Cuban counterintelligence photographed a CIA case officer planting a dead drop outside of Havana in the early 1980s. Fidel Castro's Intelligence Directorate grew quickly in size and capability following the Cuban revolution. By the 1980s they were a force to be reckoned with, and the CIA experienced great difficulty in conducting operations on the island. Photographed here is Richard Brennan, ostensibly a secretary in the political-economic department of the US Interests Section, placing a package in the tall grass next to a road marker. According to the Cubans, Brennan made more than a dozen dead drops of this type between 1982 and 1984. This package contained 25,000 Cuban pesos, one-time pads for encrypted communication, an RS-804 covert communications device, and other highly incriminating items. Brennan was accompanied by his wife Virginia on these runs. At first glance it may seem incredible that a CIA case officer would involve their spouse in high-risk espionage activities, but this was a common practice for decades in many overseas locations. Due to the cessation of formal relations between the United States and Cuba, the US embassy in Havana was closed for many years. US government personnel (including the CIA) worked out of a US Interests Section in the Swiss embassy instead. Meanwhile, Cuban government employees in the United States worked out of a Cuban Interests Section in the Swiss embassy in Washington DC as well. In June 1987, Cuban agent Florentino Aspillaga defected to the United States and claimed that at least 27 CIA-run agents inside Cuba had been doubled back on them. That might explain how the Intelligence Directorate was in position to photograph the Brennans making this dead drop. #declassified #spy #espionage #covert #clandestine

Ukrainian counterintelligence personnel removed a hidden Russian camera and microphone system in March 2026 from the office of the chief engineer of TechEx, a major drone manufacturer. Analysis by Darren Kitchen of Hak5 determined it was an inexpensive IP camera module board with audio capability mounted behind a thermostat on the wall of an office. According to reporting from 24tv, the SBU intelligence agency discovered the camera earlier and informed TechEx but left it in place in order to pass false information back to Russian intelligence. TechEx manufactures the Striker Mini interceptor and the Stalker line of fiber-optic drones. More than 70 combat units in Ukraine are currently equipped with TechEx drones. TechEx made a public announcement of the camera and the accompanying disinformation operation on their Facebook page on March 24th. #ukraine #russia #drone #camera #spy

Christine Fang, also known as Fang Fang, was a Chinese spy who formed relationships with up-and-coming US politicians between 2011 and 2015. Christine arrived from China in 2011 to study at California State University East Bay, where she became president of both the Chinese Student Association and the campus chapter of Asian Pacific Islander American Public Affairs. She appeared older than most other CSU students and spent much of her time at networking events in the Bay Area and elsewhere. In October 2012 she was photographed at an event with Eric Swalwell, who at the time was a city councilmember in Dublin City, CA, and running as a Democratic candidate for the US House of Representatives. After he was elected, Swalwell joined the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in January 2015 and was the lead Democrat representative on the subcommittee for oversight of the CIA. Christine was closely linked to his campaign, bringing in donors and recommending at least one intern who worked in his office. She was also photographed with Fremont Mayor Bill Harrison, US Representative Judy Chu, US Representative Mike Honda and San Jose City Councilmember Ash Kalra, and others. In 2011 she was seen with a Chinese consular official and Russell Lowe, the office director for Senator Dianne Feinstein. Lowe was later revealed to be a Chinese intelligence agent as well. Christine also had romantic or sexual relationships with two mayors from midwestern cities, cultivating contacts around the country according to reporting by Zach Dorfman for Axios. In 2015, the FBI provided a defensive counterespionage briefing to Representative Swalwell, after which he ceased all contact with Christine. In March 2024, Chinese journalist Hu Xijin posted a photo on Twitter of himself at lunch with Christine Fang in Beijing. He wrote that she was approached by the CIA and FBI in 2015 and offered $1,000,000 plus US citizenship for her cooperation. She declined their offer and returned home to China three days later. #china #sanfrancisco #congress #spy #honeytrap