Latest Articles about Influence Operations

Straits Forum Puts Fujian at Center of Cross-Strait Integration Campaign
Executive Summary: Beijing is operationalizing its cross-Strait unification strategy through bureaucratic embedding and military-civil fusion, with Fujian Province as the central staging ground. The 17th Straits Forum in June served as a propaganda instrument to showcase apparent Taiwanese grassroots support, while parallel PLA developments contradict... MORE

Balkan Training Camps Reflect Moscow’s Expanding Definition of War
Executive Summary: A recent joint investigation by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) and Moldovan outlet CU SENS confirmed that Moscow had established secret paramilitary camps in the Balkans to train Moldovan citizens in destabilization tactics ahead of Moldova’s October 2024 presidential elections. The Kremlin... MORE

Taiwan Bounty: PRC Cross-Agency Operations Target Taiwanese Military Personnel
Executive Summary: For the first time, public security authorities in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) are targeting Taiwanese military personnel and so-called “Taiwan independence” (台独) forces through a law enforcement framework. Akin to techniques previously used in Hong Kong, the Guangzhou Public Security Bureau... MORE

Russian Intelligence Recruits Refugees and Migrants in NATO Countries for Espionage
Executive Summary: Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, harsh sanctions, growing awareness among North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member states of Russian intelligence tactics, and enhanced counterintelligence operations have made the Kremlin’s traditional information-gathering methods nearly impossible. Following widespread expulsions of Russian diplomats... MORE

Moscow Seeks to Retain Influence Over Moldova
Executive Summary: Russia appears to be intensifying hybrid operations against Moldova, leveraging disinformation and false narratives to portray Western alliances as instigators of conflict while planning destabilization tactics. Moscow has repeatedly tried to destabilize Moldova to allow for pro-Russian regime change. The threat of Russian... MORE

Fungus Smuggling Case Highlights Agricultural Espionage in the United States
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has a long history of engaging in agricultural espionage and, potentially, sabotage in the United States. This is partly to decouple from U.S. agriculture, and partly to achieve food security in the event of a major conflict... MORE

Kremlin Increases Anti-Poland Propaganda
Executive Summary: Russia is intensifying its hybrid warfare against Poland through cyberattacks, sabotage, and disinformation, while portraying Polish defensive actions as provocations to fuel domestic narratives and justify ongoing hostility. Kremlin propaganda is beginning to shift focus from Ukraine to Poland as an adversary, anticipating... MORE

Fracturing Transatlantic Convergence, One Capital at a Time
Executive Summary: In the wake of U.S.–China trade talks in Geneva, Beijing launched a sequenced campaign across Europe—first signaling partnership, then reinforcing its trade credentials through multilateral forums, and finally engaging in targeted bilateral diplomacy. The aim was to present the People's Republic of China... MORE

Poland Responds to Russian Sabotage Campaign with Consulate Closure
Executive Summary: Poland announced on May 12 that it will close Russia’s consulate in Krakow after attributing the May 2024 Warsaw shopping center fire to Russian security services, as one of only seven North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries to shut down Russian consulates. Moscow... MORE

Russia Exploits Latvian Vulnerabilities to Undermine Baltic Defenses (Part One)
Executive Summary: Russia’s evolving military strategy in the Baltic region is shifting from predictable linear offensives to deceptive and flanking maneuvers, with a possible thrust through southeastern Latvia that could strategically fracture the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) Baltic defense. Municipal governance vulnerabilities in Latvia,... MORE