Event dbc3a164-055a-4b2b-baca-6cc8c99d266d

Approved event from Hybrid War Tracker

Status: Approved Confidence: Low Category: Espionage Country: Estonia Country: Russia

Source: https://sciencebusiness.net/viewpoint/cybersecurity/viewpoin...

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Event Time

1y ago

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Created

1mo ago

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Updated

1mo ago

Summary

Headline: Viewpoint: Trojan Academics or why western universities are a valuable source for Russia’s covert operations

Short Summary: Estonian intelligence apprehended a university professor accused of espionage for Russia, highlighting a pattern of Russian exploitation of western academic networks for covert operations.

Description

A viewpoint by a former rector of the University of Tartu explores how western universities have been targeted as sources of intelligence and influence operations by Russian intelligence services, citing recent espionage cases and the value of academic networks in hybrid warfare.

Evidence

Quotes

Estonian security services apprehended Vacheslav Morozov, professor of international political theory at the University of Tartu, on one of the oldest universities in the Baltics. Morozov now stands accused of espionage on behalf of the Russian Federation against the Republic of Estonia and is currently in custody pending investigation.

Without prejudice to the Morozov case, I aim to demonstrate why western universities are highly valuable sources of intelligence for Russia, and information warfare actors NATO countries.

More than universities, academic networks have become the target of an extensive information onslaught, orchestrated through Russian-linked news portals, official and fake statements and hidden bear traps within social platforms, paid lurkers, and initiated by agents masquerading as innocent, out-of-context, neutral, or admired Lithuanian, Finnish or Estonian alumni.

Source

https://sciencebusiness.net/viewpoint/cybersecurity/viewpoint-trojan-academics-or-why-western-universities-are-valuable-source