Day: November 28, 2025

kozak and putin – Google Search  google.com/search?q=kozak+an…
Dmitry Kozak was a long-time and close aide to Vladimir Putin, working with him since their time in the St. Petersburg mayor’s office in the 1990s. Kozak held several high-level positions in the Russian government under Putin but recently resigned from his role as deputy chief of staff of the presidential administration after reportedly opposing the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. [1, 2, 3, 4]
Relationship and career

Shared history: Both men are lawyers by training and worked together in the 1990s in the city administration of St. Petersburg under Mayor Anatoly Sobchak.
Trust and positions: Putin brought Kozak to Moscow in the early 2000s and entrusted him with top government roles, including as a deputy prime minister for nearly 12 years.
Professional and personal connection: Some observers note their relationship extended beyond purely professional duties, although they were not considered close friends. [1, 4]

Alleged opposition to the Ukraine invasion

Reported disagreement: According to reports, Kozak privately expressed that he believed the invasion of Ukraine was a mistake.
Unsuccessful negotiations: Some sources suggest he tried to negotiate a truce, and that Putin rejected a deal that Kozak had struck with Ukraine.
Western contacts: Kozak reportedly acted as a conduit for discussions with Western officials and asked for arguments to potentially persuade Putin to change course, as detailed in The New York Times. [2, 5, 6, 7]

Recent events

Resignation: Kozak resigned from his post as deputy chief of staff of the presidential administration in September 2025.
Possible reasons: His departure followed public reports of his alleged opposition to the war. [2, 3, 8]

AI responses may include mistakes.

[1]  kyivindependent.com/what-the…
[2]  nytimes.com/2025/09/18/world…
[3]  interfax.com/newsroom/top-st…
[4]  rferl.org/a/kozak-resigns-pu…
[5]  nytimes.com/2025/08/10/world…
[6]  youtube.com/watch?v=YzDNOQN5…
[7]  russiapost.info/politics/sur…
[8]  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry…

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 28, 2025

On  #Espionage and  #Intelligence Gathering | On The Record  cfrontherecord.podbean.com/e…
Summary by  #Gemini

This podcast episode, titled “New Frontiers in Intelligence: The Changing Nature of Espionage,” is a recording of a Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) event. It features a discussion on how technology and shifting global threats are fundamentally altering the intelligence landscape.

Host: Barton Gellman (Brennan Center for Justice)
Guests:
Anthony Vinci: Author of The Fourth Intelligence Revolution, former CTO of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA).
Rebecca U. Weiner: Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, NYPD.
Robert Cardillo: Former Director of the NGA.

Key Themes and Discussions:

1. The Fourth Intelligence Revolution
Anthony Vinci outlined a historical framework for intelligence, arguing we are currently entering a “Fourth Revolution”:
Revolution 1 (WWII): The “Big Bang” of modern US intelligence with the creation of the OSS.
Revolution 2 (Cold War): Professionalization and the creation of agencies like the CIA and NSA. This era was defined by secrecy and compartmentalization.
Revolution 3 (Post-9/11): A shift to a “whole-of-government” approach (creation of the ODNI) because Cold War compartmentalization created cracks that allowed terrorists to slip through.
Revolution 4 (Current): Driven by AI and the threat of China. This era requires integrating vast amounts of data and adapting to machines as primary processors of intelligence.

2. The Radical Shift in Threats
Rebecca Weiner discussed how the threat landscape has evolved rapidly, forcing local law enforcement (like the NYPD) to adopt an intelligence mindset:
Evolution of Targets: The focus has shifted from Al-Qaeda (2006) to lone actors (2010s) to a complex mix of ideologies today, including foreign terrorists, far-right/far-left extremists, and conspiracy theorists.
“Grievance-Fueled Violence”: Weiner noted a rise in violence driven by personal grievances amplified by online ecosystems. She cited the assassination of a health insurance CEO (referencing the Luigi Mangione case) as an example of how online rhetoric can accelerate real-world violence.
Minors as Actors: A disturbing trend of “nihilistic violent extremism” largely perpetrated by minors, often manifesting as school shootings or random acts of terror.

3. From Secret Satellites to Open Source
Robert Cardillo explained the transformation of Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT):
Old Model: A closed loop where Top Secret questions were answered by Top Secret satellites for a few cleared individuals.
New Reality: Commercial satellites and open-source data now provide massive visibility. The “advantage” no longer comes from having the only picture, but from the speed and integration of data.
“Out-America China”: Cardillo argued that the U.S. should not try to copy China’s state-controlled system (“out-China China”) but should instead leverage the innovation and risk-taking of the American private sector to maintain an edge.

4. Emerging Risks & Challenges
Biological Threats: Vinci identified bio-threats (e.g., genetically engineered diseases) as the “scariest possible threat.” Detecting them is difficult because it requires monitoring personal health data, raising privacy concerns that the government cannot solve alone.
The Privacy Paradox: Weiner pointed out that while citizens are wary of government surveillance, they willingly give massive amounts of sensitive data to private companies (like TikTok), which constitutes a major national security vulnerability.
Politicization: The panel discussed the perennial fear of intelligence being politicized. Vinci noted this is not new (citing LBJ, JFK) but is more felt now because intelligence collection increasingly touches the lives of everyday Americans rather than just foreign military targets.

— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) Nov 28, 2025