Category Archives: Intelligence

Russian sabotage campaigns: the new European front of the War – by G. Porrino & A. Bolpagni

Intelligence, , ,

Since February 2024, at least ten operations between arson attacks and train sabotage have been planned, several of which have been intercepted by the intelligence services of the countries targeted. Where operations were successful, pictures and related videos were disseminated on PMC Wagner’s main Telegram channels. Such acts of sabotage do not constitute an isolated case, but rather part of a broader operation.

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29Set/23

Time to be realistic about Swarmcast2.0 – by Ali Fisher

Intelligence, Security, Terrorism, , , ,

For all the meetings, presentations and reports from embedded academics and industry groups, purporting to show success against Salafi-Jihadi groups, the movement is still comfortably able to disseminate content through Swarmcast2.0.

The Western metanarrative has long been accepted by the orthodoxy of Terrorism Studies. However, while claims of success resonate at events hosted by industry funded bodies, the challenge encapsulated by Swarmcast2.0 remains. Salafi-Jihadi groups and the media mujahidin maintain persistent networks which function across multiple platforms simultaneously.

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26Giu/23

PMC Wagner and Allied Mercenaries, Aftermath of the March by – Federico Borgonovo & Giulia Porrino

Communication, Intelligence, Security, Terrorism, , , ,

During the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, PMC Wagner exploited online and offline support of some military groups, including:

  • Española, a parallel battalion of Russian ultras led by Alexander Shum and with a special training centre near San Petersburg.
  • Rusich, a reconnaissance, sabotage and assault group, directly attached to the PMC Wagner.
  • Serb members, active since the deployment in Syria. Those are linked with several ultras’ communities.
  • Níðhöggr (Nidhogg), a little unit near to the Scandinavian right-wing militia funded by an actual Wagner member.  

All these units were orbiting around the PMC Wagner as embedded support groups. Starting from their online propaganda we theorized a pro-Wagner alliance system (figure 1).

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15Mar/23

Correlation Is Not Causation: Wagner e migranti come attori della guerra cognitiva – by Giulia Porrino

Communication, Intelligence, Migration, Terrorism, ,

Nella giornata di lunedì il Ministro della Difesa Guido Crosetto e il Ministro degli Affari Esteri Antonio Tajani hanno denunciato la presenza della PMC Wagner dietro l’aumento degli sbarchi sulle coste italiane, triplicati rispetto allo stesso periodo nel 2022. Secondo i Ministri si tratta di una strategia di guerra cognitiva che i mercenari russi stanno attuando per destabilizzare l’Europa. Non si è fatta attendere la risposta di Prigozhin (su Telegram), che ha negato di essere al corrente di quanto sta accadendo.

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07Feb/23

Towards a more progressive approach to studying the Salafi-Jihadi movement – by Ali Fisher

Intelligence, Sociology, Technology, Terrorism, , , ,

The ongoing struggle against the Salafi-Jihadi movement will require reflection on multiple levels to achieve a genuinely progressive and evidence-based approach. This reflection will focus on developing an authentic understanding of:

  • Their core purpose – their theology expressed in hundreds of thousands of pages of text, along with days of audio and video content.
  • The strategic communication approaches which underpin their da’wa; the missionary work often referred to by Western research as recruitment or radicalization. Such understanding will include how Salafi-Jihadi groups exploit the internet for strategic communication.
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26Dic/22

Medical Intelligence – Prima Conferenza Internazionale

Intelligence, , ,

Medical Intelligence: First International Conference – Milano 26 gennaio 2023 – Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Università Campus Bio-Medico, Società Italiana di Intelligence, Società Italiana di Medicina Legale e delle Assicurazioni, NATO Rapid Deployable Corps – Italy.

Iscrizioni: MedInt@itstime.it Continue reading →