European Union

Poland
Poland's military industry focuses on underwater protection

Poland's physical proximity to the war in Ukraine has prompted a drive to rearm quickly. The government has recently shifted the focus of its military procurement plans to underwater protection.

Moldova
Counter-intelligence and external intelligence reforms examined in Moldova

Keen to show impeccable credentials to its future European and US allies, the Republic of Moldova is implementing measures to stamp out corruption and improve transparency and governance. Its intelligence sector is no exception and is also set to come under Western-style governance rules.

European Union, Georgia, UAE
EU supplying Georgia with cyber tools via UN and distributor SAT

The European Union (EU) has decided to supply cyber arms to EU membership applicant Georgia. It is supplying systems from Emirati forensics and cyber intelligence systems distributor Scientific Analytical Tools (SAT) via the United Nations Office for Project Services.

The Corporate Intelligence Village Voice
Ex-Erys found Audacia, GlobalPoint backs Saakashvili, Araud joins Portland, Raedas checks the books

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: each week, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community. This week, we go to Paris, Tbilisi, Washington and London.

ParisFormer Erys bosses create Audacia.

Tbilisi/WashingtonGlobalPoint and Akerman helping Saakashvili in DC.

Paris/London/WashingtonFormer French ambassador Gérard Araud joins Portland, which lobbies for Qatar and Kazakhstan.

LondonRaedas sorts out its books.

Belarus
Belarusian facial recognition company set to get a hearing before the EU Court of Justice

Belarusian facial recognition firm Synesis has been fighting for 18 months against an EU decision to sanction it for its alleged role in the repression of protests against the election of Alexander Lukashenko in August 2020.

The Corporate Intelligence Village Voice
McLarty and Ikea, UN investigator in Manchester, Avisa in crypto, SFO's Edwards, Houghton at Strategy&

Appointments, financial results, new contracts: each week, we report on events both big and small that matter in the global corporate intelligence community. This week, we go to Brussels, before heading to Manchester and then on to Paris and London.

Brussels Ikea to turn to McLarty over possible Belarusian prisoner links?

Manchester New investigation firm for the UK's North West

Paris Avisa Partners counts on fledgling RAID Square for crypto-investigations

London Former SFO Kellie Edwards goes solo

London Houghton advises Strategy&, drops Crossword

France, Syria, Turkey
Between asset freezes and support, Paris displays contradictory stance over Kurds

Recent French sanctions against individuals suspected of financing the Kurdish Workers Party, or PKK, highlight incoherent foreign policy towards the Kurdish movement.

Moldova, Russia
Moldovan intelligence ups its game in the face of Russian infiltration

With the Russia-Ukraine war unfolding on its doorstep, the small ex-Soviet state, which has just applied for EU membership, is bracing for disruption. Its security services are stepping up anti-corruption and anti-disinformation efforts against Russian infiltration in the country.

Europe
MEPs push for tighter cyber intelligence norms despite cooperation glitches

Having struggled to garner much input from the bloc's members states, the European Parliament's committee of inquiry into the Israeli spyware Pegasus has had to call on investigative journalists and independent cyber experts. That has not stopped it trying to push through new cyber intelligence standards.

Spotlight | Europe
Defence companies position themselves for new European cyber situational awareness platform

A European Cyber Situational Awareness Platform, to be built under a programme launched by the European Commission last month, will add another layer to the EU's hybrid warfare apparatus, which some big defence companies are already engaged in.

France, United Kingdom
Petr Aven and Mikhail Fridman lead the charge against sanctions

The two businessmen are each trying as much to distance themselves from the Russian government as to take on sanctions imposed on them by the UK and the European Union - and they are using the same circles of French and British lawyers to do so.

Ukraine, United Kingdom
Highgate revives its Ukrainian networks for Wagner prosecution case

London intelligence firm Highgate is counting on its strong Ukrainian links to back lawyers from McCue Jury and Partners, who are representing a group of Kyiv citizens taking Russian paramilitary group Wagner before the High Court in London for allegations of terrorism.

The Intelligence Gazette
CIA's HR woes, Hamas and Taliban in Istanbul, Tbilisi's oligarchs, France's DPR, China worries Russia, repatriated Afghans

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 hone in on Istanbul, Washington, Paris, Moscow, Kabul and Tbilisi.

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

United States
Afghan debacle turns into financial difficulties for US armed security giants

The financial repercussions of the United States' withdrawal from Afghanistan have caught up with security giant Constellis and other groups active in the country before the Taliban resumed control.

Belarus
Belarus intelligence spreads fog of war over defectors and prisoners

The Belarusian KGB and ministry of the interior have been using real and fake arrests to spread confusion as it takes a more staunchly pro-Russian line. This is accompanied by attempts to infiltrate opposition movements.

European Union, Israel
ActiveFence's ex-Unit 8200 counter-disinformation specialists eye EU contracts

Last week in Brussels, Israeli startup ActiveFence tried to get closer to the European External Action Service's East StratCom Task Force. The latter's head, Lutz Gülllner, is looking to turn it into a full-fledged European counter-disinformation agency.

Japan
Japan counts on Sasakawa Foundation to secure its place in US and European plans

Japan's foreign ministry is sponsoring researchers from the Sasakawa Peace Foundation to help redefine the country's vision of the Indo-Pacific region and, with the help of Japanese embassies abroad, spread the word in international colloquiums.