HOW THE FSB IS EVOLVING
As tensions with the West have risen, Russia's main security service, the FSB, has ramped up its counterintelligence operations, expanding its surveillance, arrests, and intimidation efforts. Since its founding in 1998 to monitor Americans in post-Soviet Russia, the FSB's Department for Counterintelligence Operations (DKRO) has been given broader and broader authority - a remit that now includes flooding media outlets with anti-Western propaganda and targeting American diplomats. The unit has gained additional prominence since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, with several reports alleging that the DKRO has helped the Putin regime crack down on dissent within the country. This has included a number of high-profile arrests of senior officials and journalists, as well as orchestrating the replacement of former Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu - incidents that highlight the significant resources now wielded by the DKRO in particular, and the FSB in general. (The Moscow Times, December 13, 2024)
A DEEPENING SCIENCE DEFICIT
Amid the ongoing war with Ukraine, Russia's educational system is experiencing a catastrophic deterioration, argues a house editorial in the influential Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper. The daily cites new statistics from the country's Ministry of Education that reveal that nearly a quarter of Russian schools (23%) now lack physics teachers, and almost half (43%) are missing chemistry instructors.
The consequences are potentially catastrophic. "The current situation in the school education system means that our state deprives millions of young people of the prospect of becoming engineers, biologists, chemists, technologists, scientists or teachers," the paper notes. Moreover, the scope of the problem is immense, since a quarter of Russia's almost 17 million schoolchildren "risk not getting acquainted with physics, and more than 40% - not learning about science and the achievements of chemistry."
Admittedly, the Kremlin has launched a plan to upgrade the quality of mathematics and science education in the country's scholastic system over the coming decade. But, the paper notes, that plan is likely to have only limited effectiveness, because it "does not yet provide additional material incentives for school teachers in the main subjects" - that is, sufficient funds to incentivize real, meaningful improvements to the quality of STEM (science, technology and mathematics) curricula in Russian schools. (Nezavisimaya Gazeta, December 17, 2024)
RUSSIA REPOSITIONS AFTER ASSAD
In the wake of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad's ouster last month, the Kremlin is increasingly turning its attention to a different regional outpost. Russia has reportedly shifted its strategic focus to Libya, and has increasingly begun utilizing the al-Khadim airbase near Benghazi as a key hub for its military operations in the region. The move appears to be a part of Moscow's attempt to fortify its presence in the Mediterranean, even as it continues to expand its influence in Africa.
As part of that process, flights from Syria to Libya have surged dramatically, encompassing transports ferrying military equipment, personnel, and advanced air defense systems. The shift has been made possible by Russia's long standing relationship with Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar, which has allowed Moscow to solidify its foothold in North Africa even as its position in the Levant erodes. There is now even speculation that Moscow may soon establish a naval base on Libya's northern coast to replace its maritime presence in Syria. NATO, meanwhile, is said to be closely monitoring Russia's activities in Libya, as Alliance worries mount about the potential security implications for the broader Mediterranean region. (CNN, December 31, 2024)
MOSCOW'S DRONE-ENABLED ESPIONAGE
Over the past year, Germany has reported a significant increase in the number of Russian spy drones flying over its airspace. A spokesman for the Interior Ministry of the Rhineland-Palatinate state in southwest Germany has stated that the drones target "security-relevant properties" and appear to be a method of Russian hybrid warfare. Thus far, Rhineland-Palatinate has not succeeded in intercepting any of the unmanned aerial vehicles. The report comes on the heels of an announcement by Germany's intelligence chief that Russia is preparing for military conflict with NATO within the next five years, with preparations focusing on a major restructuring of its armed forces and heavy investments in the development of advanced weapons systems. (Anadolu Agensi, January 8, 2025)
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