Topic: Gru

New reports suggest the Biden administration's National Security Council privately acknowledged to victims of "Havana Syndrome" that they were targeted by directed energy devices. Intelligence sources point to Russian GRU Unit 29155, an assassination and sabotage squad, as the likely culprit. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan reportedly spiked a Washington Post op-ed that would have publicly validated the victims' claims.

The U.S. Justice Department indicted seven Russian GRU agents for hacking anti-doping officials and targeting the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Dutch intelligence reportedly caught four agents in a parking lot with surveillance gear. The agents were investigating the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in the UK.

The BBC and other outlets report on the "sloppy" nature of Russian espionage, citing a taxi receipt found on one agent that showed a trip from the GRU headquarters to the airport. The hosts express skepticism, comparing the "perfect" evidence to the discovery of a hijacker's passport on 9/11. They suggest the story makes the Russians look like the "dumbest spies in history."

Navid Jamali, a former double agent for the FBI, describes his experience taking money from the Russian GRU and handing it over to U.S. counter-intelligence. Jamali claims the FBI would then provide him with the equivalent amount in cash, a process described as a form of state-sanctioned money laundering. The report also highlights ongoing Russian espionage efforts targeting major Seattle-based companies like Boeing, Amazon, and Microsoft.

The Mueller indictment of 12 GRU agents is scrutinized for its high level of technical detail, including specific Google searches performed by the accused. Questions are raised about how such data was obtained without unprecedented internet surveillance or direct access to the DNC servers, which the FBI never physically examined. The role of CrowdStrike and its potential conflicts of interest are also highlighted.

Cybersecurity experts have linked the DNC hacks to Russian military intelligence groups known as "Fancy Bear" and "Cozy Bear." Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson has urged state officials to secure their systems, though many precincts lack the resources to do so. The U.S. government is reportedly considering grounds for retaliation against Russia for interfering in the electoral process.

Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, is reportedly investigating whether the May 9th crash of a Sukhoi Superjet 100 in Indonesia was the result of U.S.-inspired industrial espionage. The crash occurred during a demonstration flight intended to secure international orders. The theory suggests that competitors like Airbus or Boeing may have had an interest in sabotaging the Russian aviation industry's entry into the regional jet market.