The FSB

Я, Силовик - A Bad Crime Novel? Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)

Я, Силовик - A Bad Crime Novel? Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR)

The Sluzhba vneshney razvedki (SVR) or Foreign Intelligence Service continues to be an extremely potent organisation and key component of Russia’s Security Council in implementing the foreign policy aims of the Kremlin. Accusations of election interference, social-manipulation and widespread cyber attacks have put a spotlight on this branch of the Russian intelligence services. This article will provide an overview of the SVR, outlining its origins from the 1990s and how it operates in relation to the Russian President, Vladimir Putin. It will then detail the SVR’s utilisation of active measures (aktivnye meropriyatiya) in the Kremlin’s continuing conflict with the West.

Я, Силовик. The GRU

Я, Силовик. The GRU

The Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation - (Главное Разведывательное Управление/Glavnoe Razvedyvatel'noe Upravlenie) - or ‘GRU’ is one of the most inconspicuous organisations imaginable. Even among the generally taciturn cohort of Russian intelligence agencies, the GRU has been remarkable in its pursuit of secrecy. Whereas an endless stream of horror stories emanated from the Lubyanka, from the Aquarium - the GRU’s headquarters built atop a mass grave - there was only ever silence. This article will explore this most secretive and dangerous of organisations, offering a detailed assessment by comparing its Cold War past and its modern identity.

Я, Силовик. The FSB: The Sword and Shield of the Federation

Я, Силовик. The FSB: The Sword and Shield of the Federation

Any talk of the Soviet Union or the Cold War inevitably includes the Soviet Committee for State Security (KGB). Just as the Russian Federation succeeded the Soviet Union, so too did a number of organisations and agencies succeed the KGB. This first article will explore one of these institutions, the Federal Security Service (FSB). Beginning with the history and how the service came to be in modern Russia, this piece will go on to explore the nominal role and functions of the FSB. It will also shine a light on the actual role played by the Federal Security Service in Russian politics and society today, as well as touch on some of the controversy that surrounds this organisation. The purpose of this article is to illuminate the FSB as a service and inspire readers to dig a little deeper into the world of the security services of Russia.