EX-CIA Station Chief on FSB modus operandi in carrying out arrests like that of @evangershkovich detailed in his upcoming book, and in below excellent interview with ABC... ☑️ There are many common FSB tactics used in the arrest of Gershkovich from KGB times, they still use today. Among them: 1) The "document pass"...Evan relates how the "source" he was meeting, which was certainly FSB-contrrolled seemed in a rush to pass him documents...this is a common FSB tactic just prior to arrest of a diplomat or other "Suspect"...get the EVIDENCE in the hands of the trumped up suspect... got to have the "evidence" even for their fake trials and sham prosecution... 2) Their arrests are very rough--on purpose. As I detail in Chapter 6 of my book ("Dirty Tricks"), the Russian services use the DOUBLE AGENT scenario like this--against suspect intelligence officers, diplomats and journalists-- as not only intimidation against foreigners living in Russia, BUT also to justify their own existence in the vast bureaucracy that is both the FSB and then the FSB within the Russian government. It is the classic set-up and arrest prior to a PNG for a diplomat, or in this case, imprisonment for a journalist. They literally don't spare the punches at all... ⚠️And the FSB don't catch many real spies, but they catch a whole lot of fake, double-agent created spies they claim are spies, like poor Mr. Gershkovich in this case. 3) Also as he details, this is part of a NEW MO that the FSB has employed in recent years-- real spies/Illegals (Russian IO's on false identifies caught abroad) and convicted intelligence killers/assassins being TRADED back to Russia for innocent civilians. Honestly, and as difficult as this is to say, we should have NEVER in the West started down this path of swapping civilians for spies and criminals...because there is no end to it. It is the reason President Reagan through the 1980s said we would not negotiate with terrorists hijacking planes...it leads to more hijackings. I empathize with Mr. Gershkovich, Ms. Griner and ALL the wrongly imprisoned citizens of the U.S. and other countries in Russia that we had to swap out but this all has set a very dangerous precedent. Americans and Europeans should beware---Russia is a criminal, gangster state where there is no justice at all. It is unsafe to travel there for any foreigner, businessmen, journalist or NGO...it has been for years. Again, am glad Evan is home safe to our country and all those wrongly imprisoned--the USG and every government should work for their freedom...BUT I also hope the WSJ doesn't try to deploy any other reporters there, and that NO WNBA players go anymore... Enough of American naivety about our "main enemy"= THE RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE SERVICES! (what they call us, btw, and have been calling the United States for generations--the glavnii protivnik!)...

Ex-CIA Chief of Station: “Putin wouldn’t dare” is not a defense strategy. My new column for Tomorrow’s Affairs looks beyond the debate over whether Russia will attack NATO and asks the question that matters more: 🚨Are we prepared if our assumptions are wrong? Drones. Electronic warfare. Industrial capacity. Weapons stockpiles. And credible deterrence. Ukraine has changed the battlefield. NATO needs to change just as quickly. #NATO #Russia #NationalSecurity #Defense #Ukraine tomorrowsaffairs.com/putin-w…

This article on deterrence and Russian escalation in the grey zone is well worth your read from a friend and former CIA colleague, David Gioe @GioeINT . Dave and I agree on the problem of what I have been calling "empty deterrence" and he goes on to some other strong options and arguments for what NATO and the U.S. SHOULD be doing...give it a read, well worth your time! 🚨 In addition to TAURUS missiles for the Germans to give Ukraine --a real HIT BACK to the Russians vice what David and I both agree is not serious "closing of consulates, cultural centers, and other serious measures..." (Putin was sighing at that one!)... We, the U.S., should also give Ukraine the ERAMS long range strike packages and software for their F-16's, advocated by Admiral Mark Montgomery months ago...the Ukrainians can use them immediately, Congress approved this sale a long-time ago--3500 of them! We can SELL them (I say give em away to heroes fighting for their freedom, but fine sell them then), and the Europeans and other allies will help pay--give the Ukrainians, in Churchills words, "the TOOLS" so they can "finish the job!" Kudos David for drawing more attention to these critical issues...

Well done and well written, David! Good points for team NATO and deterrence—real deterrence!!

Also was honored in this article to be quoted alongside fellow Russia intelligence experts @riehle_kevin and @GioeINT whose comments I fully endorse as well--thank you again to Mark and my colleagues also in this article...it's a really good overview of the threat, and challenge...