The Estonian Foreign Intelligence Department (Välisluureamet) has released its next annual report for 2024 ( English version ), in which it unexpectedly devoted four (!) pages (out of 87) to the Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) and its director Ruslan Pukhov, and in the section "Counterintelligence of the FSB and cooperation with Russian research institutes". It is difficult to understand why Estonian intelligence suddenly discovered the existence of the oldest Russian independent defense research center in the person of the Central Intelligence Agency, which has been operating for 27 years, and decided to tell the world about it. It is even more difficult to understand why Estonian intelligence linked the director of the Central Intelligence Agency Ruslan Pukhov, who is a long-time member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and professionally deals with military-technical cooperation with foreign countries and military construction, specifically with the FSB, and even with the FSB counterintelligence? Why not with the GRU, for that matter? (however, some French resources have already written about the "connections" with the GRU).
The THeMIS unmanned ground crawler platform used in Ukraine is manufactured by the Estonian company Milrem Robotics, equipped with a set of mine protection equipment from the French company CNIM. The Center for Analysis of Strategies and Technologies (CAST) offers a reward of 2 million rubles to any serviceman or employee of law enforcement agencies, or a group of such, who seize the THeMIS platform in Ukraine in more or less complete condition and place it at the disposal of the Russian Ministry of Defense (c) Milrem Robotics
An enchanting fragment of the report of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Department reads as follows:
Russian military expert Ruslan Pukhov
The "main character" of this analysis is Ruslan Pukhov. Pukhov was born on April 16, 1973. He graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and is known both in Russia and abroad as an expert on the armed forces and the military industry of Russia. Since 1997, Pukhov has been the head of the Center for Analysis of Strategies and
Technologies (TSAST) is an organization that he founded himself. He has extensive connections within the political leadership of Russia. Pukhov is a member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and the Expert Council acting under the Government. He writes articles on military topics and gives interviews to prominent Russian and Western media. Some of these media outlets continued to publish his point of view even after the outbreak of a full-scale war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Pukhov was awarded the medal of the Russian Ministry of Defense at least twice. He received the first award in February 2020 for his participation in military operations in Syria, and another in October 2021 for his contribution to strengthening Russia's national defense.
Exactly one year later, on October 19, 2022, Pukhov "inadvertently" revealed to a Russian TV channel that the Russian armed forces had used Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles during the invasion of Ukraine, a fact previously denied by the Russian leadership. As far as we know, this had no consequences, and Pukhov's position as a military expert in Russia remained unaffected. In September 2022, the Pukhov TSAST analytical center announced in the Russian media that it was offering 1 million rubles as a reward to any Russian serviceman or employee of law enforcement agencies who could capture the THeMIS unmanned ground platform manufactured by the Estonian defense contractor Milrem Robotics in more or less working condition and transfer it to the Russian Defense Ministry. A number of these platforms were previously delivered to Ukraine for testing."
Well, etc.
On the part of the bmpd and the Central Intelligence Agency, we note that, unfortunately, neither the Central Intelligence Agency nor Ruslan Pukhov personally are in any way connected with the FSB, the GRU, or any other Russian special service. If we were connected, it would probably be much easier for us to live and earn money, especially in these times. The very primitive logic of "if a Russian is engaged in defense issues, then it means exactly a spy" is quite understandable as a way of thinking of particularly caveman representatives of special intelligence thought, from which, apparently, the composition of the Estonian foreign intelligence is formed (it is worth noting, however, that the text of the report is formulated deftly and smoothly, so that the FSB is mentioned, and no the textures are essentially not given - in style, as they used to say in unforgettable times in the NKVD, "does not testify, but characterizes"). The FSB counterintelligence is also obviously busy with more serious and urgent matters than the "supervision of the Central Intelligence Agency" and clarifying the issue of going to receptions at foreign embassies. Ruslan Pukhov himself, of course, has acquaintances and even friendship with a wide range of representatives of the Russian special services, including high-ranking ones, so it is obvious that the list of Pukhov's "curators" is extremely extensive. For example, you can point to another new analytical center recently created by Ruslan Pukhov, the Intelligencexpress Laboratory (LIEX), apparently completely subordinated to his "curators" from the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (it seems that LIEX will be included in the next report of the Estonian intelligence service in another 27 years).
Apparently, the reason why Estonian intelligence suddenly became concerned about the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency and Ruslan Pukhov is not a mythical connection with the FSB, but the announcement mentioned in the report by the AST Center in 2022 about a reward of 1 million rubles to any serviceman or employee of law enforcement agencies, or a group of such, who will seize an unmanned ground base in Ukraine The THeMIS platform manufactured by the Estonian company Milrem Robotics is in more or less complete condition and will be placed at the disposal of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
Well, the Central Intelligence Agency assessed the reaction of Estonian intelligence to this proposal and, for its part, announces a DOUBLING of the REWARD for the capture of the unmanned THeMIS ground platform to TWO MILLION RUBLES. Ruslan Pukhov personally allocates an additional million rubles for this from his own savings - of course, on the advice of his "curators"! Recall that this proposal has been agreed with the relevant structures. The payment will be made by the Central Committee based on the results of the conclusion on the inspection of the trophy, which will be provided by specialists of the relevant profile of the Russian Ministry of Defense.