Abbas Kamel opens path to Iran, Kadyrov splits Rosgvardia, ABW taken aback

Russian soft power services and agencies promote Russian unity in North Caucasus and Crimea 

Away from the military front, Russia and Ukraine are also waging an influence war, with Moscow trying to foster loyalty to the Russian Federation in the North Caucasus ethnic Muslim republics.

• RUSSIA - Kovalchuk clan adds another link to Kremlin spymasters

• IRAQ - INIS helps with Sudani's crackdown on corruption

• UNITED STATES/SAUDI ARABIA - Washington calls for greater intelligence sharing with Gulf Cooperation Council

• CHINA - Beijing relies on reserves to expand PLA

• CHINA - Lu Shaye, ambassador in Paris, in Beijing's good graces

• UNITED STATES - CIA experimenting to solve HR crisis

• TURKEY/PALESTINE/AFGHANISTAN - Istanbul hosts Hamas-Taliban rapprochement

• GEORGIA - Tbilisi looks into its oligarchs

• FRANCE - DPR still not entitled to know about operations in progress

• RUSSIA - Moscow's foreign affairs ministry reassesses view of China

• AFGHANISTAN/EUROPE - Europe's greater numbers of repatriated Afghans

Kremlin takes back control of Dagestan's power grid with Iran in sight 

Entwined with its goal to lock in control of the small Caucasus republic, starting with the local oligarchs who have since been ousted from the power sectors, is the Kremlin's desire to create new openings towards Iran for its national energy groups Gazprom and Rosseti.

Egyptian spymaster Abbas Kamel discusses Egypt-Iraq rapprochement with Tehran 

Even as Cairo and Baghdad publicise their strategic partnership, Egyptian intelligence services are talking with Tehran behind the scenes on how best to protect Egyptian interests in Iraq.