◉ PSYCHOHISTORY

SVR

playerIntelligence & Surveillance
This is Russia's quieter spy agency — the one that runs deep-cover agents and pulled off one of the biggest computer break-ins ever.
Who they are

The SVR, Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service, headed by Naryshkin and descended from the old KGB's foreign-spying arm.

What they do

It's the cautious, by-the-book branch of Russian intelligence that focuses on classic espionage rather than blowing things up.

How it works

It runs a program of 'illegals' — agents living undercover abroad — and its hacking team, known as Cozy Bear or APT29, slipped malicious code into the widely-used SolarWinds software to spy through the companies that installed it.

Why it matters

It shows there are two very different styles of Russian spying: the SVR's patient, traditional approach versus the GRU's more violent sabotage.

The engine's record — word for word
Foreign Intelligence Service. Naryshkin. KGB First Chief Directorate successor. Deep cover illegals program. Risk-averse, bureaucratic. Cozy Bear/APT29: SolarWinds supply chain attack. Traditional espionage vs GRU explosive sabotage.
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