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From Chernobyl to Ukraine: The Enduring Cost of Kremlin Lies

Silhouette of towers against a vibrant orange sunset sky.
In April 1986, a reactor exploded at Chernobyl and the Soviet Union lied about it. That instinct to conceal, distort, and deny did not just worsen the disaster; it would come to define the collapse [...] More

What Iran Is Learning from Russia’s War and Why the U.S. Should Be Concerned

Iranian president meets with Putin, discusses ways to boost cooperation in all sectors
KREMLIN FILES/COLUMN: The war in Ukraine is often framed by optimistic academics, and some policymakers as a cautionary tale—an example of how military aggression can backfire, weaken a state, and [...] More

More from Sean Wiswesser

The Chalk Mark Still Matters: Russian Espionage Handling in the Modern Era

The Chalk Mark Still Matters: Russian Espionage Handling in the Modern Era

From dead drops and surveillance routes to covert digital communications, Russian espionage tradecraft remains disciplined, adaptive, and deeply [...] More
RUSSIA-UKRAINE-CONFLICT-POLITICS

After the War and After Putin: Three Potential Succession Scenarios for Russia’s Modern Tsar

Russia’s tightly controlled system makes a popular uprising unlikely—but succession inside the Kremlin may still reshape the country’s future. [...] More
Tracing the Evolution of Russian Hybrid Warfare

Tracing the Evolution of Russian Hybrid Warfare

Moscow is following a 'Gray War doctrine' that has seemingly served it well since Russia's invasion of Crimea in 2014 [...] More
The Kremlin Files: Russian Double Agents and Operational Games

The Kremlin Files: Russian Double Agents and Operational Games

Understanding Russia’s operational games: the tradecraft that defines how the Kremlin spies and lies [...] More
Two men in a serious conversation, one in a suit, the other in a military uniform.

The Kremlin Files: Russia’s Way to the Gray Zone

In the first of a 2-part series, former Senior CIA Officer Sean Wiswesser explains the below the radar ways that Moscow is waging war on the West [...] More
The Kremlin Files: Russia, the Modern Surveillance State

The Kremlin Files: Russia, the Modern Surveillance State

A closer look at the use of surveillance by Russia's intelligence services [...] More
Echoes of 1940: Learning from an Ally at War and Preparing the U.S. for the Next Fight

Echoes of 1940: Learning from an Ally at War and Preparing the U.S. for the Next Fight

As Ukraine fights a tech-driven war, America risks missing out by watching from afar [...] More
The Kremlin's Kill List: Inside a Culture of State-Sponsored Murder

The Kremlin's Kill List: Inside a Culture of State-Sponsored Murder

Russian intelligence agencies have been executing defectors, dissidents, and rivals for more than a century. Under Putin, the practice has become [...] More
A file picture taken 12 July 2007 shows the headquarters (aka Lubianka) of the Federal Security Service (FSB), the former KGB in Moscow.

Russia’s Intelligence Services After the War

Will they be held accountable for their failures? [...] More