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Hard Truths Regarding an Unjust War

OPINION — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is an illegal and brutal war of aggression. Moscow is solely responsible for unleashing this conflict, and the world is right to recoil from the idea of [...] More

Here’s How Russia’s Covert War Could Undermine its Own Goals

Here’s How Russia’s Covert War Could Undermine its Own Goals
EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION — The July 2025 sanctioning and indictment by the United Kingdom of three units and 18 individuals affiliated with the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the [...] More
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More from Mark Kelton

When Truths Are Classified and Falsehoods Are Free

OPINION -- What happens when an intelligence officer who has sworn to protect classified information can’t refute an erroneous news report or a [...] More

CIA's Latest Existential Challenge

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION -- Today, the Central Intelligence Agency faces a crisis of trust. While CIA officers have long confronted adversaries [...] More

As Negotiations Over Ukraine Drag On, What Can Putin Stand to Lose?

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE - “How Many Divisions has the Pope Got?” Josef Stalin’s sarcastic, contemptuous dismissal of an appeal by Pope Pius XI to a higher [...] More

How U.S. Adversaries are Eyeing Our Presidential Election

OPINION — Describing the conditions that set the stage for history’s largest, most costly war, Winston Churchill wrote in The Gathering Storm, “The [...] More

Honoring the Oath Taken by Intelligence Officers Means More than Politics

OPINION — A poster I recently saw at CIA Headquarters reminded me of a project on which my late colleague and friend, Patty Brandmaier, and I worked [...] More
The Return of 'Iron Felix' and the Future of Russia's Leadership

The Return of 'Iron Felix' and the Future of Russia's Leadership

After originally being removed in 1997, a replica statue of "Iron Felix" Dzerzhinsky, has now been placed outside the headquarters of Russia's [...] More

The Enduring Consequences of Intelligence Leaks

OPINION — Having dealt with the investigation of, and fall-out from, Edward Snowden’s treachery while I served as CIA’s Chief of Counterintelligence [...] More
The Underlying Message from Putin and Xi: War is Coming

The Underlying Message from Putin and Xi: War is Coming

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE — Some thirty years ago, when I was a CIA Chief of Station in the war-torn Balkans, a US Special Operations soldier with whom I [...] More
China's Post-Ukraine Playbook

China's Post-Ukraine Playbook

Cipher Brief Expert and retired CIA Senior Executive Mark Kelton took part in a Russia panel during the recent Cipher Brief Threat Conference, along [...] More