Infiltration Revealed: Russian Active Measures Within NATO's Former Ranks

Investigating Russia's Infiltration Tactics: Insights from 'Toy Soldiers' and the Polish State Commission Reports

Recent revelations have shed light on a sophisticated network of retired military and intelligence officers within NATO countries who are allegedly involved in Russian influence operations across Europe. The report titled "Toy Soldiers: NATO Military and Intelligence Officers in Russian Active Measures" by the Center for Defense Reforms, and disseminated by Freedom Today Network, exposes the extent of Russia's efforts to destabilize Western democracies from within. 

This disclosure resonates strongly with the findings of the Polish State Commission for the Study of Russian Influence on Internal Security of the Republic of Poland in 2007-2022 (Polish: Państwowa Komisja do spraw badania wpływów rosyjskich na bezpieczeństwo wewnętrzne Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej w latach 2007-2022), led by Professor Sławomir Cenckiewicz. The commission's comprehensive report analyzed the infiltration and activities of Russian intelligence services, notably the FSB, within Poland. Despite its significance, the commission was disbanded by Poland's new liberal-left government under Donald Tusk in late 2023, and the report was dismissed as a political tool and "filed away"—a move that raised serious concerns given the current international climate and Russia's aggression against Ukraine. This action further evidenced the failures of Tusk's administration during his first terms as Prime Minister (2007-2014), particularly regarding his disastrous reset policy with Russia.

In 2009, notorious war criminal Vladimir Putin visited Poland, where he was warmly welcomed by then-prime minister and the pathfinder of Poland’s policy of resetting relations with Russia, Donald Tusk