Natural Born Killer

A former CIA Russia hand illuminates Vladimir Putin’s dark arts

Feb 10, 2026

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Since the Kremlin’s 2016 attack on our democracy, the American public has become familiar with terms unique to Russian intelligence culture—kompromat, disinformatsiya, active measures, and, of course, useful idiot, In his new book, Tradecraft, Tactics and Dirty Tricks: Russian Intelligence and Putin’s Secret War, former CIA officer Sean Wiswesser places these techniques in context. In doing so, he offers an in-depth historical view of the Russian secret police and shows how Russian President Vladimir Putin uses the security services (RIS) as instruments of political warfare against the West.

Wiswesser was not only a career officer in the CIA’s Clandestine Service with expertise in Russian operations, he’s long been a dedicated linguist, with a B.A. in Russian Language and Literature from the University of North Carolina. He also holds a degree in Strategic Military Studies from the Air War College. In short, he’s got the right experience and tools for the job.

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A guest post by

John Sipher

John Sipher, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, worked for the Central Intelligence Agency’s clandestine service for 28 years. He is co-founder of Spycraft Entertainment, and the host of the podcast, “Mission Implausible.”