VF toimetab? Infokillud ja uudised, mis mujale ei sobi.

[ruger]

Huvitav lugu Küproselt, mida orkid peavad oma tagahooviks. Plaaniti sinna UKR-orkistani sõja alguses varju saadetud UKR kõrge sõjaväelase pere ründamist?

Russian spy network in Cyprus: The Failure of Undercover Agents

When we think of #Cyprus, many envision pristine beaches, throngs of tourists, and offshore companies. However, this Mediterranean island has also become one of the key breeding grounds for #Kremlin spies in #Europe. We delve into how Russian intelligence services, masquerading as journalists and diplomats, planned an operation against the family of a high-ranking Ukrainian military official in Cyprus—and why it ultimately failed.

On the surface, #Russian operatives in Cyprus appear quite harmless: cultural centers, Russian schools, and "coordination councils of compatriots." But as is often the case, genuine espionage networks lurk behind this façade of "cultural diplomacy."

Journalists from NEXTA spoke with Cypriot investigative reporter Boris Demash about the activities of Russian intelligence services on the island.

"Cyprus is Moscow's backyard," says Demash. "Russian agents infiltrate Europe through here."

According to the journalist, "the main agents of Russian intelligence are located in the embassy and the Russian cultural center," while pseudo-public organizations operate openly. One such organization is the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots in Cyprus, established in 1995 by Yuri Pyanykh. Interestingly, Pyanykh, according to Demash, was an agent of Soviet and Russian intelligence and continues to work actively for the Kremlin under the guise of business. Even the Russian ambassador to Cyprus is a security officer without any diplomatic experience. In September 2022, Lieutenant General of the FSB Murat Zyazikov took charge of the Russian embassy.

In October last year, an incident occurred in Cyprus that journalist Demash calls the first in the island's history where a Russian citizen was deported on national security grounds. The central figure in this story is Alexander Gasyuk, a Russian journalist and correspondent for "Rossiyskaya Gazeta." Gasyuk arrived in Cyprus in the spring of 2022, shortly after Russia's invasion of #Ukraine began. Before Cyprus, he worked in the USA and Greece. It was the American intelligence services that provided Cypriot colleagues with information about the "journalist's" work for Russian intelligence, according to the publication "Dossier."

Gasyuk was arrested and deported for espionage, aided by Daniil Doinikov, an employee of the Russian embassy. According to the investigator, the diplomat also has ties to the FSB. Doinikov even became the focus of local media when he tried to wrest Gasyuk away from Cypriot police officers. He jumped onto the hood of the departing police car and rode for several meters. Ultimately, Doinikov was also detained.

It turned out that Gasyuk and Doinikov were surveilling the apartment of a high-ranking Ukrainian military official in Limassol, where his family had moved at the start of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine. According to Demash, thanks to the intervention of a "small democratic country in the Middle East," the Russian intelligence plan was thwarted. "The intelligence services of this Middle Eastern country identified Doinikov immediately after his arrival in Cyprus," the journalist notes. Cypriot intelligence then discovered that Gasyuk and his accomplice were planning something more serious than just an information attack—it was a real threat to the Ukrainian family's life. Gasyuk was caught red-handed while monitoring the apartment.

"Gasyuk was not just a propagandist; he was a spy working for Russian intelligence. This became clear when he was arrested, and American services informed the Cypriots about his activities," Demash explains.

As reported in a segment by Cypriot television channel AlphaNews, Gasyuk's temporary residence permit was revoked "on security grounds," and he was advised to leave Cyprus. Appeals from Gasyuk and the Russian embassy protesting to the Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not yield their expected effect. The Russian security officer, under journalistic cover, was deported to Moscow via Dubai. His accomplice, Doinikov, was simply released due to his diplomatic immunity.

This incident shocked the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Kremlin could not understand how, on an island so under their control, an active intelligence agent could be detained, publicly exposed, and disgracefully expelled. The very next day, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Ministry, reacted with particular sarcasm and indignation: "The brazen expulsion from the Republic of Cyprus of 'Rossiyskaya Gazeta' correspondent A. G. Gasyuk, preceded by an organized special operation exerting psychological pressure on the Russian journalist and his family, culminating in the brutal beating of the media representative causing injuries, has become another link in the coordinated campaign by the 'collective West' to totally suppress any sources of alternative information."

According to Zakharova, Gasyuk's accomplice, Doinikov, "happened to be at the scene by chance." However, she does not mention how this "remarkable coincidence" occurred. Later, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that "officials of the Republic of Cyprus directly involved in the provocation are banned from entering the Russian Federation." The Ministry did not specify who was banned.

The story of Gasyuk and Doinikov is just one of many cases. According to Demash, dozens, if not hundreds, of Russian spies operate on the island. They work under the guise of journalists, businessmen, and even IT specialists. In one of his investigations, Demash found that about 20-30% of Russian IT professionals who moved to Cyprus are agents of Russian intelligence services. They continue to work for the Kremlin despite residing in the EU.

With the introduction of the "blue card" for citizens of third countries, this threat only grows—now any Russian citizen can obtain the right to reside in Cyprus and then move throughout Europe. Thus, Russian intelligence has, quite legally, extended its tentacles into the European Union, and Cyprus has become the starting point for this.

https://x.com/nexta_tv/status/1839360580488200410

[Roamless]

Olles just tulnud ülalmainitud kohast, mõned tähelepanekud. Kuigi venkude mõju on seal suur, ei tasu unustada, et Küprose põhivaenlased on türklased, kes ca poolt riigist okupeerivad aga Küprosel on tugevalt sees ka ameeriklased ja britid, seega väide, et "Moskva tagaaed" on eos juba vale, oma mõju samas on neil kindlasti. Paphose lennuväljas patrullis USA "Military Police", lisaks oli maandumisel näha mitmeid pargitud Osprey-sid ja Black Hawke. Esimeste kasutaja on ainult USA, seega, venkudel raha pesta lastakse offshore firmade kaudu, nende spioonid käivad ka möllamas, aga kui asi läheb venkude poolt liiga kaugele, siis tõenäoliselt USA ja britid suruvad Küprosele jalga tagumenti, et tegutseda. Zahharova võib olla "deeply conserned", aga rohkem ei saa ta midagi teha. Ukrainlasi oli kohapeal muide päris palju.

[ruger]

Bulgaarias määrati GRU poolt mürgitatud relvakaupmehe juhtumi prokuröriks FB-s oleva orkide meelse grupi aktiivne liige.

Embarrassing for Bulgaria. The prosecutor assigned to prosecute the poisoning by Russia's GRU of a Bulgarian arms manufacturer, was found to be an active member of a pro-Putin, Stalin-adoring FB group. When his objectivity was challenged, the appellate prosecutors ruled "it's constitutionally permitted to sympathize with certain historical figures".

https://x.com/christogrozev/status/1839922206727438684

[ruger]

Norras põles gaasitootmiskompleksi lähedal maha 5 seal põlema läinud(pandud???) bussi

Five buses on fire in Aukra - people where evacuated
Five buses were in full flames at Aukra on the Romsdal coast. Two residents were evacuated

Aukra is also where the huge gas terminal "Nyhamna" is located.

Single accident or sabotage?

https://x.com/thelostcomms/status/1840464481798725790
Originaalartikkel

The 110 central said that the fire started in a bus that was standing at Aukra Auto, and that it quickly spread to two that were standing next to it. Eventually the fire had spread to five buses.

https://www.nrk.no/mr/brann-i-buss-i-aukra-1.17062158

Norras katsus 2 meest sisse saada tuumajäätmete hoidlasse

Two men tried to get into a nuclear waste facility - arrested by the police.
The facility in Himdalen is used to store radioactive waste, and it is built as four separate mountain halls with a common access tunnel.

An observation was made of two people outside the Himdalen nuclear waste facility who were wearing gloves and a Finnish cap. These tried to get into the facility. There was also an unmarked vehicle at the scene.

https://x.com/thelostcomms/status/1840461427938668666

[ruger]

USA kongressi Helsinki komisjoni ettekanne orkide tegemisest Euroopas

This Helsinki Commission Hearing examines the scope of Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics, their impact on NATO’s security, and strategies to effectively counter these threats.

Chapters:
00:00 - Opening Statement by Chairman Joe Wilson
02:25 - Map of Russian Hybrid Operations on NATO Territory in Past Year
04:49 - Opening Statement by Ranking Member Steve Cohen
10:12 - Russian Spies, Sabotage, and Black Ops - Testimony by Michael Weiss
19:48 - Russian Attacks on Energy Infrastructure - Testimony by Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt
26:42 - Estonia's National Security Advisor Erkki Tori - Testimony on Russia's Threat to the West
32:52 - Russian Disinformation in Hybrid Warfare - Q&A by Senator Tina Smith
41:18 - Russian Threats to Americans and U.S. Homeland Security - Q&A by Chairman Wilson
45:20 - Difference between GRU and KGB - Q&A by Representative Emanuel Cleaver
46:55 - Ukraine Weapons Strategy - Q&A by Representative Emanuel Cleaver
50:31 - Empty Nuclear Rhetoric - Q&A by Ranking Member Steve Cohen
52:41 - Attributing Infrastructure Attacks to Russian Perpetrators - Q&A by Ranking Member Steve Cohen
54:26 - Investigating Navalny's Death
56:27 - Closing Statement by Chairman Joe Wilson

Russia’s Shadow War on NATO
Hearing of the U.S. Helsinki Commission
September 24, 2024

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6KVnJqaBsnk

[ruger]

Otseülekanne How Dangerous is the Russian Sabotage in Europe?

European countries are reporting a rapid increase in Russian sabotage targeting strategic infrastructure. In addition, Russian intelligence is recruiting local individuals as agents to target military transports within their countries. Are we one step closer to war?

In today's show, Sergej Sumlenny from @EuroResilience will speak with Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt, a Non-resident Senior Fellow with the Democratic Resilience program at the Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) @cepa_org . Dr. Schmitt is also a Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIyKU7aQjVU

[ruger]

Kesk-Rootsis tungiti maapiirkonna veetorni. Kohalikel käsk keeta vett ja võimalusel tarbida pudelivett.

Break-in to Bollnäs municipality water tower in Sweden. Boiling of water mandated as precaution in two affected munincipalities.

https://x.com/akihheikkinen/status/1845359335481745794

Fresh-water sabotage in mid-Sweden

Bollnäs municipality saw a break-in with 'advanced tools' into their water reservoir during night.

Population of 26k and a hospital are advised to cook their water.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1845506509075263795

Maikuus oli Rootsis analoogne juhtum

Almost forgot about this one. In May another small municipality had their water reservoir broken into (the tanks themselves).

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1845514024349208641

[lennumudelist]

Droonide mäng USA õhujõudude baasi ümber.

Avastati, et on suur bürokraatlik probleem: ei ole lubatud vaatlemise peale alla lasta. Aga vaatlemine läks süstemaatiliseks ja intensiivseks. Taotleti eriluba segamiseks või suunatud energia relvadeks, aga luba ei saadud.

Anti asi politseile lahendada. Politseil omal droone polnud, üritas autoga taga ajada, ei tulnud toime. Lõpuks läksid droonitajad ise heaga ära. Keegi ei tea tänaseni, kas eraisikud või mõne konkureeriva riigi palgal.

Analüütikud tuvastasid, et väiksemad kvadrokopterid ei kasutanud tavalist sageduslainet, mis on saadaval müügil olevate kommertsdroonide jaoks – ka see viitas, et droonide operaatorid ei olnud harrastajad.

Langley ametnikud tühistasid öised väljaõppemissioonid, muretsesid võimalike kokkupõrgete pärast drooniparvega ja viisid hävitajad F-22 teise baasi.

23. detsembril tegid droonid oma viimase visiidi.

USA ametnikud ei ole veel kindlaks teinud, kes Langley droonidega lendas või miks.

Ka sel kuul kinnitasid USA ametnikud, et Los Angelesest põhja pool asuva Edwardsi õhuväebaasi lähedal on viimastel kuudel märgatud rohkem tundmatuid drooniparvi.

...ja tralli käigus avastati võimelünk: liiga väikesed ja madalal. Merelt vaatlemine polnud töökindel.

Langley baasi ametnikud kutsusid USA mereväe ja rannavalve laevad droone jälgima, kuid droonid olid palju väiksemad kui sõjalennukid ega ei ilmunud alati radarile.

https://www.err.ee/1609489534/wsj-tundm ... javaebaasi

[mart2]

Droonide mäng USA õhujõudude baasi ümber.
Avastati, et on suur bürokraatlik probleem: ei ole lubatud vaatlemise peale alla lasta. Aga vaatlemine läks süstemaatiliseks ja intensiivseks. Taotleti eriluba segamiseks või suunatud energia relvadeks, aga luba ei saadud.
Anti asi politseile lahendada. Politseil omal droone polnud, üritas autoga taga ajada, ei tulnud toime. ...

Nende suurim probleem ongi seadusandlus, mis ei lase kodupinnal droonidega efektiivselt võidelda - sõjavägi ei tohi ja politsei ei saa (pole oskusi/vahendeid) ...

Praegu on suurim mure lahendada presitendi valimised, siis ehk-äkki-kogemata jõutakse ka drooninduseni ?

[lennumudelist]

Lugesin ise kah imestusega. Loogiline käik oleks nagu oma luuredroon õhku tõsta - midagi kergemat, kui Global Hawk, aga siiski raadioluure võimetega - ja hakata sellega otsima, kus paikneb baasi õhuruumi rikkuja maajaam. Miskipärast seda ei tahetud teha, või olid seal kah mingid reeglid ees.

[nukkel]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Ch ... n_incident
Hiina luure õhupallid kulgesid päris pikkalt seal.

[ruger]

Šveitsis jäi orkide diplomaat vahele keemia(bio)relva jaoks sobiliku laboritehnika(sanktsioonide all) ja täpsusrelvade laskemoona hankimisega

A Russian diplomat acted as a military agent in Switzerland and acquired precision ammunition and laboratory equipment. In the spring of 2024 there were raids by Swiss counterintelligence - but the goods have not been found to this day.

Igor Sergeyevich Scriabin came to Switzerland as an administrative and technical staff member - as a kind of diplomatic assistant. At least the Russian Federation registered him with this job title at the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (EDA).

According to research by the “ Tagesanzeiger ”, Scriabin had successfully completed the military academy in Novosibirsk in Russia. Members of the Russian Air Force as well as special units of the GRU military intelligence service are trained there. According to the minutes, Scriabin (or a man with the same name) gave a lecture there in 2010 on the subject of underwater weapons.

After checking the accreditation, it quickly became clear to the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service (NDB) that the Russian did not come to Switzerland for diplomatic reasons, but rather belonged to the GRU military intelligence service. Thus, the NDB began to shadow Scriabin.

At the end of spring 2024, there were raids in several cantons, carried out by the Federal Prosecutor's Office, the Federal Criminal Police and the cantonal police corps. In addition to the business and residence of the Bernese arms dealer, the laboratory technology company in northwestern Switzerland was also searched. Two confiscated folders apparently documented the sale of a refrigerator and a centrifuge to Scriabin. According to the NDB, these devices can be used to produce chemical or biological weapons.

https://www.watson.ch/international/sch ... er-schweiz

[ruger]

Ungaris olevad orkide "diplomaadid" ja nende suhtlemine Ungari kõrgema sõjaväejuhtkonnaga.

Breaking NATO informal diplomatic protocol, Hungary’s senior army chief engaged in a conversation with Russia’s military attaché at a Chinese diplomatic event, surprising Western allies. While Bratislava, Prague, and Warsaw have all expelled Russia’s GRU-linked military attachés for espionage, Budapest continues to host them. The number of Russian diplomats in Hungary is nearly equal to the total in the other Visegrád countries combined.

On the evening of September 26, 2024, at the Vígadó Concert Hall on the Pest side of the Danube riverbank, Lieutenant General Ferenc Kajári, deputy chief of the Hungarian General Staff, engaged in a lengthy conversation with Colonel Oleg Smirnov, the military and air attaché of the Russian Federation, during a reception hosted by the People’s Republic of China. In the gilded, chandelier-lit hall of the Vigadó, hundreds of guests, including numerous Hungarian government officials, businessmen, and foreign diplomats, were gathered to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of the People’s Republic of China and the commencement of diplomatic relations between China and Hungary.

It was in this crowd that the second-in-command of the Hungarian Armed Forces conversed with the Russian military attaché with remarkable ease – much to the astonishment of several attendees, as well as diplomats who heard about the scene from those present, sources familiar with the incident told VSquare. Since Russia attacked Ukraine in 2022, representatives of the Russian army have been regarded as unacceptable within the Western alliance, and protocol and diplomatic contact with them has nearly ceased.

“It caused confusion among NATO allies, as such communication is considered mauvais ton (bad, unacceptable behavior) in their countries,” said one source familiar with the incident. When we described the scene above to an official working at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, they responded, “In general, we find such behavior odd and unwelcome. Plus, with the Russian military attaché of all people? That person is 100 percent GRU!” The NATO official was referring to the fact that Russian military attachés have, as a rule, also been working for the GRU, the Russian military intelligence service, since the Soviet era.


When VSquare checked the lists of accredited diplomats in Visegrád countries, we found that Hungary is the only country in the region that still hosts a Russian military attaché. The total number of Russian diplomats in Hungary (45 in Budapest, Szeged and Debrecen) is almost as high as those in the Czech Republic (12), Poland (12 in Warsaw and 11 in other cities), and Slovakia (14) combined.

Moreover, the Hungarian foreign ministry’s diplomatic database – before this article’s publication it was last refreshed on October 14 – lists five Russian military diplomats in Budapest: one military and defense attaché, two military and air attachés, and two of their deputies. This suggests that both those who officially finished their posting – like the above mentioned Colonel Smirnov – and their incoming replacements still enjoy diplomatic immunity.

According to experienced former Hungarian counterintelligence sources, these Russian officers – some of whom spent two or three previous tours in Budapest – are well-known to local security agencies and all work for the GRU.

https://vsquare.org/russian-diplomats-w ... -budapest/

[ruger]

orkide süvaveeoperatsioonide jaoks mõeldud (luure)uurimislaeva(de) tegutsemisest kriitilise infrastruktuuri kohal ja lähedal.

Russian research vessel AKADEMIK MSTISLAV KELDYSH is on her way home to Kaliningrad.

Just as in Feb 24 she slowed down from her more common 5-6 knots to 5 as she passed the wind, power and submarine infrastrucure dense south Baltic Sea.

Speaking against shenanigans is the fact that no NATO vessel paid any interest. AIS-caveats apply.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1845922558656364983

AKADEMIK MSTISLAV KELDYSH has managed some quite extensive miles of oceanography last year.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1845929466134253613

Feb 2024 Russian research ship Akademik Mstislav Keldysh stopped for 15h in an area rich with EU-US comms cables.

The ship is specialized in deep dive work and has successfully done work on depths exceeding the ones where she stopped.

Did not realize her capabilities at first.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1846568284612616507

A position of Portugal where again many of the EU-US and other submarine comms cables are. She spent half a day doing something.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1845929466134253613

Other notable slow down by AKADEMIK MSTISLAV KELDYSH last year:

Gap between Iceland and Faroe Island. Ie where the anti Russian submarine sensor gates are.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1845928437044682895

[ruger]

Lennukitele saadetud põlema süttivate postipakkide lugu edeneb. Hetkel tuvastatud 4 pakki-üks UK-s, ja Poolas ja 2 Saksamaal. Kinni peetud 2 kahtlusalust-1 Leedus ja 1 Poolas. Pakke saadeti teadlikult valenime alt. Leedus suudeti saatja tuvastada. Saksamaal suudeti leida mittepõlema süttinud pakk.

At least 4 different parcels designed to start fires on aircraft have been found last months.

Both German and British intelligence are pointing at Russia.

https://x.com/auonsson/status/1846645428202164286