For all the videos coming out of the Syrian civil war, a one minute, 31-second clip of a U.S.-made TOW missile slamming into a T-90 tank got more attention than most. In the video uploaded in February, Russia’s most advanced operational battle tank met one of the United States’ main tank killers on the battlefield….
Category: Russian Corner
Cold War Files: Tolkachev, The CIA’s Most Valuable Soviet Asset in the 80’s
How a troubled past turned a Soviet military engineer into one of the CIA’s most valuable spies. His family and friends called him Adik. His eyes were the color of ash, under a broad forehead and thick brown hair, with a crook in the bridge of his nose from a boyhood hockey accident. He stood…
Espionage Files: The Return of Wetwork
Putin’s Kremlin Employs assassination abroad as State Policy in a manner not seen in Moscow since Stalin By John R. Schindler This week’s announcement by a British court that Russian spies murdered Alexander Litvinenko in London in November 2006, made global headlines. Particularly because the massive report, based on a multi-year investigation, concluded that the…
Espionage Files: Russian Spies Pose as Diplomats in Sweden
Cold War 2.0 is in Full Effect!! The Great Game is again being Played. -SF The most significant intelligence risk against Sweden comes from Russian spies, often posing as diplomats or business people, according to the Swedish security service Säpo, which has just released its annual report. Swedish military confirm Russian warship sighting (02 Oct…
The Three Faces of Russian Spetsnaz in Syria
As the Russian drawdown from Syria continues, more information continues to emerge about the forces Moscow had committed to shoring up the Assad regime. One telling aspect is how involved Russia’s Spetsnaz special forces were in the deployment. They were involved in two of their three core missions — reconnaissance and special security missions —…
Military Defense News: Russia’s Lethal New Kalina Class Submarine
Russia is set to start construction of its new Kalina-class diesel-electric submarine after the last two Lada-class vessels are completed. The Project 677 Lada-class—which Moscow is terminating after three units are completed—has proven to be a disappointment. “The two Lada-class Project 677 submarines will be delivered as scheduled — in 2018 and 2019,” a spokesman…
Up Close and Personal in the Russian/Ukranian Conflict
Things have been various levels of blistering between the Ukraine and Russia over the Crimean Peninsula for a long time now. Recently we came across a compilation of front-line footage that was released late last year. Body cameras aren’t just popular for surfing and skydiving anymore. Inside you’ll gain some insights on some of the heavier…
The Long History of “Little Green Men” Tactics and How They Were Defeated
In both Crimea and the subsequent fighting in the Donbas region of Ukraine, Russia’s signature tactic has been the use of so-called “Green Men,” soldiers without identifying insignia whose identity as Russian soldiers the Kremlin denied. Ukraine, Georgia, and even NATO members like Estonia now fear that they could be the next target for Russia’s…
The Russian Corner: Russias New T-14 Armata Tank in Production
I am sure the Baltic States are just overjoyed to hear this. As soon as they get their Air Defenses up, Russia hits them with a New and Improved Ground Weapon threat. And People say we are not in another Cold War? Ha! -SF Russia’s T-14 main battle tank—which is part of the Armata family…