Russia & China Intelligence Operations 2026
Russian and Chinese intelligence activities — espionage, influence operations, cyber campaigns, technology theft. GRU targeting US infrastructure, PLA civil-military fusion for SIGINT/IMINT, joint diplomatic alignment at UN Security Council.
Tracked Metrics
Signals
Timeline
Lithuanian Criminal Police Bureau and Office of the Prosecutor General announced on April 27 the dismantling of a multinational network of agents directed by Russia's GRU. The network was charged…
Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov visited Pyongyang on April 26-27 for talks with Kim Jong-un and DPRK Defense Minister No Kwang Chol. Belousov announced that Russia and North Korea agreed to…
CBS News, citing US Defense Intelligence Agency officials (April 17), reported China has weighed transferring advanced X-band radar systems to Iran that would materially improve Tehran's ability to…
Reuters, citing the Swedish government, reported that a pro-Russian group attempted to disrupt operations at a Swedish power plant in 2025. This is the first formal government acknowledgment of a…
ASSESSMENT: Russia-China intelligence cooperation has deepened qualitatively in 2026 — moving from parallel operations to functional integration. China's Jilin-1 constellation effectively serves as…
CNN reports a hacker under pseudonym "FlamingChina" breached the National Supercomputer Center in Tianjin (China), exfiltrating over 10 petabytes (10+ million GB) of data including classified…
Joint statement by FBI, NSA, SBU, and 15+ nations (Germany, Italy, Canada, Poland, UK, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia) exposes GRU…
Washington Post documented surge of private Chinese firms — mostly military-linked or government-backed — marketing intelligence on US military locations and movements in Middle East since Iran war…
Dmitry Trenin gave first interview as RIAC chief: "This is a new world war." Russia must "study its enemies harder, trust nobody's script, and bow to no one." Former Carnegie Moscow Center head, now…
PLA newspaper Jiefangjun Bao published editorial "Arms Race by Algorithm" revealing that Chinese military monitors US actions in Iran via Jilin-1 satellites since war started. Data used as testbed to…
SVR Director Naryshkin publicly confirmed that Russia's foreign intelligence service maintains direct contacts with CIA on Iran crisis. Russia simultaneously offered intel-for-intel swap: stop…
Washington Post reported that Russia's SVR discussed staging a fake assassination attempt on Hungary's PM Orban to boost his support before April elections. A European intelligence service obtained…
FSB Director Bortnikov confirmed GRU Deputy Director Vladimir Alekseev survived February assassination attempt and is recovering. FSB announced reinforced protection for senior military officials. In…
FT revealed Russia transformed Vienna into its main Western espionage center. Dozens of suspicious antennas and devices installed on buildings across the Austrian capital, used to intercept NATO…
CNN cited Western intelligence officials that Russia is sharing drone warfare tactics learned in Ukraine with Iran, potentially increasing Tehran's capability to strike US and Gulf interests.…
HSE Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies published landmark study on China's unprecedented mobilization programs since early 2020s. Key elements: relocating critical industry…
Chinese firm MizarVision published high-resolution satellite imagery of US troop movements in Jordan days before Iran operation, breaking Western satellite intelligence monopoly. Jilin-1…
Sergei Karaganov, honorary chairman of CFDP and former Putin/Yeltsin advisor, in Tucker Carlson interview criticized Putin for being "too patient with Europe." Argued Iran war offers "historic…