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