On 27 March, 2017, Russian news gency RIA Novosti published a promotional video featuring what appear to be Russian National Guard troops attached to the prominent 604th Red Banner Special Purpose Center “Vityaz”(Knight). At 01:51 mark in the video IRKOS made ACR hand-held spectrum analyser can be seen in use by a Rosgvardiya troops officer.
Security
New battledress and “cap” for spetsnaz
On 7 March, 2017, Russian Izvestia news agency ran a story under a rather bombastic heading “Spetsnaz orders “anatomic” uniforms”. Uniform in question seems to be, more or less, a copy of spetsnaz popular Crye Precision’s G3 Combat Pant and Filed Shirt, albeit in the A-TACS FG (Foliage/Green) camouflage pattern. Branded “anatomical” by Izvestia, due […]
The Curious Case of Daniil Martynov
On 1 February, 2017, Russian news agencies reported that Daniil Martynov has been appointed Deputy Head of the National Guard (Rosgvardiya) for the Chechen Republic. His appointment and profile shed some light on idiosyncrasies and overlaps of defence and security apparatuses in modern day Russia. One upon a time, Daniil Martynov served as a Major […]
German SD 414 in service with Russia’s Special Operations Forces
On 3 November last year, one of Russia’s leading news agencies RIA Novosti published an article in which Stuttgart based ROTINOR GmbH “device designer” Anthony Simmonds alleged that military grade Diver Propulsion Devices (DPD), also known as Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDV), have been supplied to the Russian Army. According to Simmonds, who appears to be […]
Hybrid AK for the hybrid age (featuring exclusive images)
Ever since General Valery Gerasimov’s paper on gibridnaya voina was published back in 2013, term hybrid war or hybrid warfare has become somewhat of a catch phrase amongst Russian defence and security experts alike. Add to that terms such as hybrid economy or hybrid state, often encountered in the West in reference to modern day, […]
FSB heavyweight(s) in Switzerland(?)
On 31 January, 2017, at 11:40(GMT), AirportWebcams.com tweeted a grainy still(below) of Russia’s Federal Security Service(FSB) Tupolev Tu-214VPU aircraft parked on the Zürich Airport tarmac. Perhaps coincidentally, perhaps not, behind the Russian Tu-214VPU was Azerbaijan Airlines registered Boeing 767-300ER – used by the Azeri government for VIP transport purposes. Azerbaijan VIP 767-300ER 4K-AI01 & Russian […]
Redfellas, Piranya and Cali Cartel
A couple of weeks ago, on 17 December,2016, V.V.Putin averse blog www.putinism.wordpress.com(in Russian) published an interesting story titled “Our First Ton of Cocaine”. The post in question recounts, in some detail, a rather well known story about Miami based Ukrainian mobster Leonid Feinberg aka Ludwig Feinberg aka Tarzan and his attempt to, amongst other things, […]
From Russia with Zaslon
The Russian news agency Rosbalt has on 20 December, 2016 published an interview with an alleged anonymous operative of an ultra obscure unit of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) called Zaslon (Barrier). The fact that Rosbalt is run by the wife of Viktor Cherkessov – ex Leningrad KGB and former member of Putin’s inner […]
Mysterious Wagner makes an appearance at the Kremlin
December 9, 2016, was Day of the Heroes of the Fatherland in Russia. To honor it, a special ceremony was held at the Kremlin, where many heroes of Russia and USSR gathered for dinner with Putin. President held an emotional speech and made a toast. Prominent decorated officers and veterans form the Russian army, intelligence […]