WAR-A-THON: The latest in a long string of things we have learned from watching video clips posted by Russian Media Monitor Julia Davis is that Putin’s State TV buddies are running tele-a-thons to help crowd fund the war in Ukraine. Host Vladimir Solovyov recently had on as a guest Jackson Hinkle an American “influencer” to chat about how wonderful people like Mike Flynn and Tulsi Gabbard are and to express his hope that Russia defeats Ukraine. In the background a tote board was adding up the rubles pouring in to help buy “scopes, communications devices and everything (Russian) soldiers need.”
BUT DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME: Raising money for the war effort can get you in trouble according to some posts on social media. Allegedly, the commander of the Russian 13th Guards Tank Regiment was arrested for “extorting tens of millions of rubles, tooth veneers, and other material goods from soldiers under his command in the ‘Luhansk People’s Republic.” The head of the outfit, a Colonel named Shagiakhmetov (whose first name appropriately is ‘Fail,’) made his soldier pay him or be sent to prison.
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE: If you were in line for a cabinet position like Attorney General or Secretary of Defense in the next administration you would generally welcome people applauding your nomination. ‘Generally’ – but perhaps not like this. Another item captured (once again) by Julia Davis shows Russian State TV talking head Vladimir Solovyov joined by RT chief Margarita Simonyan, and others expressing strong support for nominees like Kash Patel and Pete Hegseth. Solovyov suggested that, if confirmed, “They will quickly dismantle America, brick by brick.”
WHAT’S IN A NAME: Vladimir Sukov is a Russian father doing his part for the motherland. His wife is about to have their 15th child and according to European media, Sukov plans to call the kid “Oreshnik” – named after the new nuclear-capable hypersonic missile the Kremlin recently unleashed on Ukraine. At last report, the baby’s gender was not known – but if it turns out to be a girl – the moniker would be modified to “Oresnika.” Even Vladimir Putin wasn’t so sure this was a good idea – saying at a news conference that the parents “might consult with their grandparents about this.”
SKY GAZING: Associated Press quoted British officials last week as saying that a criminal investigation has been launched after drones were spotted loitering over four U.S. Air Force bases in England. The ownership, origin, and intentions of the drones are unknown. AP says they were spotted “over or near RAF Lakenheath, RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell in eastern England, as well as RAF Fairford in southwestern England.” The very appropriately named ‘Sky News’ reported that “Around 60 British troops, including counter-drone specialists, have been deployed to help defend three air bases used by the U.S. Air Force in the UK after a spate of ‘weird; drone sightings.’”
SPY WRITING: Late last month, in honor of National Novel Writing Month, the CIA’s “Ask Molly Hale” column provided aspiring novelists with some tips on the secrets of making their fictional scribblings sound spy-like. The pseudonymous Ms. Hale offered five tips. The first of which was: “BLUF – Bottom Line Up Front” give readers the good stuff first. The second tip was “Avoid Jargon and Ornate Language.” If we were going to be snarky – we’d suggest that “BLUF” itself is kind of jargon. Seriously, there are some useful suggestions in the piece and it also points to an Agency “Spy Speak Glossary” that helps folks use intelligence-speak correctly. Our favorite entry is: “Dead Drop: a secret location where materials can be left, sometimes in a concealment device, for someone else to then retrieve; often used between an intelligence officer and their asset or agent.” That one sounds kinda familiar.
SHOW BIZ NEWS: There seem to be lots of new tv series and movies lately about espionage, national security and diplomacy. Here are some teasers and trailers that might spark your interest. The first couple episodes of Showtime’s 10-part thriller “The Agency” premiered on December 1. The remaining installments will roll out over the next seven weeks. The series was inspired by a French drama “Le Bureau des Légendes.” It stars Michael Fassbender and Richard Gere – and was produced by George Clooney among others. Some of the initial reviews were mixed. Slate, for example said it was “smart, fast, and star-studded” but paled in comparison with the French original. Oh, and don’t confuse this series with the CBS TV series called “The Agency” which ran for two seasons between 2001 to 2003. Here’s a link to the 2024-25 trailer. Also, this week a six-part series called “Black Doves” starring Keira Knightley dropped on Netflix. The Wall Street Journal describes it as “Thrilling, comic, ridiculous and fun.” Knightley plays “Helen Webb” who works for an outfit called the Black Doves which provides top secret information “to the highest bidder.” The official trailer looks interesting. The series appears to be trying to cast itself as a Christmas-season spy series. Another series on the near horizon is the second season of “The Night Agent” – about a low-level FBI agent who works in the low-level basement of the White House manning a phone that never rings – until it does and he finds himself in the middle of a major conspiracy. Season two drops on Netflix on January 25 – and season 3 is beginning production later this month.
MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD MAKE A TV SERIES OUT OF THIS: Three Bulgarian nationals were brought before a London court on Monday. Prosecutors said they were working on behalf of Russia in a plot to lure an investigative journalist working for Bellingcat into a “honey trap.” Two other Bulgarians have admitted being involved. The details get a little sketchy – well, more than a little – but a BBC story reports that the spy ring also “planned to cover the Kazakhstan Embassy in London in fake pig’s blood as part of a staged protest” and had discussed creating “’deepfake’ porn videos of the son of the President of Kazakhstan or seducing him in a ‘honeytrap.’” Other British reports say that when the group was arrested authorities found “33 audio devices, 55 visual recording devices, 221 mobile phones, 495 SIM cards, 11 drones, 75 passports and 91 bank cards in various names.”
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
WHO SAID THERE ARE NO BRIGHT LIGHTS ON CAPITOL HILL? According to DailyMail.com “An ominous quartet of gleaming lights above the United States Capitol building have left some afraid the alien invasion has finally arrived.” The lights were spotted on the evening of November 26th and posted in some social media videos. We are somewhat skeptical since we did not see the sighting cited in The Washington Post but perhaps both democracy and news of alien invasions die in darkness.
WE HAVE BEEN SCANNING THE SKIES FOR UFOS AND NEWS TIPS FROM YOU…AND HAVE SPOTTED NEITHER. IF YOU HAVE SOME (NEWS TIPS) SEND THEM TO: TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com
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