My interview with the UK’s SUN is out, on their YouTube channel, lots of details on how brutal, corrupt and malign our Russian intelligence adversaries, hope you enjoy. 👉EX CIA: Brutal reality of Russian intelligence tactics explained includi... youtu.be/CbhQBK1IfSI?is=3vma… via @YouTube 🙏🏻Kudos to journalist @g_krasteva for an excellent interview and to the Sun’s “Inside Stories” team! #Russia #RussianIntelligence #Cheka #KGB #FSB

A lifetime honor for me to speak in the UK at the prestigious “Cambridge Intelligence Seminar” with the @CamGeopolitics Centre at Selwyn College, University of Cambridge! 🚨We had over 100 in attendance and another another 160 online— THANK you for all who joined us and contributed to this very important discussion on #RussianIntelligence and #GrayZone threats to our democracy. 🇺🇸🇬🇧Our alliance is our strength, I’ve always believed it, and been privileged to work with great colleagues from the United Kingdom and other NATO allies throughout my career. Finally, it was a high honor to have dinner with Dr. Christopher Andrew (official historian of MI-5, the British Security Service) afterward; and in the company of some of his close friends and colleagues (he and I holding my book in below pic…also honored to meet former Foreign Policy advisor to PM Margaret Thatcher, John Ranelagh, who kindly met me at the train station on arrival, and is pictured in front of the auditorium with me below…). I was able to ask advice of one of the great intelligence historians of all time and in great company with people like John. The intelligence seminar is one of many thriving legacies they all continue to support. My deep appreciation for a special evening with all. I was treated very kindly by the hosts, including the Master (Dean) of Selwyn, Suzanne Raine who personally introduced me. Am grateful!🙏🏻

🇷🇺”For Putin, the greatest threat isn't NATO. The greatest threat is any functioning democracy on his border." & “Russian intelligence doesn't care which side we/you choose (in our politics). They just want us fighting each other..." 🚨 These were some of my quotes from a great interview out of the UK with YoYo Hamblen on her “Security Circle” podcast released today. Here is the episode summary: 🎙️ EP 180: Russia Wants You Angry: “A Spy's Warning to the West”: ⚠️ What if the greatest threat facing Western democracies isn't a missile, a tank, or even a cyberattack? What if it's distrust? 👉”This week on The Security Circle Podcast, I sit down with former CIA case officer and Russian intelligence specialist Sean to explore the hidden battlefield of modern conflict — information warfare, influence operations, espionage, and the psychological tactics being used to divide societies from within. 👉👉Drawing on nearly three decades in the intelligence community, Sean shares extraordinary insights into how Russian intelligence operates, why democracies remain a target, and what ordinary citizens need to understand about the unseen war being fought every day across social media, politics, and public discourse. 🚨Together we discussed: 🔹 Russian intelligence tradecraft and modern espionage 🔹 Putin's strategic view of the West 🔹 Information warfare and cognitive manipulation 🔹 The weaponisation of social media and division 🔹 The lessons of Ukraine for Western democracies 🔹 Why young people are increasingly targeted by influence operations 🔹 The psychology of betrayal, treason, and recruitment 🔹 Whether the West is winning or losing the intelligence war ✅This is a fascinating conversation about spies, strategy, influence, and the future of democracy itself. Whether you're a security professional, intelligence enthusiast, or simply trying to make sense of an increasingly complex world, this is an episode you won't want to miss. 🎧 Available now on all major podcast platforms and on Apple here: 👉 podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… 🙏🏻Kudos to Yolanda Hamblen for a great interview. Security Circle is a production for IFPO the International Foundation of Protection Officers. #Russia #RussianIntelligence #CogAI #InformationWarfare #FSB #SVR #HybridWar

🔥Romania hit by Russian drones…UK’s GCHQ stated they are under Russian cyber, gray-zone and info war attacks every day… We aren’t paying enough attention in the United States, and NATO is in fact under attack. 🚨Honored to be on the Modern War Institute at West Point podcast with John Amble talking Russian hybrid war and their various tactics. ✅Here is the episode summary, well worth your listen (link below): 👉This episode features a discussion with former CIA senior operations officer Sean Wiswesser, author of “Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War..." Sean shares his insights on Russian intelligence services’ role in pursuing Moscow’s objectives around the world—from the war in Ukraine to influence operations in Africa and the Middle East to information campaigns intended to subvert Western democracies. 👉MWI pod link here: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… 🙏🏻My thanks to The MWI Podcast and John. 🚨Also was on another military related pod with and related to the ROTC program at New Mexico University, the “Lobo Pack” pod, glad to talk with and discuss these issues with those young men and women who are serving and eager to serve! We need them and all young Americans to sign up to serve in the military and the intelligence community...bravo and thanks to ROTC Captain Mike Atterbury (Link to that short pod as well below, kudos to them for the picture and pod artwork I used on this post). 👉LOBO POD (I offer my best advice at end for the next gen of aspiring Intel officers!): podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… #Russia #HybridWar #UkraineWar #GrayZone #RussianIntelligence

🔥 "Their goal is to undermine democracy, the United States and all of our allies...so my mission is to undermine them--the Russian intelligence services--to expose them for the frauds they are, while also explaining why they remain a formidable adversary." This is from my latest interview with the LAWFARE Daily podcast out today. Hope you'll tune in for some great content, kudos to Justin Sherman for the interview. ✅Hope you listen, but also order "Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks." The book is a TEAM effort (with many of your help). This was my 25th podcast interview on it, see why it is getting international acclaim and attention, and remains a BEST Seller on Amazon's Russia/Soviet politics list! 👉Link to order my book: a.co/d/0gKZLORn 👉My book is a mission- to do the maximum damage to the Russian intelligence services (RIS). I am trying hard to spread the word on their tactics, what they are trying to do operationally against the US and our allies, and then doing my best to help agencies, allies, companies and individuals to better protect ourselves --and where we can-- hit back. ☢️The RIS and their President are bullies on the world stage, leading a level of reckless escalation in both Ukraine and the #GreyZone the likes of which Europe and the U.S. has not seen in 90 years, since another dictator with "grievances" was seizing territory, making demands, and then led Europe and half the world into its worst conflagration...it should be warning to us, but are we paying attention? 👉Link to interview on Apple (also on Spotify and other platforms): podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… #RussianIntelligence #Russia #Espionage #Intelligence #UkraineWar #HybridWar #SpecialOperations

News of my book, and its message reported literally half world away in the New Delhi TV service "NDTV World", link below...👏 Check out my book on Russian intelligence, please: "Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks," and see why it is getting attention around the globe, and why I was honored to be invited to Cambridge and Oxford Universities BOTH in 2 weeks to lecture on its message and mission! Thank you for the continued support! Kudos and appreciation again to the iPaper as below builds off of that UK feature on me early last week...🙏 #Russia #RussianIntelligence #Ukraine #UkraineWar ndtv.com/world-news/ex-cia-a…

“All of us are equal, but some of us (the Siloviki) are more equal than the rest of you…” 🇷🇺That sums up Putin’s vision of the USSR he mythologizes as “great,” with his old KGB in charge…it is the same model he uses to rule, with the FSB and his other corrupt “organs” of power taking what they want and leaving scraps for the Rest of Russia... 🎬We discussed this and other features of Putin’s elitist security state on the “Orwellian” podcast with @rolandebrown in London. Check out the link below, it’s a great listen on all things dictatorships! 👉youtu.be/-jlSVDnAsw4?si=5EfJ… via @YouTube ✅And for more details on his regime and the role of his security services in it, please consider my book which details 10 chapters of their tactics and their espionage techniques: 👉 👉Link to order my book: a.co/d/0gKZLORn 👉AND Link to all my Lecture/pod/Interview Content on YouTube with 25 video/lecture interviews: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL… Thank you to Roland and all for the continued support! #RussianIntelligence #Russia #Orwell #UkraineWar

“Get used to it!” The young Russian SVR officers are told while being trained in corruption at their foreign intel academy, the AVR…located in the “Woods,” in Chelibityevo, outside Moscow… Want to hear some more great spy stories from actual Russian intelligence officers and defectors like in this clip? 🎬Full video is NOW UP on YouTube of my interview at the @IntlSpyMuseum from my book launch event there on 30 April and now available: 👉youtu.be/eCzfZ0DvBJo?si=EXya… My appreciation again to Historian Mark Jacobson, Amanda Ohlke, and SPY museum for the event, which was attended in person and online by hundreds of colleagues, friends, and those interested in Russian intelligence. 👉The attached is a short sample where Mark and I discuss Russian corruption…. in the words of a Russian defector who related to me …it starts early, at their very academies! 👉 For much more, buy my book….entering its second month of launch, still a best seller on Amazon in three categories and endorsed by more and more experts worldwide! (linked below with a recent endorsement from Germany!👇) a.co/d/05i1OTnw #Russia #RussianEspionage #RussianIntelligence #Espionage #Spies

🚨Corruption, dysfunction, and the hidden weaknesses behind Putin’s security state. What happens when an intelligence system becomes consumed by corruption, fear, and loyalty to the regime instead of truth? Was honored to dicuss this and more on below episode of “At the Boundary” with Dr. Jeffrey Rogg. ✅Here is a summary of episode: CIA operations officer Sean Wiswesser argues that the dysfunction inside Russia’s intelligence services is not an exception to the system – it is the system. 👉Discussing his new book, Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War (👉 a.co/d/01mSE1Qy) Wiswesser explains how the FSB and SVR have become organizations shaped by cronyism, politicized analysis, and institutional decay. He and Dr. Jeff Rogg examine how those failures contributed to Russia’s disastrous assumptions before the invasion of Ukraine and why authoritarian intelligence systems struggle to deliver honest assessments to political leaders. 👉The conversation also explores Russian active measures, disinformation campaigns targeting democracies, and the growing role of intelligence services in sustaining Putin’s rule. 🚨This is a candid examination of how secret police culture, corruption, and information warfare continue to define Russia’s confrontation with the West. My appreciation to Jeff and the show for having me on, they did a great job and are very professional! 👇Here is the link to the pod: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… #Russia #RussianIntelligence #UkraineWar #Ukraine #CogAI #SpecialOperations #Security

🔥 “The Russian security services can do whatever they want, as long as they don’t run afoul of their great leader.” And they are getting more reckless at their sabotage: blowing up a plane in Lithuania, cable cuts in the Baltic, arson in Poland and UK, what are we going to do in the West to stop it? That was a quote, and just one part of our discussion from my interview with UK journalist @robhastings with the iPaper from London, out this week. 👉The Russian intel services' (RIS) actions are more reckless and escalatory than at any point since the height of the Cold War. But while the Russians services are escalating hybrid war, I also noted: “they are fallible, they make mistakes, they’re not 10 ft tall…They’re impeded by horrendous corruption across their entire government, but especially in the security services.” ⚠️There always have been and will be RIS officers disgusted by Putin’s regime who invariably decide for a new path, and defect: “That’s why they choose a new life for themselves and their families.” I detail many examples of such "hero-spies" in my book. After all, who wants to risk raising children in a society which does not value human life or dignity--1.4 million casualties in a pointless war? 👉These are just a few topics we touched on, hope you might check out the full article: inews.co.uk/news/world/forme… 🚨And my book, on Russian intelligence where I have a full chapter on SABOTAGE: 👉a.co/d/08hAkxlZ My appreciation to Rob and the iPaper for helping focus on the menace of the Russian intelligence services, their sabotage, assassinations, and "wet work" being carried out across the UK and Europe. It will only stop when we in the West provide a united and credible deterrent to their escalation... #RussianIntelligence #HybridWar #GrayZone #Espionage #UkraineWar #Russia

Is Putin Really Vulnerable? Or are all the rumors swirling in Moscow just more dictator games with his loyal security services, only to justify further crackdowns and repression? This is the subject of my opinion piece out today with @ForeignPolicy magazine. Below are a few of the key points I make. Please tune into FP for the full article, and more great content on Russia. 🚨With the Kremlin, every few months, a new rumor seems to emerge suggesting that Putin may be vulnerable. The Washington Post, Newsweek and other sources reported last week this may suggest Putin is weakened and concerned over potential coups. My take: nothing further from the truth…this is a lot of wishful thinking. Unfortunately, after 25 years in power, Putin has built a system designed precisely to survive rumors, dissent, and internal intrigue.  As I said in the article, during his years in power, Putin has learned from other dictators’ failures. ⚠️In a hypothetical ‘World Dictators and Autocrats’ course, Putin has earned straight A’s for the last quarter century! He knows what he is doing. 🚨My conclusion: coup rumors, investigations, and arrests serve Putin’s political purposes. They create uncertainty within elite circles keeping his followers fiercely loyal and the population frozen in fear. ⚠️The most likely outcome given today’s rumors of dissent and upheaval in Russia is therefore not imminent regime collapse but further repression. 👇In the article I also discuss the Prigozhin’s rebellion in 2023, tune into the full article for his and other key analysis!: foreignpolicy.com/2026/05/12… 👉Please consider my book for further analysis like this on the Russian services!: amazon.com/Tradecraft-Tactic… #Russia #RussianIntelligence #Ukraine

Great piece out today by @jimgeraghty where he cites my book at the end! 👉How Russia Inadvertently Expanded NATO nationalreview.com/the-morni… Here is the quote from my book where Jim cites me: 👉To prepare for this trip, I’ve been reading the new book from former CIA senior operations officer Sean Wiswesser, Tradecraft, Tactics and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War: --[quoting from my book]..."For the RIS [Russian Intelligence Services], the United States is the number one enemy, or as the Russians say, glavnii protivnik or “GP”. Early in my career, in the so-called post-Cold War years, when experts in the West speculated about whether the superpower conflict would continue, I asked a Russian intelligence officer why we are still the GP. After all, there were new threats, terrorism was on the rise, and through all of it, why would America still be the GP? His answer was revealing: 'You are the GP, the U.S. was the GP, is the GP, and always will be the main enemy of Russia. Forget about the other threats; America comes first for us [the RIS].' [Jim:] There is no amount of diplomatic outreach that is going to change this mentality within the Russian government, and certainly not in between Putin’s ears. It doesn’t matter if we have U.S. servicemen in uniform on their hands and knees, rolling out the red carpet for Putin in Alaska. The Russian state sees the United States and its allies as an enemy that must be undermined and harassed at every opportunity. Even today, Russia is shipping drone components to Iran via the Caspian Sea, helping the mullahs rebuild their arsenal and continue strikes against targets in the Persian Gulf. I hope our policymakers see that fact with clear eyes and sharp minds." 🙏Well said, and thank you, Jim for noting it and using my book to help in the argument. We need our NATO allies now more than ever! #Russia #RussianIntelligence #HybridWar

Great discussion with me and the hosts on SpyTalk today! We covered all the rumors of coups, Putin in hiding and whether it is real or all spy games… Putin in Peril? | SpyTalk youtu.be/ojxjP44M370?si=xrGG… via @YouTube My appreciation to @SpyTalker Jeff, Mike @Isikoff and @KarenGreenberg3 for having me! #Russia #Espionage #Intelligence #RussianIntelligence #NationalSecurity

🚨Very honored to have the endorsement for my book from legendary spy historian, multi-book author, and Founding Board Member of the Spy Museum in DC, H. Keith Melton. His kind endorsement means so much to me because I met him first decades ago, and like many CIA veterans, we consider him a colleague and friend. And, of course, Mr. Melton is a mentor to all of us in the profession given what he’s done for espionage history and academic appreciation of it. 🙏🏻My deep appreciation for the following, and other comments he has offered as endorsements of my book. It’s a high honor, indeed. 👉 H. Keith Melton: "A rare insider’s view into the real world of Russian espionage. Sean Wiswesser combines operational credibility, historical depth, and gripping storytelling to produce one of the most important books on Russian intelligence published in years.” 👉"Sean Wiswesser pulls back the curtain on the secret world of Russian intelligence with the authority of a veteran practitioner and the skill of a gifted storyteller. Fascinating, timely, and deeply informed.” 👉“This is not Hollywood spy fiction. It is the real world of surveillance, deception, sabotage, and covert operations—written by a man who spent a career confronting Russian intelligence face to face.” Thank you so much to H. Keith Melton! #Espionage #Intelligence #RussianIntelligence #RussianHistory #EspionageHistory @IntlSpyMuseum

Link below to my full Institute of World Politics talk (IWP) on 5/4 focused on Russian Hybrid War and my Book: Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War. youtu.be/SJfe9n88gVg?si=0yOx… 🚨 I covered all the Russian Gray Zone actions happening in Europe, how hybrid war was used for decades leading up to Ukraine 2022, and what deterrence means for us and our allies now. Follow the link above and check it out, most of my comments were within the first 25 mins, and was a lively discussion after. My appreciation again to IWP! #RussianIntelligence #Russia #UkraineWar #Ukraine

America needs allies like Australia. In my book I highlight how 5-eyes and NATO are the envy of Russia, and our alliances have helped disrupt countless Russian intelligence operations. 🇦🇺So am honored to have a very favorable review of my book from the Australian Naval Institute (ANI), half world away. 👉Here is great quote from the review: “Even for the hardened spy craft enthusiast, Wiswesser’s narrative is of such depth and analysis that few readers would rate the book anything less than a truly superb study. The author gives due credit to related narratives of intelligence agents’ contributions and uses these to enhance his analyses.” 👉”Wiswesser has largely demystified the arcane RIS and forensically delved into its modus operandi. Spy story enthusiasts will be enthralled with the level of analysis and the tradecraft terminology. There may well be some covert professional agents who could learn from this CIA master agent. In any event Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks is a fascinating true-life dive into the West’s favourite ‘bête noire’.” 🙏🏻My appreciation to Tim Coyle at ANI and all our Aussie allies, we are in this fight against Russia’s services together! ✅Hope you will consider the book if you haven’t already, the Amazon listing below shows why it is a best seller for two months now, with excellent editorial reviews from across our intelligence and military community. And now from across the world! 👉Link to listing to order: amazon.com/Tradecraft-Tactic… 👉Link to ANI review: navalinstitute.com.au/34342-… #Russia #RussianIntelligence #Espionage #HybridWar #GreyZone

Putin Declared a Secret War Against America…here are the details! youtu.be/ML7b29LTRRc?si=IDuT… 🚨Great interview above, this weekend (from LIVE yesterday) on Russian espionage, hybrid war tactics…kudos to @ericgarland Here is episode summary, you’ll enjoy! 👉 “Sean Wiswesser spent 28 years fighting spies and dictatorships for the United States Government--especially Russia, which he contends has declared a secret war against Americans. He served 12 years overseas and was a "denied area" expert — the specialist track that aims to specialize in operations inside Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, and other toughest of the tough environments for spies…. He worked the ‘Ghost Stories’ case neutralizing the Russian Illegals program.” 👉He retired in 2023 and has just published TRADECRAFT, TACTICS, AND DIRTY TRICKS: RUSSIAN INTELLIGENCE AND PUTIN'S SECRET WAR — because Putin's war on the West is the work of his career, and he isn't going to stop. 👉”We talked about what 28 years working for the Intelligence Community actually teaches you about Russia; Why a Russian intelligence officer laughed at him for suggesting cooperation against al-Qaeda after 9/11; What Facebook found when it actually looked at its Russian troll problem — that the trolls were arguing both sides of every issue, because the goal was never to pick a side. “ ⚠️”We are engaged in an intense cognitive war fought by spies. Here's one expert's take on why Americans need to protect their democracy from foreign enemies--and we can start by learning their techniques in this fascinating new analysis of Russian spy tradecraft.” 📕 Get the book, it’s an expose on how to expose and defeat our RIS adversaries! amazon.com/Tradecraft-Tactic… 🙏🏻Thank you again to Game Theory pod! #Russia #UkraineWar #RussianIntelligence #Espionage #RussianActiveMeasures

🚨More listens on Russian Intelligence and Espionage! Tune in below for an excellent interview with the “Decoding Geopolitics” podcast with @DominikPresl. Dom did a great job asking the right questions. 🚨We covered: 👉What does Russian intelligence really know about the United States, and vice versa; 👉Russian hybrid actions in Europe and beyond; 👉 what are “hero spies” and why do they make a difference; 👉 Russian intelligence illegals— why they use them and why they will continue to try to infiltrate them into the west; 👉Russian intel strengths and weaknesses including their adaptations; And the importance of the NATO alliance and why it is the envy of Russia; much more! ✅Links here: 👉YouTube: youtu.be/jc-Q4jYdDlw?si=zy82… 👉Apple: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcas… 🚨If you like these topics you’ll love my book a best seller on Amazon and other sites!: a.co/d/029y5fOp 🙏🏻Thank you again to Dom and his excellent pod! #Russia #RussianIntelligence #SecurityStudies #Ukraine #UkraineWar #Espionage

What are China and Russia trying to do to the American public with social media trolling and cognitive warfare? 🚨Put simply: They are out to destroy us. I know it from 3 decades with CIA and the IC working to counter them, and the malign Russian services in particular. They are an implacable foe… ⚠️Greater awareness of their threat helps us to preserve our democracy. And I wrote a book about it… It’s already a Best Seller on Amazon in just second week of release… 👉“Tradecraft, tactics, and Dirty tricks: Russian intelligence and Putin’s Secret War.” My book highlights and details the threat and does so in an apolitical way, I hope you’ll consider it: —LINK TO ORDER: 👉 a.co/d/08abY41d 🙏🏻Thank you to @ericgarland and Game Theory Today for the “live” chat today this clip taken from! (More to follow from his show soon!) I enjoyed it and wanted to post my appreciation and also a note from this clip “why all this matters”…Team America! 🇺🇸 #Russia #CognitiveWarfare #SocialMediaTrolling #RussianActiveMeasures #RussianIntelligence #ChineseIntelligence

Great evening last night at the @IntlSpyMuseum (ISM) celebrating my book and its mission to expose the Russian intelligence services and all the “dirty tricks” they are using against the United States and our allies. I really appreciate the Spy Museum hosting the event and Mark Jacobson, their host and historian interviewing me. Thank you as well to my publisher @USNIBooks for helping arrange it all, and coming to support me. 🎬ISM will complete editing of a recording in the coming weeks and I’ll post it on here when they do. It was a great discussion. Thank you to all the dear friends who came to support me, former colleagues from CIA and FBI and many others, including some new friends from the book. I really appreciate it.🙏🏻 If you haven’t already, please consider an order of our book, it’s a #1 best seller on Amazon’s Russia list!👇 👉Link to order my book, see why it’s best seller and getting such good reviews: a.co/d/0gKZLORn 👉Link to all my Lecture/pod/Interview Content on YouTube with 20 different video/interviews now—am honored by all the help! And, in case you might be interested in more on these issues: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL… #Russia #RussianIntelligence #Putin #NATO #France #SecurityStudies