Tradecraft and Dirty Tricks: Inside Putin’s Secret Intelligence War

Mon May 04 2026 at 04:30 pm to 06:00 pm UTC-04:00

The Institute of World Politics, Commodore Barry Room | Washington

The Institute of World Politics
Publisher/HostThe Institute of World Politics
Tradecraft and Dirty Tricks: Inside Putin\u2019s Secret Intelligence War
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Explore Russian espionage as ex-CIA officer Sean Wiswesser exposes Maskirovka—the tactics, deception, and power of Putin’s spy services.
About this Event

About the Lecture:

Unmask the shadowy world of Russian espionage with this riveting exploration of the Russian Intelligence Services (RIS) and their global clandestine operations. With decades of experience as a CIA operations officer, author Sean M. Wiswesser takes readers deep into the heart of Maskirovka—the Russian art of denial, deception, and manipulation. Using historical examples and firsthand accounts, this book reveals the tactics employed by the three main services of Russia’s intelligence apparatus: the SVR, GRU, and FSB. Learn about the RIS’ use of double agents, surveillance, and “street work,” honeytraps, sabotage, active measures, assassinations, the RIS roles in the Russo-Ukraine War, and much more.
Book Link


About the Speaker:

Sean M. Wiswesser has nearly thirty years of experience working as a national security professional with intelligence, foreign service, and defense organizations. As a senior operations officer with the CIA, he served on multiple overseas tours and many other deployments on temporary duty, including war-zone service. He was a chief of station and had multiple joint-duty assignments with intelligence community partners. Sean was a Morehead Scholar at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill with a bachelor's degree in history and Russian & Slavic linguistics. He was awarded a Master of Strategic Studies in 2023 from the Air War College and received the Russia Integrated Deterrence Award.

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Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The Institute of World Politics, Commodore Barry Room, 1521 16th Street Northwest, Washington, United States

Tickets

USD 0.00 to USD 1068.91

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