"The Russians are experts at it, and they have been for centuries, dating back to the Tsarist Secret police, the Okhrana, and even further to Ivan the Terrible's oprichniki, the brutal enforcers of his regime. Surveillance is a subject that dominates Russian society and Russian espionage, and it also dictates how Russian intelligence officers (RIOs) conduct counter-surveillance and surveillance detection. The Russian intelligence services (RIS) still lean heavily on surveillance as both a protective and offensive tool."
"Russians have a saying, "the walls have ears," and sometimes follow it with "and the streets have eyes." Studying in Russia in the early 1990s as an exchange student, I was repeatedly warned by my friends with this expression. It was their way of telling our group of American students that no matter how welcome we felt- and Russians have some of the best hospitality in the world when you are welcomed by them- the state was still suspicious."
Physical trailing surveillance — watchers on the street who follow targets, track meetings, and report patterns — is central to Russian intelligence operations. The practice traces back centuries to institutions such as the Okhrana and Ivan the Terrible's oprichniki. Surveillance dominates Russian society and shapes both offensive and protective functions of the intelligence services. Russian intelligence officers prioritize surveillance when conducting counter-surveillance and surveillance detection. Cultural sayings like “the walls have ears” and “the streets have eyes” reflect pervasive state suspicion and social awareness of monitoring. Exchange students experienced minders and direct reporting to the FSB, illustrating routine social penetration by security services.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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