FSB comes back in from the cold

Ultra-nationalists take swipe at Pope's Russian relays 

With the tacit approval of their chaperons in the Russian Orthodox Church and intelligence services, nationalist and religious activists have been waging a coordinated campaign against Pope Francis and his Muscovite networks over the past few weeks.

• TURKEY - Iraq and Syria operations MIT's biggest expense

• FRANCE/UNITED STATES - US and UK left France out of loop over China pilot training

• RUSSIA/UKRAINE - Questions of Ukraine intel fail to shake Beseda from FSB
  

• FRANCE - Finance ministry's intelligence reform ramps up a notch

• UNITED KINGDOM/RUSSIA - Russian author takes swipe at MI6

Strategic disinformation over troops' movements in Belarus intensify on all sides 

Belarusian troop movements and declarations from generals from Minsk to Kyiv are sowing confusion over Russia and Ukraine's actual intentions. When read from a certain angle, however, they also offer clues as to their respective strategic positions.

Russia accelerates use of Belarus as rear training base 

The recent troop movements on Ukraine's northern border illustrate Russia's use of Belarus as a training ground for its new recruits, and its aims to influence how the Belarusian command trains its own personnel.

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.

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.