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Corruption, dysfunction, and the hidden weaknesses behind Putin’s security state.

What happens when an intelligence system becomes consumed by corruption, fear, and loyalty to the regime instead of truth? In this episode of At the Boundary, former CIA operations officer Sean Wiswesser argues that the dysfunction inside Russia’s intelligence services is not an exception to the system – it is the system.

Discussing his new book, Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War, Wiswesser explains how the FSB and SVR have become organizations shaped by cronyism, politicized analysis, and institutional decay. He and Dr. Jeff Rogg examine how those failures contributed to Russia’s disastrous assumptions before the invasion of Ukraine and why authoritarian intelligence systems struggle to deliver honest assessments to political leaders.

The conversation also explores Russian active measures, disinformation campaigns targeting democracies, and the growing role of intelligence services in sustaining Putin’s rule.

This is a candid examination of how secret police culture, corruption, and information warfare continue to define Russia’s confrontation with the West.

Links from the Episode:

Sean Wiswesser's Book: Tradecraft, Tactics, and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin's Secret War

GNSI Video Series: Former Vice Chairman Joint Chiefs, John Hyten

GNSI Research Initiative: The Price of Credible Peace, Episode 3

GNSI Student Research Fellows Applications for Fall 2026

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At the Boundary  from the Global and National Security Institute at the University of South Florida,  features global and national security issues we’ve found to be insightful, intriguing, fascinating, maybe controversial, but overall just worth talking about.

A "boundary" is a place, either literal or figurative, where two forces exist in close proximity to each other. Sometimes that boundary is in a state of harmony. More often than not, that boundary has a bit of chaos baked in. The Global and National Security Institute will live on the boundary of security policy and technology and that's where this podcast will focus.

The mission of GNSI is to provide actionable solutions to 21st-century security challenges for decision-makers at the local, state, national and global levels. We hope you enjoy At the Boundary.

Look for our other publications and products on our website publications page.