TechStuff TechStuff Redux: Russia’s Espionage ‘Laboratory’ w/ Ben Taub
Sep 3, 2025
Join Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ben Taub as he reveals Russia's chilling use of the Arctic as a testing ground for espionage technology. He discusses advanced monitoring techniques aimed at NATO and highlights unique challenges from the harsh environment. Taub shares gripping stories about espionage tactics, including surprising tales involving wildlife like a beluga whale. The conversation also touches on the geopolitical tensions in the region and the implications for international relations in the context of the escalating war in Ukraine.
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Living The Polar Counterintelligence Beat
- Ben Taub spent two years reporting from the Norway-Russia border town of Chirkines to understand counterintelligence dynamics.
- He experienced prolonged polar winter conditions to capture how ambiguity shapes surveillance and suspicion.
A Low-Flying Sub Hunt On A P-8
- Ben Taub joined a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon flight that hunted submarines using sonobuoys and ocean sound profiling.
- The crew flew as low as 300 feet while dropping hundreds of sensors to map underwater activity.
Asymmetric Visibility At The Border
- Norwegian civilians can roam to the border while the Russian side is a closed military zone, creating asymmetric visibility.
- Powerful Russian cell towers and signal control on their side act as passive data-collection tools across the border.