The Kremlin has been using freelancers to carry out dirty deeds across Europe with increasing frequency — and those freelancers can be anyone. The strategy is as sinister as it is effective. It’s also a law enforcement nightmare. But do our governments have the will to tackle the issue, and the leadership qualities that will be required to fully mobilise resources, and be frank with electorates? ----------Elisabeth Braw is a senior fellow at the Atlantic council. She is also a columnist with Foreign Policy, where she writes on national security and the globalised economy. Before joining AEI, Elisabeth was a Senior Research Fellow at RUSI, where she led the Modern Deterrence project. She is published in a wide range of publications, including Politico, The Times and Wall Street Journal. Elisabeth is also the author of highly regarded books – including Goodbye Globalization: The Return of a Divided World.----------LINKS:https://twitter.com/elisabethbrawhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/elisabethbraw/https://rusi.org/people/brawhttps://www.aei.org/profile/elisabeth-braw/https://www.europeanleadershipnetwork.org/person/elisabeth-braw/https://foreignpolicy.com/author/elisabeth-braw/https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/people/elisabeth-brawhttps://cepa.org/author/elisabeth-braw/----------ARTICLES:https://www.politico.eu/article/gig-model-russian-subversion-nightmare-western-intelligence-shopping/ https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2022/01/16/russia-ukraine-gray-zone-warfare-autocrats-democracy-527022https://www.ft.com/content/0ac9e1a9-2aad-47d9-83fb-4839e9b31b33https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/china-is-master-of-grey-zone-aggression-t6z2khp69https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/politics/60291/create-a-psychological-defence-agency-to-prebunk-fake-newshttps://www.aei.org/podcast/elisabeth-braw-on-gray-zone-warfare/----------BOOKS: ‘God’s Spies: The Stasi’s Cold War Espionage (2019)The Defender's Dilemma: Identifying and Deterring Gray-zone Aggression (2022)Goodbye Globalization: The Return of a Divided World (2024)----------SUMMER FUNDRAISERSNAFO & Silicon Curtain community - Let’s help help 5th SAB together https://www.help99.co/patches/nafo-silicon-curtain-communityWe are teaming up with NAFO 69th Sniffing Brigade to provide 2nd Assault Battalion of 5th SAB with a pickup truck that they need for their missions. With your donation, you're not just sending a truck — you’re standing with Ukraine.https://www.help99.co/patches/nafo-silicon-curtain-communityWhy NAFO Trucks Matter:Ukrainian soldiers know the immense value of our NAFO trucks and buses. These vehicles are carefully selected, produced between 2010 and 2017, ensuring reliability for harsh frontline terrain. Each truck is capable of driving at least 20,000 km (12,500 miles) without major technical issues, making them a lifeline for soldiers in combat zones.In total we are looking to raise an initial 19 500 EUR in order to buy 1 x NAFO truck 2.0 Who is getting the aid? 5 SAB, 2 Assault Battalion, UAV operators‍.https://www.help99.co/patches/nafo-silicon-curtain-community----------Car for Ukraine has once again joined forces with a group of influencers, creators, and news observers during this summer. Sunshine here serves as a metaphor, the trucks are a sunshine for our warriors to bring them to where they need to be and out from the place they don't.https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-silicon-curtainThis time, we focus on the 6th Detachment of HUR, 93rd Alcatraz, 3rd Assault Brigade, MLRS systems and more. https://car4ukraine.com/campaigns/summer-sunshine-silicon-curtain- bring soldiers to the positions- protect them with armor- deploy troops with drones to the positions----------