Thread by @inteltakes

In case you missed it, few weeks ago Russian Intelligence Service #SVR launched their own magazine called “Rasviedchik” (Intelligence officer). Let’s look into best gems of the first issue 1/🧵

The front page gives us a photo of Putin from December 2020 (a speech on the occasion of the 100th year of SVR) and a service slogan: “Our quest for knowledge is not for glory but to know the truth for the good of the State.” Catchy. 2/

Inside head of Service S. Narushkin greets us warmly. Remember, it is the same Sergey that was publicly humiliated by Putin last year. 3/

Sergey, in his lengthy opening article, delivers fascinating glimpse into his (and unfortunately a lot of Russians as well) world. Text called “Intelligence and World” touch upon all important issues that Russian intelligence is facing today. 4/

Main challenges:
Dealing with inevitable collapse of the west ✅
Portraying Russia as a victim ✅
Western bio and genetic(!?) weapons ✅
Lecturing why Russian intelligence is superior ✅ (spoiler: because of the RU specialty - “illegal” spies 👀 @christogrozev 5/

Rasviedchik has big ambitions. It’s not only internal PR stunt, it is also full of insightful analytical texts. You learn why Eurasian model is better than globalization. Why Poland wants to annex western Ukraine and how Russia is developing new (better) economic model. 6/

Readers will be happy to see a text about not so well known Belarusian #KGB. List of directorates: CI, Foreign Intelligence; Corruption and Organized Crime; CT and Extremism, International Cooperation, territorial divisions (6) and force size (10,000 people). 7/

Rasviedchik is not a short read but it keeps on giving. 102 pages are full of history lessons, glorification of soviet heroes and spies, exercises to help deal with stress and even competition for students of international relations (which is basically recruitment attempt). 8/

But in the world of Russian intelligence there is also place for “fun”. Intelligence officers and their families can find epic espionage fiction story (Afghan Zugzwang), crosswords, poems and even funny pieces from intelligence reports to help cope with changing world. 9/

As a bonus one of the funny cuts from RU intel report: “When asked about the scratches on his forehead, nose, and cheeks the subject, without going into detail, answered succinctly, but succinct: "The wife.".... 10/