The 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings saw the leaders of the free-world come together on the beaches of Normandy, France. This solemn occasion was about democracy remembering the enormous sacrifices made by a generation, in beating back the scourge of nazi tyranny.
As with the tale of Jack Debaut in my debut novel, From Terror to Valor: Echoes and Shadows; the stakes could not have been higher. The only notable difference is where Jack’s fictitious world lies, in relation to the real world of the Allied landings on June 6th, 1944. Jack lives is in the intelligence shadow-world. There, he seeks forewarning and insights about his nation’s enemies.
The allied landings on D-Day were, by comparison, overtly daring, bloody, and a reminder why freedom is not free! Like Jack’s story, Europe celebrates D-Day with her friends, while her enemies’ work relentlessly to undermine a region that has become a bastion of democracy and peace.
Price of Democracy
While those veterans attending the D-Day celebrations are clear on what our democracy stands for, there is much debate about what free speech is, and how trustworthy our governments are. This has reached fever pitch in some EU quarters thanks to complex disinformation and subversion campaigns by hostile state actors on the run up to the EU elections.
The scourge of nazism and the right-right, once thought purged as a political concept, is now back! It’s structured, and it’s truly out to do us harm. Ironically, some of the far-right’s biggest backers claim to be communist.
Russia in particular, has been very active in its subversive and intelligence activities within the EU. Russian operations are now considered comparable to cold war levels. Despite all EU nations currently enjoying a state of peace, this is also a stark reminder of why freedom still comes at a price.
Russian economy predicted to grow in 2024
The IMF predicts Russia’s economy, despite international sanctions for their invasion of Ukraine, will, in 2024, grow by 3.2%. An oil fueled economy moving to a militarized footing, along with regime control over public and private investments are supporting this elitist strategy by the regime.
There is a key point about Russian regime friends, and their support through it’s current campaign of conquest. Leaving this aside, more notable questions arise around how and why Russia is doing it? On the ‘how’, most commentators and mainstream media are aware of digital subversion and its adoption by authoritarian regimes such as Russia. It’s considered as a means to a strategic end.
Like Jack’s limited view of the threat landscape in my debut novel, many are unaware of how wide and varied the calculated acts of hostility are against democratic societies by Russia.
Austrian intelligence service compromised by Russian espionage
Wirecard COO Jan Marsalek took center stage in an Austrian counterintelligence operation conducted by their conventional police service. It involved the far-right freedom party in Austria, a deep level of support from Russian intelligence services, and a plan to remake the Austrian intelligence service in a pro Moscow mould.
Only for the so called “Ibiza scandal” in 2019, commentators say this ambitious plan to hijack Austrian intelligence by Moscow would have succeeded. Austria’s saving grace was the work of an investigative journalist posing as a nice of a Russian oligarch. It triggered the collapse of Austria’s far-right FPÖ controlled government.
2024 EU Elections and Russian actions against Democracy
This act of chance in 2019 was Moscow’s only blocker to what could have made an EU country a vassal state. Fast forward to 2024, and NATO’s interception of Russian Airforce planes suspected of spying activities around EU election time.
By now, NATO air forces are familiar with air intrusions by Moscow. What makes the latest interception by NATO interesting is the timing of the Ilyushin Il-20M (Coot-A) and an Antonov An-12 CUB D interception.
Just at election time in the EU, they were flying silent with suspected signal intelligence capabilities. They had to be intercepted by the German Air Force in an emergency scramble to defend NATO controlled airspace over the Balkans.
These are just two examples of how Russia, a country near bankruptcy after the collapse of the Berlin wall, has seen a resurgent oil backed economy, along with resurgent imperial ambition. What is telling for me is the Russian cultural dynamic of aggression towards anybody who does not subscribe to the authoritarian ethos enforced by the regime.
Like my debut novel; the blurring of boundaries, the unconventional approach to achieving one’s goals, and the offensive capabilities delivered by a select few; shine a light into a complex and offensively minded threat landscape.
While one can correctly condemn the Russian army in Ukraine as uneducated, immoral and criminal; one should never confuse this with the relatively small elite of malicious, skilled and motivated Putin loyalists. They control massive wealth and implement unconventional offensive operations against democracies. Many of these democracies, at best, struggling to catch up in a time of relative peace.
About the Author
John is a versatile author known for his gripping fiction narratives in the thriller, action, and suspense genres. With a background as a journalist since 2016, and expertise in cloud technologies as an engineer; John brings a unique blend of storytelling prowess and technical acumen to his work.
