JRL NEWSWATCH: “Top Secret Russian Unit Seeks to Destabilize Europe, Security Officials Say” – New York Times/ Michael Schwirtz

October 8, 2019 JRL Russia List Assassinations, Beatings, Threats, Chemical Weapons, Biological Weapons, ChemBio, Europe, EU, JRL NewsBlog, Spies, Spy Allegations, Terrorism

Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

“… a destabilization campaign in Moldova … the poisoning of an arms dealer in Bulgaria …. a thwarted coup in Montenegro. … an attempt to assassinate a former Russian spy in Britain using a nerve agent. … Western security officials have … concluded that these operations, and potentially many others, are part of a coordinated and ongoing campaign to destabilize Europe … by an elite unit inside … Russian intelligence … skilled in subversion, sabotage and assassination. … Unit 29155 … operat[ing] for at least a decade … only recently discovered [by the West]. Intelligence officials in four Western countries say it is unclear how often the unit is mobilized … warn[ing] … it is impossible to know when and where … [it] will strike. … underscor[ing] the degree to which … Putin, is actively fighting the West with his brand of so-called hybrid warfare … blend[ing] … propaganda, hacking attacks and disinformation – as well as open military confrontation. …”