Fundamentals of activity of special services of foreign states. Modern means and methods of conducting intelligence by foreign technical equipment Activities of foreign intelligence services
culture
Do you feel like someone is following you, reading your email and listening in on your phone conversations? Do not rush to run to a psychiatrist! It could be THEM! No, not aliens, but very real people - intelligence officers. And do not think that you are too insignificant to be of interest to the knights of the cloak and dagger. Do you have relatives abroad? Why not watch! Who doesn't have them now, you say? Do you know exactly what they do? No? And the intelligence services know! Speaking seriously, the special services of any country now have a sufficiently wide potential to hunt down almost anyone. Does this mean that someone can periodically follow you? Well, if your activity can be of at least some interest to the special services, then this is quite possible. So, we bring to your attention a list of the ten most influential intelligence agencies in the world.
1. RSI (India)
The intelligence community of India is the most powerful tool in the service of the national interests of the country, which includes all units of domestic and foreign intelligence. This organization has always attracted the close attention of Western intelligence services, in particular, because of the close relationship of the so-called RSI Research and Analysis Department with the intelligence services of the Soviet Union and Israel. Going undercover and gathering all sorts of information is a long way off. not the only goals of the work of the RSI that she pursued in other states. However, some facts indicate that until 1977, Soviet intelligence played the main violin in many aspects of the life of the Indian people, generously funding the government of India. However, the KGB did not work clearly enough, throwing money away, as they failed to maintain the influence of the communist party of this country on the leadership. Be that as it may, many experts are sure that the RSI danced to the tune of the USSR for a long time.
2. ASRA (Australia)
The main mission of the Australian Secret Intelligence Agency is to collect and analyze information in the Western Pacific region, identify sabotaging civilians, and fight terrorism. Probably no one will be surprised by the fact that the ASRA structure is built on the principle of the British intelligence service MI6. It is noteworthy that the powers of Australian intelligence officers are extremely limited. In general, there is little information about the Australian intelligence service. This can mean two things: either it works very well, or it works very poorly. Perhaps the reason for this is the remoteness of the Australian mainland from other continents. Australian intelligence was at one time reproached for intervening too much in the private lives of its citizens. I also recall a very curious case when, during a training operation to free one of the hotels in Melbourne from imaginary terrorists, representatives of the Australian intelligence services dispersed so much that they caused significant damage to the hotel and used physical violence against several hotel employees.
3. PMR (Pakistan)
One of the powerful intelligence services is located in such a South Asian state as Pakistan. In fact, this is not surprising, since Pakistan often found itself in the center of multiple military conflicts in the territories adjacent to its border. That is why many experts consider the PMR one of the most well-organized intelligence services in the world. There is far from an unambiguous attitude towards this organization in the country, since Pakistani intelligence is often called "a state within a state." Very often, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence attracts the close attention of Western intelligence agencies.(although it seems that this interest never fades!). US officials often accuse Pakistani intelligence agencies of links to terrorist organizations, in particular, support for the Taliban, an Islamic movement officially labeled a terrorist organization by the UN. Against the background of this information, the recent transfer of two reconnaissance aircraft from the US Navy to Pakistan's maritime intelligence cannot but cause bewilderment. Here they are, real spy intrigues!
4. FRS (Germany)
The Federal Intelligence Service of Germany has a trail of high-profile and successful operations carried out in the history of the existence of this organization. The Fed is a real player, influencing the policies of many foreign countries as well. The most complex structure of this organization is due to the numerous issues that have to be resolved daily within the framework of national security by FRS employees. However, despite all the power of this organization, an absurd case is recalled, which occurred in 1997, which exposed the Fed's foreign intelligence agents under attack. The fact is that the leadership of the Fed issued special badges with the inscription "I love the Fed". It was supposed to use the proceeds from the sale of these badges to build kindergartens for the children of intelligence officers. The comical situation lay in the fact that almost all the offspring of scouts who played in the courtyards of Munich, conducting important and secret activities on the territory of other states, were wearing these badges. Finding out in whose families the parents work in intelligence was not difficult ...
5. GDVB (France)
Although many ill-wishers call the French "paddling pools", the General Directorate of External Security of the country boasts the most widespread spy network not only in Europe, but also in the United States of America. At one time, agents of the French secret services had a very high reputation: their training was so well established that French agents were considered among the most inventive in the conduct of business within the framework of foreign intelligence. However, since France has been flooded with an unceasing stream of emigrants, all the forces of the French special services were forced to throw in the fight against the terrorist threat and to prevent terrorist attacks. Unfortunately, despite the fact that the leadership of France has repeatedly tried to convince its citizens that they are carefully filtering the flow of emigrants, skirmishes occur in this country every now and then, in which visitors are involved. The most recent incident occurred more recently when an Algerian man shot and killed three French soldiers after claiming to be acting on behalf of al-Qaeda. However, according to official authorities, no connection between the killer and the terrorist organization could be identified...
6. MGB (China)
"Knock-knock-knock, I'm your friend!" Probably, this motto would be best suited for the Chinese special services. Agents of many countries note the complete impossibility of functioning on the territory of the People's Republic of China due to the extremely well-functioning system of denunciations built by the Ministry of State Security of the PRC. Even the all-powerful West admits its helplessness in the face of the might of the Chinese intelligence agencies, noting the fact that the Chinese are a people who are used to planning for decades to come. The Chinese themselves have long recognized their lagging behind in terms of technical equipment from the same American army, relying on the development of information technology and the corresponding technical equipment of their special services. Every now and then you can hear about how another Chinese hacker hacked another security system of another American server. The question - whether this is the work of home-grown specialists or Chinese special services - remains open. The leadership of the PRC itself stated that the purpose of the activities of their MGB "is to ensure the security of the state by organizing effective measures against the invasion of enemy agents, spies and counter-revolutionaries whose activities are aimed at undermining the development of China's socialist system". How familiar is it to the citizens of the former USSR, isn't it?
7. MI6 (UK)
Even a person who is very far from Hollywood and the film industry knows perfectly well that there is no stronger intelligence service than the British MI6, since the invincible James Bond is in the service of this organization. After all, it is in MI6 that you can find the most modern types of weapons, the fastest cars, the most sophisticated spy devices, the most beautiful women, and also the most difficult tasks! Jokes are jokes, but until 1994 the highest leadership of Foggy Albion denied the existence of the MI6 Secret Intelligence Service, which dealt with foreign intelligence. Why not the best example of secrecy? The activities of MI6 agents have always been shrouded in a veil of secrecy. In fact, for every employee of this intelligence service, any secret mission in case of failure was considered a one-way ticket - none of the highest ranks of Britain would recognize not only the belonging of a failed agent to his secret service, but even the very existence of such a service! It is no wonder that all the stories around MI6 are pure speculation, shrouded in a halo of mystery and obscurity.
8. CIA (USA)
America's Central Intelligence Agency needs no introduction. There are so many scandals around this organization that would be enough for a dozen other special services. At one time in our country, the CIA created an aura of not just an enemy, but an evil and insidious machine, whose tireless activity was aimed at undermining the foundations of the Soviet state. During the so-called Cold War, the name of this intelligence service almost frightened children. At this point in time, the CIA has significantly increased its troubles, since one of the main goals of this department is the fight against international terrorism. One can, of course, say that the special services overdid it in this struggle, destroying the "enemy" on its own territory, moreover, when this does not in any way infringe on America's national interests. However, this is probably how an exemplary intelligence organization should work, who knows ... On his 50th birthday, President Clinton said: "... Americans will never know the whole story of their courage (CIA agents)...". Yes, it seems that few people have had a chance to learn not only the whole history of the courage of CIA agents, but also what this organization actually does.
9. KGB (USSR)
Who definitely needs no introduction is the USSR State Security Committee. And although this organization was officially abolished back in 1991, the echoes of the activities of the KGB make half the world shake with fear (moreover, this fear is based, for the most part, only on stories within the framework of anti-Soviet propaganda led by the CIA). It should be noted that the committee members organized a system of denunciations, which worked no worse than in China. It is believed that information about the many secrets that cause the widest stir(the death of Hitler, UFOs, and so on, so on, so on), is kept in the archives of the KGB. In fact, there are much more of these secrets, and the activities of the organization on the territory of other countries during the existence of the Soviet state are shrouded in even greater mystery than information about how they actually did with the remains of Hitler. The KGB no longer exists, but many remember this organization as a tool in the fight against the Russian intelligentsia. However, one should not underestimate the merits of this special service in the fight against the threat to the statehood of the USSR.
10. Mossad (Israel)
What do you think, which intelligence service is considered the most effective, and its employees the most trained professionals? No, it's not the CIA at all. According to the unanimous opinion of most experts, the Israeli Intelligence and Special Tasks Agency (Mossad) is considered the most professional. In principle, there is nothing unusual in the work of this organization - it is engaged, like many of its colleagues in other countries, in the collection and analysis of information, conducts various operations outside the territory of Israel, and, in principle, does everything for the security and integrity of his country. What is the effectiveness of this special service? In fact, it is the Mossad employees who can be considered the real knights of the cloak and dagger, because thanks to their efforts in Israel, bordering on such hotbeds of tension as Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip and Egypt, it is possible to maintain order and a peaceful way of life. And this is despite the fact that representatives of all ethnic groups, religious teachings and confessions are simply mixed in this country! Here's someone really worth learning from!
The introduction of agents of the secret services of foreign states goes through two main channels:
- 1) their inclusion in various observer missions;
- 2) activities of intelligence agents under the guise of humanitarian organizations and business structures.
The main areas of work of foreign intelligence services and diplomatic missions:
- 1) collection and analysis of information about the situation in society, the state of power and opposition, protest moods, etc.;
- 2) establishing contacts with local NGOs, representatives of the elite, the media, leaders of opposition forces (in the absence of obvious authoritative and charismatic leaders, identifying possible candidates, as was the case with the figure of V. Kostunica in Yugoslavia), business communities, authoritative representatives of the local community (including in other countries);
- 3) the formation of a mass protest movement, overseeing events to "promotion" of the opposition;
- 4) organization of training seminars and trainings for opposition activists;
- 5) transportation and distribution of cash flows for the opposition:
- 6) tracking the actions of the authorities in the situation of the beginning of the confrontation with the opposition;
- 7) blackmailing government officials, real and potential supporters of government, representatives of law enforcement agencies and the army in the process of preparing a color revolution;
- 8) control over the actions of the oppositionists themselves, preventing the possibility of collusion with the authorities, the introduction of agents of local special services into the opposition environment, and the leakage of information.
The basis for agreements, blackmail and recruitment are:
- 1) the vulnerability of the business of these persons both domestically and abroad. The merging of the business community and the bureaucracy, which is typical for developing countries, the presence of public servants of their own business structures and assets makes them vulnerable to external blackmail if they have a business outside the state or its dependence on external sources;
- 2) the threat of criminal prosecution and arrest in the territory of other states on charges of corruption, war crimes, etc. The deprivation of the possibility of movement outside the state is, among other things, a continuation of the tactics of economic blackmail;
- 3) the presence of serious compromising evidence, the possibility of its effective publication and "promotion" both before the start of the coup and after it ends, if the person does not express readiness for cooperation and finally ends up in the camp of the losers. The effectiveness of compromising evidence is largely determined by the possibility of its publication in a specific socio-political situation of confrontation between various political cliques. The opposing faction can grab onto it and “spin it” for their own purposes. Or this person can be transferred to the status of a "scapegoat" for his own, forced (or willing) to "merge" him. Also, the basis for blackmail and recruitment can be the possibility of fabrication and promotion (both in domestic and international media) of compromising evidence, even in the absence of it;
- 4) "positive compromising evidence". Knowing the interests, needs and goals of the individual allows him to "buy", without resorting to intimidation with negative sanctions. After all, the "revolution" can well reward its supporter in a situation of dividing portfolios and property concentrated in the hands of the "anti-people regime";
- 5) direct or indirect bribery. Latent bribery can be expressed in the provision of opportunities and preferences to the business of this person and/or his relatives.
Ted Garr has the following interesting statement: “One of the most powerful effects of the “revolutionary appeals” is to convince people that political violence can provide for the acquisition of values \u200b\u200bthat match the price of risk and guilt, or even exceed them.”
In 2003, the German director Suzanne Brandstetter filmed a documentary film investigating the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime - "Checkmate - A Strategy for a Revolution or a Case Study of American Politics". Dominique Fontvielle, a former officer of the French special services, tells about the methods of "organizing the revolution" in the film.
- 1. First, it is necessary to identify in a given country those forces that oppose the regime in order to destabilize it, to identify people who are opposed to the existing regime, who have influence and enjoy the trust of the population.
- 2. An effective propaganda campaign should be launched from the outside, which tries to prove that this regime is hated by everyone, that it is isolated from other countries, that it no longer has the right to be called a free state. And it should be shown that the opposition movements that will appear are legitimate.
- 3. Preparation of the future head of state. It will be necessary to replace the head of the old regime. He has to be prepared, he has to take office naturally. This means that he must be one of the leaders of the opposition movement or he must be recognized by all opposition movements. It should also not be someone who will be satisfied with twenty years in exile and then arriving in the country in a foreign convoy or in an airplane along with special forces, which must carry out the first stages of destabilization. He must be persuasive, otherwise he cannot emerge or even create a credible government.
In line with the concepts of "cultural hegemony" by A. Gramsci, the American concept of "soft power" is largely built. If the intelligentsia in a particular society has a lot of weight and is the real ruler of thoughts, it immediately acts as an interesting and necessary object for recruitment. Lack of understanding of the power of ideas and ideas spread among the intelligentsia over the formation of the contours of the "image of the future" destroyed the inflexible political regimes of the countries of the socialist camp and the USSR. The former Hungarian dissident Enike Bollobash, who in 1989 was the deputy ambassador of Hungary in Washington, tells about her close ties with the “diplomats” from the CIA during the preparations for the overthrow of the Ceausescu regime in the Socialist Republic of Romania: “They wanted to unite all those who were against Ceausescu and pro-democratic. They managed to recruit important Romanian intellectuals, writers, thinkers, philosophers and scientists. It was a time when meetings with these diplomats took place at night under the bridge, and various legends had to be invented. This small network in Romania managed to prepare public opinion, which then created the right environment for the overthrow of Ceausescu.
Chapter 11
Intelligence and counterintelligence are important elements of the national security system. These two services should, in my opinion, be considered in organic interaction.
Intelligence and subversive activities of foreign states is a challenge to Russia's national security. True, the challenge is far from the only one. But for counterintelligence agencies, it poses a serious threat that requires daily attention. Blocking this activity is one of the most important concerns of counterintelligence. Of course, for special services and counterintelligence in particular, as for state institutions that do not operate in a vacuum, the internal situation in the country, the state of its economy, its international weight and significance are not indifferent.
The state and society cannot give a damn about how the country's national security is ensured, how it is protected from the subversive activities of foreign special services. The thesis that Russia has no opponents can only disarm, serve as yet another justification for inattention to its intelligence and counterintelligence agencies.
The US administration, relying on force and playing with militaristic biceps, does not seem averse to playing the role of master of the situation in the world. Some diplomatic decorum, covered up by peacekeeping clothes, still remains. Political instability and, most importantly, a collapsing economy determine the real possibility that Russia will lose its position as a great power capable of seriously taking care of its national security.
S. Rogov, director of the Institute for the USA and Canada of the Russian Academy of Sciences, offers his own analysis of the situation in this connection. This analysis, it must be said frankly, is far from optimistic, and there is no need to argue with that.
In the nineties, notes S. Rogov, « the share of the Russian Federation in the world economy has decreased by about three times, and in comparison with the USSR - almost five times." On the face - "unprecedented economic crisis", calculations for a miracle -" unfounded". Considering with some caution that the military threat to Russia is at a relatively low level,” director is forced to say that " the situation may change if a reliable system of international security is not created.” This is very similar to a veiled recognition that one can not hope to protect oneself from a military threat with one's own forces, and Russia, having found itself in a secondary position in the world economy, may lose the status of a great military power in a few years.
Now let's see how S. Rogov assesses the US policy towards Russia: “As you know, whoever pays orders the music. Economic dependency also has political implications". This eloquent judgment is complemented by a quite obvious conclusion: “In The United States is taking less and less into account the interests of Russia and makes decisions without paying attention to the opinion of Moscow. An appeal to the abstract principles of equality and universal values cannot replace force factors as the main argument of diplomacy ».
The leading circles of Washington, relying on the favorable outcome of the Cold War, which led to a huge gap between the American economy and the Russian economy, have put forward and are implementing a program of subjugating Russia to their interests, keeping it in the zone of influence of the United States, and if this fails, in a position a weak opponent, devoid of a nuclear sting.
It is now quite obvious that the military power of our country has been considerably undermined as a result of the "democratic reforms" of 1991-1998. Unfortunately, the nuclear shield reliable in Soviet times is beginning to crack. That is why the demand for a serious strengthening of Russian nuclear forces comes to the fore if it is considered expedient to sign the START-2 Treaty or other agreements on the reduction of armed forces. In this case, it is mandatory to link this with strict observance of the missile defense agreements, with NATO's obligations not to deploy its troops, especially nuclear weapons, on the territory of the countries of Central Europe that will become members of this military-political bloc. It is precisely to evade such agreements that the active measures of the United States are aimed, including through the Central Intelligence Agency.
I am not inclined to exaggerate the power and influence of the United States on world processes, on the development of the situation in Russia. First, despite the fact that the “main enemy” has withdrawn from the struggle on the international arena, as American propaganda is trying to beat in every possible way, the United States and its special services are not omnipotent. Secondly (and this is well understood across the ocean), many old problems remain and new ones have appeared on the path of US world leadership. They divert significant forces and resources of the CIA and other American intelligence agencies from a weakened but formidable adversary - Russia.
The director of central intelligence, Buley, has a catchy expression: « We killed a big dragon, but now we live in the jungle, which is full of a variety of poisonous snakes, and this cannot but cause concern. One Western journalist, commenting in 1994 on this metaphorical statement by Woolsey, as bravura as it is filled with anxiety, wrote down such opponents of the United States as Iran, Cuba, North Korea, as well as such problems as non-proliferation of nuclear weapons , situations in many "hot spots" of the world, a legion of new opponents - financial fraudsters, drug dealers, arms smugglers, international terrorists. It is impossible to write off the new troubles of the United States on the Soviet Union, on the "sinister intrigues of the KGB." The hastily concocted new myths about the “hand of Moscow” do not save either. Let's try to decipher this list of "dangers" for the United States, which is being replicated around the world today.
Problems of international security in the light of the prospects for an increase in the number of states possessing atomic weapons. Today, such prospects no longer seem fantastic. The five nuclear powers (USA, Russia, Great Britain, France, China) actually added two - India and Pakistan. In all likelihood, Israel has atomic weapons. The CIA is aware of this, but the Americans prefer not to compromise their strategic ally. The “threshold” nuclear powers, that is, the states that apparently have the technology to create atomic weapons, also include, in particular, the Republic of South Africa, Iran, Brazil, and Argentina. The spread of nuclear weapons is understandably a huge threat to international security, including the United States itself. Thus, today the US nuclear espionage and espionage in the field of missile technology affects not only Russia, China and other states of the "club of five", but extends to other regions, to countries that make an application to create their own atomic weapons and means of delivering them to targets. .
The constant attention of American intelligence is demanded by either flaring up or fading woo gun conflicts in various regions of the globe. The US attempts to resolve the Middle East crisis, into which many states of this region are being drawn, are coming to a standstill. Israel is behaving obstinately, apparently believing that the “tail” can also control the “dog”. The problem of Kosovo is added to the bloody showdowns in Bosnia, Macedonia may flare up, which creates a real threat of a new Balkan war. Restless on the southern flank of NATO - the conflict between Greece, Cyprus and Turkey threatens to turn into armed clashes. There are bloody wars on the African continent (Rwanda-Burundi, Congo, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea-Ethiopia and others). The deep-rooted conflict between India and Pakistan, South Korea and North Korea is far from a peaceful resolution. The flames of the war in Afghanistan are flaring up ever brighter, and the situation on the Afghan-Iranian border has become sharply aggravated. "Hang" the problem of Taiwan and Tibet. The list of "hot spots" of the planet can be expanded; unfortunately it doesn't go away.
Along with its "traditional" enemies (Iraq, Iran, Cuba and others), more and more countries are being added to the category of enemies by the United States. Thus, most recently, the United States, in "retaliation" for terrorist attacks on its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, fired rockets at a number of targets in Sudan and Afghanistan.
Compounding the "worries" of the CIA, economic and financial crises continue to shake the world . Only very recently followed the most severe financial crises in Mexico, Japan, the fall of the economy in South Korea, the social explosion in Indonesia. There is an obvious inability of the United States, as the leader of the Western world, in charge of international financial organizations, to cope with global socio-economic problems.
Despite all the efforts of American intelligence, The US fails to bring under its control such countries with militant anti-American regimes as Iran and Iraq. Libya, Cuba, Yugoslavia.
Moreover, the resistance of these countries to Washington in a number of cases takes on a sharp character, forcing the United States to resort not only to reconnaissance and subversive actions, but also to military measures.
Finally, relations between the US and its European allies are not idyllic. It is becoming increasingly difficult for the United States to play the role of "big brother". Western European countries, especially after the introduction of a common European currency, threaten to seriously compete with Washington. It seems to me that a special problem for American intelligence is not a opposing France, but a united Germany that is gaining strength, striving, in the words of S. Rogov, "bring your political status in line with your economic power." Sooner or later, the question will arise of maintaining the US armed forces and their numerous military and intelligence bases in the FRG. The Germans, in conditions where the threat of a military attack on Germany has weakened, may be tempted to seek their withdrawal. In addition, they are interested in freeing their hands and for the return of lost territories.
CIA units are currently spread throughout the German territory - in Bonn, Berlin, Munich, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg and other places. Until now, Bonn has conceded to the Yankees the right to conduct active intelligence work directly on the territory of our country. Let us recall the "Pavlov case", which the Federal Intelligence Service handed over to the Central Intelligence Agency to work with him in the Soviet Union. Or a major spy operation with a railroad container that an American agent was supposed to receive in Hamburg. It is possible that the Germans will soon disagree with the auxiliary role that the CIA assigned to them in intelligence and subversive activities against Russia.
And yet, many visible and invisible problems of this kind cannot make the CIA forget about the real problem that our country poses for the United States in the short and long term. Russia is doomed to be one of the main targets of the American intelligence services. Therefore, the Central Intelligence Agency is seeking to expand its presence in our country. The personnel of the embassy residency in Moscow and the operational group of American intelligence as part of the US Consulate General in St. Petersburg are being increased. Positions are being created for the emergence of new CIA units in Russia - under the cover of American consular and other institutions. The channels of intelligence penetration into our country are expanding. The so-called legal possibilities are being exploited with might and main, which make it possible to mask intelligence actions by the activities of firms and companies, research funds, environmental and charitable organizations.
Mobilizing the necessary forces and means to solve intelligence tasks in Russia, the CIA, mainly due to political reasons, is forced to make adjustments to the tactics of its actions. What do I see as the essence of these changes? Shifting emphasis from "classical" agents to the use of "non-traditional sources", extreme caution in conducting undercover actions directly in Russia, organizing meetings with agents outside our country, using such methods of intelligence work that would seriously complicate the Russian counterintelligence interception of the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency, the general strengthening of intelligence work in Russia outside the borders of our country are notable features of Langley's new tactical line. It is not difficult to see in them a "repetition of the past", especially when American intelligence was defeated in our country and suffered heavy losses.
And under the new conditions, one of the main reasons for the ongoing changes in the activities of the CIA is the fear of intelligence failures, fraught with unpleasant political consequences for the United States. Another reason is connected with it: the creation of the appearance of almost stopping the intelligence activities of the United States against Russia, at least on the territory of our country. And this, in turn, will make it possible to demand that the Russian intelligence services stop their intelligence work against the United States. After all, the intelligence and subversive activities of the United States intelligence services against the Russian Federation are not actually curtailed, but are taking on new tactical forms. The undercover operations of the Central Intelligence Agency in our country and against us abroad are by no means a thing of the past. They are the backbone of American intelligence, its main weapon. Unfortunately, today's realities are such that Washington's intelligence services manage to acquire agents and "non-traditional sources" in our country at the expense of "initiators" and members of the "fifth column".
Russian counterintelligence will have to solve difficult tasks. Therefore, the lessons of the past are all the more not subject to oblivion.
MOSCOW, December 20 - RIA Novosti, Vadim Saranov. Dozens of professional intelligence officers and hundreds of agents recruited by them annually come to the attention of state security agencies. All in all, thousands of agents and spies from different countries are constantly "working" against Russia. The FSB of Russia is celebrating the 100th anniversary of its foundation. Traditionally, one of the key tasks of the department is to counter espionage. About what challenges Russian counterintelligence officers face today - in the material of RIA Novosti.
Four thousand foreign agents
According to the Judicial Department of the Supreme Court, 13 Russians were convicted of treason in 2016, and three foreigners were sentenced for espionage. The figures are modest, however, according to experts, they are not a marker of the activity of foreign intelligence services.
“The number of foreign intelligence networks in Russia has been constant over the past 25 years, the number of established intelligence agents is about four thousand people,” retired FSB Major General Alexander Mikhailov told RIA Novosti. the network begins to act more actively, more global tasks are set for it."
According to Mikhailov, only a few of the exposed foreign agents end up on the bunk. As a rule, the case is limited to their deportation to their historical homeland, and, interestingly, information about spy scandals does not always leak into the media. Some exposed agents are not even aware that they are under the hood and are used by the special services as a channel for disinformation. In total, according to official data, in the first half of 2017 alone, the activities of 30 career employees of foreign intelligence services and more than 200 persons suspected of collaborating with foreign intelligence services were suppressed in Russia.
Games with the CIA
According to experts, one of the main opponents of Russia on the intelligence front continues to be the United States. The highest-ranking American spy recently unmasked by our counterintelligence officers was the third secretary of the US Embassy, and part-time CIA staffer Ryan Fogle. The intelligence officer was arrested in May 2013 while trying to recruit an officer of the Russian special services. Everything looked in the best traditions of the spy genre - Fogle came to the meeting in a wig and glasses, taking with him a compass and an atlas of Moscow.
“The United States not only has a wide network of agents in our country, but actually manages all European intelligence services,” Alexander Mikhailov is convinced. In fact, we are confronted by a very serious intelligence bloc, to which all new participants adjoin, mainly the former Soviet republics.
© FSB of Russia
© FSB of Russia
After the annexation of Crimea and the start of the war in the Donbass, Ukraine began to show vigorous intelligence activity on the territory of Russia. Agents of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense and the Foreign Intelligence Service of our neighbor regularly come to the attention of the Russian special services. The most popular direction for Ukrainian intelligence officers is the Crimea, and their tasks are not limited to collecting information. Members of at least three Ukrainian intelligence groups exposed in Crimea were preparing acts of sabotage at infrastructure facilities. Ukrainian fighters of the invisible front also “surface” in the mainland of Russia: in October 2017, a shipyard worker was detained in Tolyatti, who, on the instructions of the special services, was collecting information about the work of the enterprise. The failed agent was eventually deported to Ukraine.
Social networks - springboard for espionage
The increased activity of foreign intelligence services is connected not only with the aggravation of relations between Russia and the West. According to experts, foreign intelligence agencies are very closely interested in the state armaments program, under which the army receives the latest models of military equipment. So, on December 12, a 24-year-old resident of the capital Alexei Zhitnyuk was arrested in Moscow. According to investigators, the Muscovite was collecting information about the Russian Navy and passing it through an agent to the US Central Intelligence Agency.
Moreover, foreign intelligence agencies are actively adopting new technologies - in Russia, cases of recruitment via the Internet are increasingly being recorded. Back in 2011, the US created the Special Collection Service (SCS), which monitors social networks and selects candidates for recruitment.
“Today, preparation for recruiting a person does not require any special approaches,” Alexander Mikhailov believes. “A person puts on the Web not only his biography, but also where he goes, with whom he is friends and even what he eats. Therefore, modern networks represent a colossal springboard for conducting intelligence activities.As for directly electronic espionage or hacker attacks, the events of recent years show that our special services, with the exception of isolated cases of betrayal, do not allow serious leaks of classified information.At the same time, in the United States, leaks, roughly speaking, are from all the cracks. This is both Snowden and WikiLeaks, but these leaks did not become a big revelation for us - we have known everything for a long time. "
