The Soviet counterintelligence unit SMERSH has been reactivated in Russia.
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At the end of last year, Russian politicians announced the resumption of SMERSH, and at the beginning of 2024, photos of operatives wearing such stripes already appeared in open sources. This is stated in the new summary of the British Ministry of Defense for January 8.
It is noted that the name of the unit is an abbreviation for the Russian phrase “death to spies.” SMERSH, which existed in 1941-1946, was founded by USSR dictator Joseph Stalin.
It is currently unclear whether the new name indicates some significantly new capabilities or role for Russian counterintelligence or simply a change in name.
The intelligence agency emphasized that this is another example of how “Russian authorities are deliberately pushing the threshold of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict in the spirit of World War II and how they are focusing on the alleged penetration of external threats into Russia.”
Let us recall that after the rebellion of the private military company Wagner under the leadership of Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in November 2023 approved the creation of the Security Forces of the Moscow Government – a new organization to protect the capital’s infrastructure. This unit has been authorized to use firearms.
Source: Racurs
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