Recently, images of russian operatives wearing the patches of the Soviet counterintelligence organization SMERSH have appeared online. This was reported by British intelligence, UNN writes.
Details
At the end of 2023, russian politicians announced the restoration of the Soviet counterintelligence organization SMERSH. In early January 2024, operatives wearing SMERSH patches were depicted in the public domain
"Smesh" is an abbreviation of the phrase "death to spies." The Defense Ministry said in a statement that Joseph Stalin created the original organization, which existed from 1941 to 1946.
It is not yet clear whether the new name indicates any significant new capabilities or role for the russian counterintelligence function, or whether it is simply a change of badge.
However, this is another example of how the Russian authorities deliberately explain the russian-Ukrainian conflict in the spirit of World War II and their strong focus on the possible penetration of external threats into the country, British intelligence notes.