GRU

The Intelligence Gazette
Canada's CSIS criticised, Zvinchuk hiring, NATO approaches Ukraine intelligence, CCP's candidate for Taiwan, Lahur Talabani spoils the party

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community, from Erbil to Ottawa via Saint Petersburg, Kyiv and Taipei.

Canada/ChinaCSIS at heart of tensions between Ottawa and Beijing

RussiaTelegram channel close to military intelligence is hiring

Ukraine/EuropeNATO boosts cooperation with security teams

TaiwanCCP sees ex-police officer Hou Yu-ih as best shot at presidency

IraqLahur Talabani throws spanner in election plans

Belarus
Belarusian 'Bellingcat' caught up in opposing disinformation campaigns

Run by exiled journalist and activist Anton Motolko, the @Hajun_BY Telegram channel gathers information about Russian troop and military hardware movements in Belarus. Used by private sector consultants and the Belarusian opposition alike, the channel has also come under attack from Belarusian intelligence services.

Russia, Ukraine
Russian intelligence puts down roots in Donetsk

Firmly established in Donbas for many years, Russia's intelligence services have been gradually taking over the dense security apparatus in Donetsk.

Russia
Kremlin-linked Kiriyenkos consolidate influence over cyber and big data markets

Anton Gerasimov's appointment as deputy head of the Ministry of Emergencies adds another link in the chain forming between the Ministry of Digitalisation and Rostelecom around presidential adviser Sergey Kiriyenko.

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine
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.

Ukraine, United States
Private military contractors thrust into heart of Ukraine conflict information war

Reeling from a dispute raging between its leaders, Russian information campaigns and blows to its reputation, Mozart Group's current predicament illustrates the delicate position in which such private security contractors operating on both sides of the conflict find themselves in.

Spotlight | France, Qatar, Russia, United Kingdom, United States
Quest, McLaren and 5 Stones lead the race in 'sport business' investigations boom

After having originally targeted doping and then corruption and sexual and moral abuse, the number of private investigations being carried out in the world of sport has exploded, partly due to the political importance sport has taken on in some countries.

Spotlight | China, Russia
Chinese zero-day hunters skirt restrictions via Russian platforms

Increasing numbers of Chinese vulnerability researchers are selling their findings via specialised Russian platforms, in the context of stricter regulation of the sector in China. The emerging trend also puts China's ability to collect zero days via cohorts of disciplined hackers into perspective.

Belarus, Russia, Ukraine
Moscow plans to hold Donbass with conscripts and prisoners

To make up for the extreme rawness of its recently mobilised recruits, Russia's military command has set up temporary training facilities near the front line and has taken steps to stem a growing tide of desertions.

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.

Russia, Ukraine
Ukraine counter-offensive sparks psychosis among Russia's siloviki

The difficulties of the Russian army in Ukraine are causing a stir in Moscow's military-security circles. Ukraine has stepped into the breach with a volley of informational attacks.

Spotlight | Europe, Russia
Baltic traders ensuring continued export of industrial equipment to Russia

While Lithuania's political class strongly condemns Moscow and is pushing for tough sanctions on the country, the Baltic state is still a hub for shipments of Western European machinery and electrical equipment to Russia. These exports are often camouflaged under a Kazakh flag.

Russia
War in Ukraine: trouble at the top amongst Russian General Staff

Two officers are coordinating Russia's military offensive in Ukraine directly with Putin, further damaging the image of Minister Shoigu and General Gerasimov. As the Northern Hemisphere's winter approaches, the so-called "special military operation" has had its strategy revised once again.

Azerbaijan
Baku intelligence prioritises cyber upgrades

Hoping to tap into the exodus of Russian and Ukrainian IT experts to boost their own pool of experts, the Azerbaijani intelligence services are determined to modernise their cyber ecosystem.