THE VIENNA (BAD) BOYS CHOIR: If you have access to The Wall Street Journal, you might want to check out the lengthy article published behind the paywall headlined “A Den of Spies: Vienna Emerges as Hub for Russian Espionage.” Our initial reaction was: emerges? Since Vienna has long been the focus of espionage – it is, after all, the home of the Bridge of Spies. But apparently, the spy business is booming. Sources tell the WSJ that over the past two years, the number of acknowledged Russian officials working in the city has grown to over 500 from the previous 300 to 400. And the sources estimate that up to half of that number are spies. The number of operatives not operating under diplomatic cover is unknown – but likely large. So, why is the spy business booming there? Well, the Journal says that espionage is legal in Austria “as long as it isn’t directed against Austria itself.”
OFF SIDES: According to The Express tabloid in the U.K., a Russian intelligence gathering ship, the Vasily Tatischev, has been spotted in the Baltic, lingering just outside German and Danish territorial waters. Why? No one has said – but The Express speculated that the snooping might be tied to the Euro 2024 football championship taking place in Germany this month. What is the connection? Beats us. But the Vasily Tatischev is reportedly equipped with eavesdropping equipment designed to listen in on cell phone communications. Maybe the Russians are trying to pick up some inside information on the Euro 24 players so they can get some bets down on the FanDuel or DraftKings sports books?
PUTIN’S COSTLY INVASION: It is nearly impossible to come up with an accurate figure of the death tolls stemming from Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine but that doesn’t stop people from trying. Newsweek cites Ukrainian military sources as saying that Russian military casualties are approaching 550,000. The Kremlin has been losing over 1,000 soldiers per day – according to Kiev. Of course, Moscow would not confirm those numbers. British intelligence – which likely provides an unbiased view – also puts the Russian death toll at over a half million soldiers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier this year, that 31,000 Ukrainian troops had been killed in the war. Russia claims having caused something like ten times that number of losses. Some estimates say that the number of draft age Russian men who have fled the country to avoid being called up – may exceed the number of Russian KIA.
BIG SPY COUNTRY: You may have missed this story unless you are a regular reader of “Mansion Global” (a publication aimed at high net-worth individuals who are interested in – well, mansions and estates.) But don’t worry – The Dead Drop has you covered. Mansion Global reported recently about a Montana ranch (which is on the market for $21.7 million) that had been a long-time hideout for Soviet defector Viktor Belenko. To be clear – Belenko didn’t own the 7,230-acre spread. He defected from the USSR in 1976 – taking his MiG-25 with him when he flew to Japan. The CIA officer handling his resettlement made arrangements for him to take up residence at the Rocking Chair Ranch. He reportedly worked there – cutting hay, fixing fences and trying to get along as a transplanted Russian cowboy. Belenko eventually moseyed on and left the ranch. He reportedly died in September 2023. If you’re in the market for a ranch in Big Sky country – you can thank us later.
KISS AND DON’T TELL: The New York Post carried a story recently under a banner called “Sex & Relationships.” The title of the piece was “I was a CIA spy – here’s how I kept my job secret while dating to avoid raising eyebrows.” It’s the story of Brittany Butler Jennings who reportedly worked for the Agency for 9 years. Her secret for stress free dating? She told prospective beaus that she was a government contractor. Brilliant. We never would have thought of that. She currently makes TikTok videos under the moniker @formerspy1. Jennings wrote a novel last year that we hadn’t heard of called The Syndicate Spy: A Juliet Arroway Novel. The Amazon page for the book indicates she was a targeting officer in CIA’s Counterterrorism Center.
44 MINUTES ON AREA 51: National Geographic recently released a documentary on YouTube called “Area 51: The CIA’s Secret” and the promotional material promised that experts would reveal what really happened there. Turns out the full 44-minute video that was just posted on YouTube was made in 2014. If anything’s happened since then, it’s still a secret.
POCKET LITTER: Dead Droplets and bits and pieces of interesting /weird stuff we discovered:
CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF NCIS? Regular readers of The Dead Drop know that we occasionally mock network TV’s obsession with cranking out series spun off the NCIS franchise. Well, if you have binge watched all 1,000+ NCIS episodes – we have just learned that Prime Video has begun to stream the entire 227 episodes of JAG – the Navy legal drama from which NCIS was spun off. JAG first appeared in 1995 and lasted ten seasons. You’re welcome.
TAKE A BREAK FROM NCIS BINGE WATCHING AND SEND US NEWS TIPS, WILL YA? SEND TIPS TO: TheDeadDrop@theCipherBrief.com
