During the Soviet era, the authorization of the Communist party was all that was necessary. Without it fringe groups wouldn’t be targets for the KGB’s penetration operations and eventual elimination. Similarly, using fringe groups today isn’t done without Kremlin approval. The collaborative relationship would be informal and managed by the intelligence services. This cooperative arrangement was more convenient than a tiresome adversarial stand-off and the practice could be adaptable to Western groups and operations.
(Read more: Estonian Life No. 39 2020 paber- and PDF/digi)
Laas Leivat, Toronto