Adam Ure - How UK Government Leverages Open-source Intelligence in Foreign Policy Work after Feb '22

Russian information operations are designed to accentuate and exaggerate the effects of war, but their strategies have been changing since the attack on the Kerch Bridge. Whereas Russian disinformation sources previously sought to spread confusion over their interference in Ukraine, now they use messaging to play up their military attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure and civilians. From supporting the strategy of plausible deniability, Russian info ops are now wielded as a terror weapon, to project their ability to threaten, manipulate, coerce, and of course to exaggerate their ability and willingness to project extreme violence and inflict economic chaos on their adversaries.

Adam Ure is a Russia and Ukraine specialist in security, disinformation, strategic communications, and open-source exploitation. He provides consultancy and policy advocacy to Governments (at most-senior levels) and other institutions and organisations. Adam was Head of Counter Disinformation Capability and Assessment at the Open-Source Unit at FCDO, part of the UK Civil Service, where he led a unit building the UK Government’s ability to leverage open-source intelligence in foreign policy work. He has also worked as an Expert Analyst for the United States Federal Government, where he led the OSE Central Asia account and briefed senior government customers on issues relating to Central Asia, Russia, and the Former Soviet Union.

I’ve been trying to get Adam on the Podcast for some months, but he has been in high demand providing insights to decision-makers since start of the war.