India's defence minister appeared to confirm the government's involvement in extrajudicial killings in Pakistan, targeting terrorists and militants associated with Islamist groups. The alleged shift in policy came after the Pulwama attack in 2019, with Indian intelligence operatives drawing inspiration from agencies like Mossad and incidents such as Jamal Khashoggi's killing. Detailed evidence from investigations into the killings was shown by Pakistani intelligence agencies, alleging Raw's involvement in up to 20 deaths. The operations involved recruitment of individuals from the UAE and radical Islamist networks, and also targeted Sikh activists in western countries. Pakistan's foreign office responded, condemning the Indian-sponsored terrorist acts.
The CIA has had a secret partnership with Ukraine for over a decade, initially focused on intelligence gathering on Russia but now involving lethal operations following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The partnership, which began in 2014, has provided Ukraine with training, equipment, and spy bases along the Russian border. The Biden Administration has authorized the CIA to provide critical intelligence for Ukraine's lethal operations against Russia, including details on planned attacks and assassination plots.
Russian dissidents, including opposition leader Alexei Navalny, continue to disappear in strange and sudden deaths, with many analysts suspecting Russian intelligence services are behind these incidents. These deaths, often made to look like natural or accidental, are believed to be part of a long-standing intelligence tradecraft used to eliminate enemies of the state. The pattern of mysterious deaths extends to high-profile figures such as Boris Nemtsov, Anna Politkovskaya, and several Russian businessmen who opposed Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Analysts suggest that these deaths, if carried out by intelligence, are designed to be stealthy and are often deemed as "tragic accidents."
The Finnish Security and Intelligence Service (SUPO) has said that expulsions of Russian intelligence officers and visa refusals have significantly weakened Moscow's intelligence operations in Finland in the past year. The agency noted that Russia, China, and "certain other countries" were the most active users of intelligence operations to acquire information for their own ends and against the interests of Finland. SUPO has earlier said that Finland's future NATO membership will make the Nordic country a more interesting target for Russian intelligence and influencing operations.
