Belarus
Loyal lieutenant Nikolai Karpenkov prepares for post-Lukashenko

Belarus
Defector officers launch new psychological campaign against regime

Former special forces paratrooper and exiled activist Valery Sakhashik's team is targeting loyalist Belarusian military circles with psychological operations to flip them, and their next project will involve NATO officers.

Belarus
Belarus KGB steps up attacks on dissidents' armed wing

Minsk's intelligence services have launched a barrage of increasingly sophisticated attacks on Svetlana Tikhanovskaya's government in exile, notably targeting her "defence minister", the KGB's bête noire.

Belarus
Belarusian border guards change chief as crisis brews

Lukashenko has replaced one of his most loyal security lieutenants, Anatoly Lappo, at the head of the State Border Committee as tensions rise at the country's borders. He has been replaced by Konstantin Molostov whose background reflects Minsk's short-term strategic thinking.

The Intelligence Gazette
French watchdog seeks greater remit, Ukraine's GUR, intel master's degree changes venue, KGB and FSB cross swords

Appointments, reforms and the issues at stake: every Monday, Intelligence Online serves up snippets big and small from the global intelligence community. This week, we bring news from Paris, Kyiv and Minsk.

France CNCTR wants dibs on sovereignty files

Ukraine Budanov's deputy moves into the limelight

France Intel degree moves from Toulon to Saint-Cyr military academy

Russia/Belarus FSB and KGB bicker at the border

United Kingdom
Belarus's Synesis ruling casts shadow on anti-sanctions investigations market

A British court has rejected a request from Belarusian facial recognition software developer Synesis to be delisted, opting to trust state intelligence over proof provided by the claimant. The decision has some sanctioned entities wondering whether it is still useful to hire private investigators at all.

Belarus, Europe, Ukraine, United States
US lobbying giant APCO to help Ukraine-based initiative pushing for Kyiv and Minsk's EU integration

The US lobbying firm has been commissioned by a new Brussels-based NGO, Center for a European Future, to help prepare the ground for Minsk and Kyiv's EU integration. The think-tank is led by an experienced PR professional with strong ties in Ukraine but few contacts in Minsk.

Document | Belarus, European Union
Synesis fights sanctions and informational attacks from Brussels to Warsaw

Bypol, a grouping of anti-Lukashenko law enforcement officers in exile, has intensified its attacks on social media and keeps lobbying in the EU against the Belarusian facial recognition software developer.

Belarus, Russia
Leak spares key figures of Kremlin's Belarus policy

A document leaked by a consortium of journalists has shed light on some of the Russian networks in charge of increasing Moscow's influence in Minsk. But there are also a handful of individuals shaping and reshaping Russia's Belarus policy left unmasked and still working from behind the scenes.

Belarus, Ukraine
Kyiv counts on Kalinovsky Regiment to prepare for a post-Lukashenko Belarus

The Belarusian armed opposition group Kalinovsky, which has been present in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, is becoming ever closer to the Kyiv authorities. Ukraine is hoping to tap into the movement to exert greater influence over Minsk's affairs.

Belarus, Russia
Russia's Rosvgardia trains new elite units in Minsk

Belarus's powerful deputy interior minister and Commander of the Belarusian Internal Troops Nikolai Karpenkov launched a collaboration with the Russian National Guard in January which is now in full swing.

Belarus, Russia
Belarus's KGB administers caution on intelligence cooperation with Russia

The Russian and Belarusian intelligence chiefs met in Moscow on 7 July for what was a routine meeting but not one without its share of tension. Minsk is striving to retain autonomy from its great neighbour to the east.

Belarus
Power-struggles cause turmoil in Minsk security circles

Smear campaigns, orchestrated leaks and a coup plot: with Belarus' role in the war in Ukraine in the balance, the country's political and security elite have been struggling to have President Alexander Lukashenko's ear and the support of the intelligence services.