Ridiculous articles from Jane's

[16 OBr SpN]

Amid this year's celebrations on May Day, which marked the expansion of the EU, the shadow of a Soviet-era legacy continues to haunt many of the new members. Local intelligence sources have warned that Russian influence in Central Europe is growing, particularly in the Czech Republic.

Despite the fact that the country has been a member of NATO since 1999 and is one of the 10 new EU member states, Moscow's intelligence activity in the Czech Republic appears to be as active as ever. Now there are major concerns that the Russian foreign intelligence service, the SVR, is intensifying its activities with the aim of penetrating Czech political and business circles to the point where it can influence strategic decision making. This raises serious questions about the extent to which Moscow's expanding network will pose a direct threat to the security of the EU.

Sources in the Czech security service, the BIS, have recently told JID that it suspects that over half of the staff at the Russian embassy are working covertly for the SVR. Our BIS sources also claim that the SVR has invested billions of Czech currency into purchasing property in the Czech Republic including hotels, casinos and other lucrative businesses in Prague, as well as in the Western Bohemian spa town of Karlovy Vary, which has become a known haven for Russian organised crime gangs, as well as SVR operations.

In view of the concerns currently being expressed by serving BIS officials, it remains to be seen whether the potential risks to Western security will be taken seriously, either by NATO or within the EU. The relentless rise of organised crime throughout Western Europe - whether from the Balkans or the republics of the Former Soviet Union - has been noted in reports prepared by Britain's National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS).

However, despite increasing recognition of the threat to national security posed by organised crime syndicates, there appears to be a less clear focus on the links between criminal groups and communist era intelligence operatives across Central and Eastern Europe.


http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jid/jid040506_1_n.shtml

This article has caused some talks in our media. To be honest, I find the timing of the article to be very "interesting". It's been only several days since several new members joined the EU.
Guess what, the intelligence operations had never went down in scale even after the collapse of Soviet Union. Unlike FSB, SVR and GRU didn't suffer from all the "reforms" of the Yeltsin era.
I don't even want to comment on rediculous accusations of possible connections between SVR/GRU and Russian organized crime groups.

If you go to the main page and click on the "Related Articles" about GRU, you can see that this article was posted when the one of the leaders of Chechen terrorists was assassinated in Qatar. The article states that numerous GRU officials have been widely appointed to government positions. This is NONSENSE, due to a climate within the MoD, and rivalry between the Minister of Defense, and the Chief of Staff.

In the other article, Jane's quotes Alexander Litvinenko, a traitor who got an asylum in UK.
He states,

"If he or she refuses, the intelligence officer then threatens the would-be recruit with legal prosecution in Russia, and if the person continues to refuse, the charges are fabricated,"

Of course! :roll:
First of all, anyone who is familiar with recruiting techniques knows that this statement is pure bull****.
Secondly, tell me if there are Russian emigrants who have real influence on polical, and military decisions of certain country, or maybe occupy influential positions!

These article make me wonder if Jane's is indeed an "analytical source", or just another tabloid looking for another opportunity to incite "Cold War" sentiments among the Westerners!

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

[ronin2172]

i was wondering what is the current state of the russian army? Pay wise, equipment, morale, is the situation for the average russian soldier improving any?

[16 OBr SpN]

i was wondering what is the current state of the russian army? Pay wise, equipment, morale, is the situation for the average russian soldier improving any?

Pay - better than before, but far from ideal.
Equipment - lots of new pieces are being tested and implemented. Research institutes are working intensively.
Morale - depending on the unit, and its commander. But overall, much better than before.

Situation has improved, but there is a lot to be done.

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

[ronin2172]

is there any thought to make the russian army more professional..ie voluntary or does the manpower requirement make this difficult to implement? And would u like to see a professional army...in the western sense of the word....

[ikurinturbiini]

http://www.janes.com/security/international_security/news/jid/jid040506_1_n.shtml

This article has caused some talks in our media. To be honest, I find the timing of the article to be very "interesting". It's been only several days since several new members joined the EU.
Guess what, the intelligence operations had never went down in scale even after the collapse of Soviet Union. Unlike FSB, SVR and GRU didn't suffer from all the "reforms" of the Yeltsin era.
I don't even want to comment on rediculous accusations of possible connections between SVR/GRU and Russian organized crime groups.

If you go to the main page and click on the "Related Articles" about GRU, you can see that this article was posted when the one of the leaders of Chechen terrorists was assassinated in Qatar. The article states that numerous GRU officials have been widely appointed to government positions. This is NONSENSE, due to a climate within the MoD, and rivalry between the Minister of Defense, and the Chief of Staff.

In the other article, Jane's quotes Alexander Litvinenko, a traitor who got an asylum in UK.
He states,

"If he or she refuses, the intelligence officer then threatens the would-be recruit with legal prosecution in Russia, and if the person continues to refuse, the charges are fabricated,"

Of course! :roll:
First of all, anyone who is familiar with recruiting techniques knows that this statement is pure bull****.
Secondly, tell me if there are Russian emigrants who have real influence on polical, and military decisions of certain country, or maybe occupy influential positions!

These article make me wonder if Jane's is indeed an "analytical source", or just another tabloid looking for another opportunity to incite "Cold War" sentiments among the Westerners!

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

OK.

You denounce Jane's, because being "inside", you know better what's going on in Russian espionage and organized crime.

You tell people all about it on an Internet forum.

Yeah right.

[2RHPZ]

EDIT

[Sergei]

is there any thought to make the russian army more professional..ie voluntary or does the manpower requirement make this difficult to implement? And would u like to see a professional army...in the western sense of the word....

You see, the point is - a conscript army is good for defence of the country, while the professional army is good for power projection. Which is better? I pick the first one.

[ronin2172]

is there any thought to make the russian army more professional..ie voluntary or does the manpower requirement make this difficult to implement? And would u like to see a professional army...in the western sense of the word....

You see, the point is - a conscript army is good for defence of the country, while the professional army is good for power projection. Which is better? I pick the first one.

Could u or another russian expound on this statement?I always thought a well motivated and trained army was good for defence not a conscripted one (with the exception of Israel). Not trying to argue or debate, just like hearing other viewpoints from time to time.

[GazB]

Could u or another russian expound on this statement?I always thought a well motivated and trained army was good for defence not a conscripted one (with the exception of Israel). Not trying to argue or debate, just like hearing other viewpoints from time to time.

Conscript armies have had poor away records, but having an entire population with military service is very useful for defence. Ironically the Chechens used their inside knowledge very well to fight the Russians... self defence is motivation enough to make a conscript army effective. Look at Vietnam. The US conscripts didn't know what they were really doing there... they just wanted to survive and go home. Contrast that with the modern US army which is much more professional. It doesn't make them better able to defend the US, but it makes foreign deployments better.

BTW the US budget for espionage has increased in the post cold war period by a large margin and they are spending quite a lot of that money and resources on spying on their allies in Europe too.

Janes has also had articles about other former Eastern block countries that have joined NATO that have secret services that still have strong ties with Russian services. The Hungarian secret police were mentioned particularly, but I would guess that the Russians have infiltrated most western organisations already anyway.

[Mark Sman]

"If he or she refuses, the intelligence officer then threatens the would-be recruit with legal prosecution in Russia, and if the person continues to refuse, the charges are fabricated,"

Thats a pretty standard recruiting technique used by agencies the world over.

[16 OBr SpN]

"If he or she refuses, the intelligence officer then threatens the would-be recruit with legal prosecution in Russia, and if the person continues to refuse, the charges are fabricated,"

Thats a pretty standard recruiting technique used by agencies the world over.

Generally, it's not.
There are exceptions, but exceptions prove the rule.

Each member of the foreign embassy/consulate is always under a close monitoring of the counter-intelligence organizations. This case is especially relevant to Russian operatives.

Threatening a potential recruit is actually considered a "messy" job. The factor of self-preservation is above all, believe me. Money, ambitions, self-actualisation, or ideology are the grounds for recruitment.

Plus, the status of "persona non-grata" in a Western country is a serious obstacle in future.

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

[Mark Sman]

Money, ambitions, self-actualisation, or ideology are the grounds for recruitment.

True, but sometimes the have to be knocked back into line. Maybe they don't know who they are working for, and then they find out.

Sometimes an agencie may need to turn a specific person, and the usual tricks don't play. Or the threat is used in concert with other methods. I would imagine that sometimes the threat isn't even being prosecuted back home, but where they are, assuming they don't have diplomatic immunity. Which may not even aplly depending on the charge.

This IS exactly the sort of thing counter-intelligence watches out for. There is a reason they do.

[ikurinturbiini]

"If he or she refuses, the intelligence officer then threatens the would-be recruit with legal prosecution in Russia, and if the person continues to refuse, the charges are fabricated,"

Thats a pretty standard recruiting technique used by agencies the world over.

Generally, it's not.
There are exceptions, but exceptions prove the rule.

Each member of the foreign embassy/consulate is always under a close monitoring of the counter-intelligence organizations. This case is especially relevant to Russian operatives.

Threatening a potential recruit is actually considered a "messy" job. The factor of self-preservation is above all, believe me. Money, ambitions, self-actualisation, or ideology are the grounds for recruitment.

Plus, the status of "persona non-grata" in a Western country is a serious obstacle in future.

Regards,
16 OBr SpN

BTDT?

BS.

[OldRecon]

is there any thought to make the russian army more professional..ie voluntary or does the manpower requirement make this difficult to implement? And would u like to see a professional army...in the western sense of the word....

You see, the point is - a conscript army is good for defence of the country, while the professional army is good for power projection. Which is better? I pick the first one.

Could u or another russian expound on this statement?I always thought a well motivated and trained army was good for defence not a conscripted one (with the exception of Israel). Not trying to argue or debate, just like hearing other viewpoints from time to time.

Pro armies tend to be better than conscript armies, with regards to generating combat power on short notice. Yet in prolonged wars conscript armies often have a much better staying power than pro armies, with regards to recruitment/filling up holes in the ranks.

Rather than going exclusively for one option, I guess Russia could do well with a mix of pro and conscript. Even mixing conscripts and regulars as Britain did with good results during the 1950's in Malaya, Korea, Kenya and Cyprus (?).

[mustamato]

is there any thought to make the russian army more professional..ie voluntary or does the manpower requirement make this difficult to implement? And would u like to see a professional army...in the western sense of the word....

You see, the point is - a conscript army is good for defence of the country, while the professional army is good for power projection. Which is better? I pick the first one.

Could u or another russian expound on this statement?I always thought a well motivated and trained army was good for defence not a conscripted one (with the exception of Israel). Not trying to argue or debate, just like hearing other viewpoints from time to time.

Because IDF conscripts are übermenschen?

[ronin2172]

Could u or another russian expound on this statement?I always thought a well motivated and trained army was good for defence not a conscripted one (with the exception of Israel). Not trying to argue or debate, just like hearing other viewpoints from time to time.

Conscript armies have had poor away records, but having an entire population with military service is very useful for defence. Ironically the Chechens used their inside knowledge very well to fight the Russians... self defence is motivation enough to make a conscript army effective. Look at Vietnam. The US conscripts didn't know what they were really doing there... they just wanted to survive and go home. Contrast that with the modern US army which is much more professional. It doesn't make them better able to defend the US, but it makes foreign deployments better.
BTW the US budget for espionage has increased in the post cold war period by a large margin and they are spending quite a lot of that money and resources on spying on their allies in Europe too.

Janes has also had articles about other former Eastern block countries that have joined NATO that have secret services that still have strong ties with Russian services. The Hungarian secret police were mentioned particularly, but I would guess that the Russians have infiltrated most western organisations already anyway.
Thanks i never really thought about it in that way before. What do the retention rates for russain soldiers average? And what about NCO's do the russians have a hard time filling these ranks out? What are the prospects for the average russian soldier after his term of service ends? Do they go into the civillian workforce , or another government agency?Thanks to all who take the time to humor my questions.