note from the DGSI, shines a spotlight on the service's interests in Ukraine's State representations in the French capital.

Spotlight | Ukraine
Turmoil and gains for Ukraine's spymasters at heart of the war

The Ukrainian intelligence landscape has undergone deep tectonic shifts since Russia's invasion nearly a year ago. Former prominent figures have fallen while previously less sought-after services have risen in power, cooperation partnerships have been formed and missions refocused.

Russia
Kremlin ploughs more funding and staff into Russian Federation Investigative Committee

Russia's 2023 budget earmarks more funding for military investigators for the Russian Federation Investigative Committee, whose director Alexander Bastrykin has an in-tray overflowing with Ukrainian 'war crimes', sabotage, foreign agent and corruption cases.

The Intelligence Gazette
French DGSI's new hiring cell, Rosgvardia's deputy directors, Tel Aviv boosts Albanian cyber, New York jet-setter wins case against Moscow

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 Paris, Tel Aviv, Tirana and Moscow.

FranceDGSI's new recruitment cell.

RussiaA new deputy for Zolotov.

Israel/AlbaniaTel Aviv pledges cyber security boost to Tirana.

France/RussiaMoscow loses case in Paris court.

Russia
New FSB special forces chief takes charge

Alexander Bondarenko is the new commander of the FSB's special forces and will oversee counter-terrorism, critical infrastructure protection and operational support operations in Ukraine. Predecessor Alexander Tikhonov is stepping down following a legal scandal.

Russia
Vladimir Selin: the FSB's man in charge of protecting state secrets

Vladimir Selin, head of the Federal Service for Technical and Export Control, also heads the inter-ministerial committee for the protection of state secrets, which is tightly controlled by the FSB. Its main purpose is to oversee the systems used to protect vital, strategic information.

Russia, Ukraine
Moscow's new high command embarks on three-stage scorched earth offensive

Surrounded by powerful rivals, new Russian commander in Ukraine Sergey Surovikin is looking to establish his authority with an audacious battle plan. His aim is to retake lost Ukrainian territory, force Kyiv to negotiate and win the confidence of Vladimir Putin.

Spotlight | Ukraine, United States
Ukrainian military intelligence prepares to demonstrate its cyber offensive capacities in DC

A summit dedicated to the hybrid war between Ukraine and Russia is to take place in Washington, thanks to sponsorship from private sector cyber security and intelligence operators and CIA venture capital firm In-Q-Tel. The event will highlight the cyber offensive operations carried out by Ukraine's GUR.

The Intelligence Gazette
Tracfin, Shin Bet in Cairo, FSB's coast guards, the SBU

Appointments, reforms and key issues: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets of news, big and small, from the global intelligence community. This week we hone in on Tracfin, Shin Bet in Cairo, FSB's coast guards, the SBU.

FranceTracfin seeks new chief to boost technical department.

Israel/EgyptRonen Bar on reconciliation mission in Cairo.

RussiaFSB coast guards take the plunge.

UkraineDeath a regional SBU head sparks probe.

Russia, Ukraine
Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services keep close watch over Kerch Strait Bridge

The Russian bridge over the 35 km-long strait, which has both symbolic and strategic importance, has been kept under increased surveillance by both the Ukrainian and Russian intelligence services in recent months.

Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia
FSB keeps close watch on Caucasian borders

The FSB's border patrol is hard at work in the highly volatile Caucasus region, along Russian borders with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The number of control sites is growing and growing.

Ukraine
Ukraine parliament to vote on intelligence role for military commandos

With tensions with Russia rising exponentially and Ukraine's SBU currently undergoing reform, Kyiv may entrust its military special forces with more intelligence and counterintelligence missions.

Russia
Changes in FSB regional heads highlight rising stars

While FSB officers' assignments are often the subject of fierce rivalries between ambitious young men, the positions of regional heads are kept for the most promising among them. The new postings give a glimpse of some of Moscow's future leaders but also reveal those who are being dispensed with for having not met Russia's domestic spy agency's expectations.

Spotlight | Ukraine
New Ukrainian underground special forces training centre out of commission due to flood

At a time when Kiev has been looking to modernise its defence arsenal and strengthen its military capacities to deal with the threat from its Eastern neighbour, a recently-rehabilited training site has been put out of action.