Russia continues its subversive operations on the territory of Sweden. Their intensity and variety of influence targets indicate that Moscow is trying to avoid accusations of masterminding them as the allegations of Russian intelligence being involved in such a surge looks more like an implausible conspiracy theory at first glance. At the same time, the Kremlin found itself in a situation of strategic loss, which forces its bosses to ultimately boost malign influence operations, sometimes neglecting a proper cover for their stunts. These operations are actually aimed not so much at the leadership of adversary states, but rather at their own audience, which is fed the illusion of chaos reigning beyond Russia’s borders. This fits into the Soviet-era narrative of the “decaying West.” Back in the day, it was supposed to prevent people from comparing living standards in their country with those in the Western world. North Korea applies a similar policy to prevent people from fleeing the country en masse. However, Russian intelligence expects that such operations will also contribute to radicalizing a certain part of the population of the targeted nation, as well as create for the media a picture that will require a foreign policy response that would benefit Moscow.
via lansinginstitute: Neo-Nazi organizations and radicals as a tool of influence in Scandinavia February