Old-School TradecraftThere was no secret recipe for the success of Russian operations. They were conducted according to Soviet old-school textbooks and took advantage of the sudden abundance of bi-lateral initiatives, cultural exchanges and “new-face conferences” as recruiting grounds. So they came as no surprise to CI experts.
A top discipline of Russian handlers is spotting preferably narcissistic personalities, ideally with an exploitable potential for split loyalties.
And their results in Germany have been quite astounding, not only when it comes to the collection of information but also enabling agents of influence. The invasion of Ukraine has clearly shown how multipliers have been carefully selected not only to defend the Kremlin perspective but, alternatively, to attack its “enemies,” steering or fueling debates. This has also taken institutionalized form.
http://www.interpretermag.com/in-this-info-war-the-problem-is-not-only-russia/
