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17 Jan, 7 tweets, 3 min read
(THREAD) GRU GOT BUSTED IN PRAGUE:

HOW A JOINT COUNTER-INTELLIGENCE OPERATION CAUGHT GRU RED-HANDED:

New details of Russian military intelligence (GRU) operation in the Czech Republic are out thanks to @okundra & @spurny2 (Czech weekly magazine @RESPEKT_CZ):
- (Russian) Assistant Military Attache to Prague Dmitrij Bondarenko cultivated a Czech arms leader. Since 2018, Bondarenko developed a clandestine arms deal with him.

- In January 2019, Bondarenko was replaced by another GRU officer Jevgrenij Sergejevic Borisenko in Prague.
- Borisenko kept meeting the Czech arms dealer on monthly basis, discussing “the order (or specific weapons and ammo)”.

- Czech police tracked and arrested a gang of Czech weapons dealers in late May 2020, including this Czech arms dealer - the contact of GRU.
- This Czech arms dealer was turned and together with Czech police and counter-intelligence, he played a sting operation on GRU officer Borisenko.

- Borisenko was detained at Prague outskirts in late June 2020 after trying to buy embargoed special weapons.
- The embargoed special weapons GRU tried to buy in Prague:

Sniper rifle ammo, ammo for anti-armour weapons, sub-sonic ammo (for weapons with silencers), pistols without identification.

- Czech police held this GRU officer ("a diplomat") for two hours and searched him.
- The Russian Embassy in Prague flew this GRU officer to Moscow within one day of the arrest. Russia expelled one Czech diplomat in retribution.

FULL STORY IN CZECH:
respekt.cz/tydenik/2021/3…
- Borisenko was succeeded at Russian Embassy in Prague by Viktor Viktorovic Budyak, connected to GRU Unit 29155 (assassinations & coups). Budyak served in Afghanistan in 2014-5, one of the most senior GRU officers to serve in Prague for a long time.

Here we go.

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More from @_JakubJanda

Jakub Janda Profile picture
29 Dec 20
(Thread) EU leaders are making a strategic mistake for the whole Europe by trying to finalise the EU-China Comprehensive Agreement on Investment (CAI) now.

Let me explain why this mistake will have deep geopolitical implications. It is greed over geopolitical wisdom:
ANGLE #1: TRUST

Just in 2020, China has broken multiple international treaties it has signed up for. It became a rough actor which cannot be trusted.

Just in 2020, we have seen China blackmailing individual EU member states (Germany, Czech Republic, Sweden, others).
Moreover: China openly strategically blackmails Australia, our fellow democracy.

Therefore, we cannot trust what China promises, we need to have hard tools to force it to obey the rules it signed up for. Without this, it is a strategic defeat for the EU.
Read 13 tweets
Jakub Janda Profile picture
29 Dec 20
(Thread) WHY WE CANNOT TRUST ZOOM FOR PRIVATE CALLS

Many people use Zoom for public events, which is fine.

The problem is that often Zoom, is used for private calls. Many security professionals do not trust it for following reasons:
The main problem is that Zoom has much of its business in mainland China, so under effective control of the largest and most technologically sophisticated totalitarian regime of today.

forbes.com/sites/thomasbr…
1) In the past, data of Western Zoom users were transferred via Zoom servers in China. Zoom claims it will not happen again. But: Zoom in China is under direct control of Chinese laws which force it to cooperate with Chinese intelligence agencies and be silent about it.
Read 5 tweets
Jakub Janda Profile picture
9 Nov 20
THREAD:

Which Trump era policies should Biden keep on countering Chinese hostile behavior?

I spoke to good friends who served in the Trump administration as career professionals on China policy. Here is what they think:
- what Trump admin really did on China is to impose costs for its hostile actions and China did not really escalate = its possible to raise the costs for China and it will back down once it feels a hard response (in sense of though sanctions and trade restrictions)
- Trump administration cost imposition strategy had two potential outcomes: either it persuades Beijing to rein in bad behavior.

- Or if not, we highlight for the world China’s bad behavior and take steps to protect ourselves and diversify away from dangerous dependence.
Read 7 tweets
Jakub Janda Profile picture
7 Nov 20
With Trump losing, let me spell out the Trump administration policies which Europe needs the Biden team to keep.

Change rhetorics, not most of the policies.

Let me run you though them:
1) U.S. need to keep being tough on China and Chinese hostile activities in Europe. We need to team up on this, be better allies on this global threat. Keep the pressure on Huawei and other Chinese espionage entities, keep them out of 5G networks.
2) U.S. need to be tough on Russia as long as Russia is aggressive. No Obama-era style naive reset. The Kremlin responds only to power and toughness. No appeasement ever works with dictators. Keep moving U.S. troops to Poland. Keep raising funding for U.S. European defense ops.
Read 7 tweets
Jakub Janda Profile picture
31 Aug 20
(THREAD) CHINA BLACKMAILS Czech Republic OVER TAIWAN:

Despite hard pressure by Beijing Czech second highest constitutional figure - Senate Speaker @Vystrcil_Milos takes a 90-person parliamentary and business delegation on August 30 – September 5 to Taiwan.

Why it matters:
On 10 January 10 2020, the Chinese Embassy in Prague sent a letter threatening the previous Senate Speaker Jaroslav Kubera - announcing retaliation against Czech companies operating in China if Kubera were to fly to Taiwan.

The letter mentions specific companies (!).
Czech Senate Speaker Jaroslav Kubera received the Chinese Embassy letter on 14 January 2020, during a meeting at Czech Presidential Office.

On 17 January 2020, Jaroslav Kubera met with the Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jianmin.

On 20 January 2020, Kubera died of a heart attack.
Read 14 tweets
Jakub Janda Profile picture
30 Jul 20
THREAD:
German counter-intelligence agency (BfV) says in its 2019 annual report:

- right-wing extremist offences in Germany increased by 9.7%, left-wing extremist offenses increased by 39.5%.

- about 20 % of members of AfD (around 7000 Germans) support extremist „Der Flügel“
- number of Islamist extremists in Germans increased by around 5% to a total of 28 020 individuals

- since 2012, more than 1,050 individuals left Germany to join ISIS, around one third returned.

BfV 2019 full report:
verfassungsschutz.de/embed/annual-r…
German counter-intelligence in 2019:

- cost of economic espionage against Germany: 102.9 billion euro,twice larger compared to 2017

- main intelligence aggressors against Germany: Russia, China, Iran, Turkey

- main cyber intelligence aggressors against Germany: Russia + China
Read 10 tweets

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