European Union

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine
SBU identifies Belarus as hub for FSB's clandestine networks into Europe

Kyiv's counter-intelligence services are tracing the networks used by the FSB's Fifth Directorate to organise acts of sabotage and assassinations in Ukraine and the European Union. Its investigators are, in particular, following a route through Belarus to Poland.

Subscribers only Operations, Defence 05.10.2026

On the left, a leaked SBU document relating to the investigation into Ivan Ivanovich Zotchik, sourced from Palantir’s Foundry tool. In the centre, the insignia of the Belarusian KGB and the FSB.

China, European Union
Chinese diplomacy reaching out to MEPs across political board

Signaling a diplomatic thaw between the European Parliament and China, Chinese diplomats have been seeking out its representatives in Strasbourg, going as far as offering some all-expenses-paid trips to Beijing. Meanwhile, France has stepped up its counter intelligence efforts in the city.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 05.10.2026

The European Parliament in Strasbourg, 23 September 2026.

The Agencies' Gazette
ODNI general counsel, Tracfin vs child sexual abuse, Australian-Indian dialogue, UNODC rivalry

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community.

United StatesIntelligence community's general counsel resigns

FranceTracfin publishes details of efforts to combat child sexual abuse

Australia/IndiaAustralia India Institute in Melbourne spearheads strategic partnership

Abu DhabiRival talks at UN Office on Drugs and Crime conf

Subscribers only 05.10.2026

Spotlight | European Union, Yemen
Behind the scenes of EU negotiations to secure Bab el-Mandeb Strait

Since Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis tightened their grip on the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait by seizing further Red Sea islands, the European Union and its member states have been scrambling to agree on a suitable response.

Subscribers only Defence, Back-Door Diplomacy 30.09.2026

A French FREMM-class frigate, the Languedoc (D653), in the Mediterranean Sea on 27 March 2023.

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette
Russian leaks access, ex-CIA opens own firm, Argus and Alsancak tender win

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: every Wednesday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

LondonEx-US Treasury official offering banks access to Russian A7 group leaks data

WashingtonSenior CIA analyst strikes out on his own

BrusselsContinuity in EU security in Ankara with Argus and its local partner

Subscribers only 30.09.2026

European Union, Syria
EU's Kaja Kallas expected in Damascus to pursue Syria's normalisation

The European Union's foreign policy chief is set to visit the Syrian capital on 29 September, where she is due to have a meeting with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 28.09.2026

The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, on 16 September 2026.

United States
US State Department's intelligence arm shakes up executive office

The Bureau of Intelligence and Research has started reshuffling its top team, only a month after Michael Vance officially took over the reins of the Washington-based intelligence agency.

Subscribers only Agencies 25.09.2026

Spotlight | Azerbaijan, Europe, France, Kazakhstan
Usmanov delisted, Latvia's nuclear status confirmed, a pardon: France's intense diplomatic bartering revealed

Published on 23/09/26 at 12:37 GMT: A fierce diplomatic battle waged by Paris behind the scenes has resulted in the lifting of sanctions against Russian-Uzbek businessman Alisher Usmanov. But France's intense lobbying has revealed divisions and posturing both within the EU and French diplomacy.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 23.09.2026

French President Emmanuel Macron walks past (L-R), Bosnia and Herzegovina's chairman of the Presidency Zeljko Komsic, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, on 2 October 2025.

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette
Martin Chulov is back, Ex-DGSE heavyweight in local politics, G4S in Zambia

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: every Wednesday, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community.

DamascusTimios & Co brings former star Middle East journalist on board

Paris/BrittanyEx-DGSE heavyweight moves into local politics

LusakaG4S to protect EU delegation in Zambia for another year

Subscribers only 23.09.2026

Europe, Syria
EU prepares grand return to Syria under heavy security

The EU has been trying behind the scenes to drastically bolster its security presence in the country, as its foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas plans to possibly visit over the next few days. Damascus has set up a system to facilitate relations between service providers and those close to the new regime.

Subscribers only Defence, Contractors 23.09.2026

European Union foreign policy ‌chief Kaja Kallas.

European Union, Poland
Plans to fortify Frontex divide EU members

The European Commission is urging the EU border agency to step up its efforts to monitor social media and strengthen certain aspects of its security capabilities. Yet several member states are resisting. A board meeting, expected to be tense, begins today in Dublin.

Subscribers only Agencies 21.09.2026

Frontex's Executive Director, Hans Leijtens with Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker (seen from behind) at the agency’s HQ in Warsaw on 17 September 2026.

Spotlight | European Union
Ursula von der Leyen organises her intelligence unit and appoints its head

The president of the European Commission has just appointed a senior civil servant and former European master spy to coordinate her security council's new intelligence unit. This individual will also serve as the main point of contact for the liaison officers assigned by the European intelligence services to work with von der Leyen.

Subscribers only Agencies, Back-Door Diplomacy 17.09.2026

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on 15 September 2026.

United States
Russia-Ukraine peace talks: Washington adjusts its teams

The recent appointment of the National Security Council's Europe chief, Chris Curran, who will be called to take part in negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, comes as Washington is looking to scale back the influence of envoys Steve Witkoff and Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

Subscribers only Back-Door Diplomacy 16.09.2026

From left to right, US Vice President JD Vance, Jared Kushner, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump at the inaugural meeting of the 'Board of Peace' in Washington, in February 2026.

China, Europe
The Swiss loophole: how the EU struggles to protect sensitive space research from Beijing

The European Union excluded China and its researchers from its space research funding in late 2025. However, given that Brussels-funded projects on 6G research involve Chinese researchers based in Switzerland, that ban appears far from watertight.

Subscribers only Operations, Defence, Space 14.09.2026

The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, of which Argus Space AG is a part, on 16 June 2025.

Spotlight | Russia, Sri Lanka, UAE
Colombo held talks to buy armoured vehicles from sanctioned Streit Group

Sri Lankan defence officials recently discussed a detailed proposal for the acquisition of armoured SUVs from UAE-based manufacturer Streit, Intelligence Online has learned. The company was sanctioned by the EU last October.

Subscribers only Defence, Contractors 10.09.2026

A Cobra 4 armoured police vehicle manufactured by UAE-based Streit Group on display at the Milipol trade fair in Villepinte, France, on 14 November 2023.

Spotlight | Belarus, France, Russia
DGSE, MI6 flock to Minsk in bid to keep Moscow at bay

CIA director John Ratcliffe was not the only one to head east in recent weeks. Shortly before his visit to Moscow, France's DGSE sent a high-level delegation to Minsk to discuss the Ukrainian conflict. The UK's MI6 already made a similar trip to Belarus last year.

Subscribers only Operations, Back-Door Diplomacy 07.09.2026

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko during a meeting with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence in Russia, on 29 August 2026.

The Agencies' Gazette
CIA World Factbook's comeback, DGSE hopefuls' poor fitness, Vietnam & tax haven talks

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community.

United StatesCongress wants to revive CIA World Factbook

France‘Catastrophic' average score in DGSE recruitment fitness test

Vietnam/FranceTax havens on agenda for To Lam's Paris trip

Subscribers only 07.09.2026

Belgium, China
Chinese defence attaché gets busy in Brussels

The People's Liberation Army representative in Belgium has been trying to build contacts in the civilian defence sector, sparking concerns among those involved. Beijing, which does not have a station chief in Brussels, has in the past relied on its defence and EU missions based there to develop networks.

Subscribers only Defence, Back-Door Diplomacy 07.09.2026

Monaco
With FATF trip, Monaco holds hopes of financial crime 'grey list' removal

A delegation from the Financial Action Task Force which placed Monaco on its "grey list" in mid-2024, will travel to the principality next week. Beyond assessing the technical reforms implemented by Monaco's financial intelligence unit, the trip will focus on evaluating the authorities' actions against money laundering.

Subscribers only Corporate Intel 04.09.2026

Monaco was placed on the FATF's grey list in June 2024.

Spotlight | China, France
NUAA rekindling ties in Europe eight years after Xu Yanjun affair

Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics is once again finding partners in Europe, including with Dassault Systèmes and Birkbeck, eight years after the arrest in Brussels of a Chinese agent who had spied on General Electric and Safran using the institution as a cover.

Subscribers only Operations 02.09.2026

Students from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in China.

Donald Trump

Xi Jinping

GRU

Ursula von der Leyen

CIA

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine SBU identifies Belarus as hub for FSB's clandestine networks into Europe

China, European Union Chinese diplomacy reaching out to MEPs across political board

The Agencies' Gazette ODNI general counsel, Tracfin vs child sexual abuse, Australian-Indian dialogue, UNODC rivalry

United StatesIntelligence community's general counsel resigns

FranceTracfin publishes details of efforts to combat child sexual abuse

Australia/IndiaAustralia India Institute in Melbourne spearheads strategic partnership

Abu DhabiRival talks at UN Office on Drugs and Crime conf

Spotlight | European Union, Yemen Behind the scenes of EU negotiations to secure Bab el-Mandeb Strait

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette Russian leaks access, ex-CIA opens own firm, Argus and Alsancak tender win

LondonEx-US Treasury official offering banks access to Russian A7 group leaks data

WashingtonSenior CIA analyst strikes out on his own

BrusselsContinuity in EU security in Ankara with Argus and its local partner

European Union, Syria EU's Kaja Kallas expected in Damascus to pursue Syria's normalisation

United States US State Department's intelligence arm shakes up executive office

Spotlight | Azerbaijan, Europe, France, Kazakhstan Usmanov delisted, Latvia's nuclear status confirmed, a pardon: France's intense diplomatic bartering revealed

The Corporate Intelligence Gazette Martin Chulov is back, Ex-DGSE heavyweight in local politics, G4S in Zambia

DamascusTimios & Co brings former star Middle East journalist on board

Paris/BrittanyEx-DGSE heavyweight moves into local politics

LusakaG4S to protect EU delegation in Zambia for another year

Europe, Syria EU prepares grand return to Syria under heavy security

European Union, Poland Plans to fortify Frontex divide EU members

Spotlight | European Union Ursula von der Leyen organises her intelligence unit and appoints its head

United States Russia-Ukraine peace talks: Washington adjusts its teams

China, Europe The Swiss loophole: how the EU struggles to protect sensitive space research from Beijing

Spotlight | Russia, Sri Lanka, UAE Colombo held talks to buy armoured vehicles from sanctioned Streit Group

Spotlight | Belarus, France, Russia DGSE, MI6 flock to Minsk in bid to keep Moscow at bay

The Agencies' Gazette CIA World Factbook's comeback, DGSE hopefuls' poor fitness, Vietnam & tax haven talks