S9 Ep42: Russia’s Shadow War Against NATO with Florian Flade

Chris welcomes back national security journalist Florian Flade to
unpack Russia’s shadow war against NATO. They examine Moscow’s
escalating hybrid attacks across Europe—from sabotage and arson
to drone incursions and attempted assassinations—and how Russia
recruits low-level agents via Telegram and even AI-driven
chatbots. Florian details arson plots, suspicious drone activity
near critical infrastructure, infiltration of the German Navy,
and a parcel bomb campaign stretching from Lithuania to the UK.
They also explore how Russia exploits legal loopholes, overwhelms
under-resourced security services, and uses these operations to
map NATO’s vulnerabilities. Plus, an alleged assassination plot
in Frankfurt, concerns about escalation, and why European
security services may still be underprepared for what’s
coming.

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Audio: https://pod.fo/e/2cbe95
YouTube: https://youtu.be/1WFUmHSW3NQ

Follow Florian’s blog and connect on social
media

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/florianflade.bsky.social
Twitter/X: https://x.com/FlorianFlade
Blog: https://ojihad.wordpress.com/

Florian’s reporting discussed in the episode

“Cluster of New Drone Sightings in the North” by lorian Flade,
Manuel Bewarder, and Benedikt Strunz:
https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/drohnen-ueberfluege-102.html


“Sabotage of Navy Warships” by Manuel Bewarder and Florian Flade:
https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/sabotage-marine-ostsee-102.html


“Russian Intelligence Service Suspected Behind Sabotage” by
Manuel Bewarder, Florian Flade, and Sebastian Pittelkow:
https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/russland-sabotage-106.html


“The Man with Many Identities” by Florian Flade, Antonius
Kempmann and Palina Milling:
https://www.tagesschau.de/investigativ/ndr-wdr/ukraine-russland-spionage-102.html


“Arrests Including for Espionage Activities and Membership in the
Foreign Terrorist Organization ‘Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR)’”
by the Federal Attorney General’s Office:
https://www.generalbundesanwalt.de/SharedDocs/Pressemitteilungen/DE/2024/Pressemitteilung-vom-18-04-2024.html


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Secrets and Spies sits at the intersection of intelligence,
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