
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Honeypot operations are one of the oldest tricks in the espionage playbook — get access to sensitive information through a wily femme fatale. Scandinavian banking giant Swedbank was recently the target of such a plot. By leveraging kompromat about top executives — some of whom had a proclivity for unfaithful sexual relationships and drug abuse — Russian intelligence were able to ensure that oligarchs could launder money through Swedbank. Executives would sign off on suspicious, multi-billion-dollar transactions heading toward the Western financial system. This money would then fund Russia’s more furtive influence operations. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley is joined by Axel Gordh Humlesjö, an investigative journalist at the Swedish national broadcaster SVT. They discuss how Axel learned that FSB agents were stationed outside his Stockholm apartment, what happened at Swedbank, and his meeting with the FSB-affiliated femme fatale who was the beating heart of the operation.
Mentioned in this week’s episode:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/
By Brazen5
1818 ratings
Honeypot operations are one of the oldest tricks in the espionage playbook — get access to sensitive information through a wily femme fatale. Scandinavian banking giant Swedbank was recently the target of such a plot. By leveraging kompromat about top executives — some of whom had a proclivity for unfaithful sexual relationships and drug abuse — Russian intelligence were able to ensure that oligarchs could launder money through Swedbank. Executives would sign off on suspicious, multi-billion-dollar transactions heading toward the Western financial system. This money would then fund Russia’s more furtive influence operations. This week on Whale Hunting, Bradley is joined by Axel Gordh Humlesjö, an investigative journalist at the Swedish national broadcaster SVT. They discuss how Axel learned that FSB agents were stationed outside his Stockholm apartment, what happened at Swedbank, and his meeting with the FSB-affiliated femme fatale who was the beating heart of the operation.
Mentioned in this week’s episode:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://brazen.fm/plus/

1,786 Listeners

343 Listeners

8,002 Listeners

47,997 Listeners

112 Listeners

3,199 Listeners

58,263 Listeners

812 Listeners

14,343 Listeners

285 Listeners

3,175 Listeners

104 Listeners

69 Listeners

47 Listeners

53 Listeners

16 Listeners

24 Listeners

46 Listeners

70 Listeners

162 Listeners

5 Listeners

231 Listeners

138 Listeners

36 Listeners

18 Listeners

2 Listeners

37 Listeners

1,848 Listeners

505 Listeners