The President’s Daily Brief – Afternoon Bulletin

Episode: October 23, 2025: Russia’s Undersea Spy Network & Foiled Parcel Bomb Plot
Host: Mike Baker
Podcast: The President's Daily Brief (The First TV)
Date: October 23, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode dives into two urgent security issues:

1. Russia’s construction of a secret undersea surveillance network in the Arctic and its implications for Western security and technology transfer.
2. The foiling of a Russia-directed parcel bomb plot in Europe, revealing Moscow’s ongoing campaign of sabotage against Ukraine and its allies.

Mike Baker, drawing on his background as a former CIA operations officer, gives context, insights, and the broader strategic consequences for the U.S., NATO, and Europe.

1. Russia’s Undersea Spy Network: Operation “Harmony”

[00:53 – 08:09]

Key Points & Insights

• New Reporting and Moscow’s “Harmony” System

  • A Washington Post investigation reveals Russia secretly built an advanced underwater surveillance system—named “Harmony”—across the Arctic Ocean floor.
  • Harmony comprises an extensive array of sensors, hydroacoustic buoys, and fiber optic cables.
  • Design: Both to monitor Western naval activity and shield Russia’s own nuclear submarines from detection.

• Western Technology Sourcing

  • The system was built largely using Western-made parts—sonar, underwater drones, etc.—which Russia acquired via a labyrinth of front companies and middlemen, circumventing sanctions and export controls.
  • A pivotal entity: Mostrello Commercial Limited (Cyprus-registered) functioned as a procurement center, rerouting sensitive tech to Russian military research under the guise of “civilian oceanographic research.”

• Strategic Implications

  • Russia’s nuclear submarine fleet (“the bastion”) is a cornerstone of its deterrence strategy; they operate from bases on the Kola Peninsula and need to remain undetectable to ensure second-strike capability.
  • Planting sensors on the seafloor enhances Russia’s ability to identify and deter Western submarine patrols, reshaping undersea balance-of-power dynamics.
    • Quote: "Russian commanders can detect enemy submarines long before they approach launch zones. It's a defensive shield, and one that tilts the balance of power beneath the waves." — Mike Baker [03:16]

• Western Enforcement Failure

  • Despite tough sanctions, Russia’s military-industrial complex exploits gaps in export controls.
    • Quote: "One former intelligence official told the Post that Russia's success, quote, demonstrates a failure of Western export enforcement. Oh, you think?” — Mike Baker [04:36]
  • The technique—claiming civilian purposes and relying on opaque procurement chains—could be replicated to skirt other sanction regimes.

• Broader Risks

  • Harmony’s infrastructure is installed alongside vital Arctic routes that host global internet cables and energy pipelines, creating “dual-use” espionage threats.
    • Quote: “That raises concerns that Russia’s surveillance system could double as an intelligence collection platform, monitoring more than just submarines.” — Mike Baker [06:06]
  • The scope and advancement of Harmony’s tech remain only partially understood by Western intelligence, though its existence was known in some circles.

• Recommendation

  • European and U.S. authorities are urged to reassess and strengthen export controls to plug the loopholes that allowed this to happen.

2. Russia’s Parcel Bomb Plot in Europe: Foiled, but Part of a Pattern

[09:00 – 13:19]

Key Points & Insights

• Plot Discovery and Arrests

  • Polish and Romanian authorities uncovered and thwarted a parcel bomb plot aimed at Ukrainian targets, orchestrated by Russian intelligence.

  • Eight people arrested; three key suspects (all Ukrainian citizens) allegedly managed the parcel bomb network under Russian supervision.

  • Routes designed to move explosives from Poland through Romania into Ukraine.

    • Quote: "Those three suspects are Ukrainian citizens... the group had, quote, created a route of some kind to send explosives through Poland and Romania to Ukraine." — Mike Baker [09:32]

• Operational Details

  • In Romania, suspects dropped explosive-laden parcels at an international delivery firm (Oct 15), hoping to ignite a fire and destroy shipments.

  • Romanian special unit DIICOT dismantled the devices; suspects remain in custody pending charges.

  • Romanian intel (SRI) explicitly accused Russian secret services of direct coordination.

    • Target: A Bucharest office of Nova Post (Ukrainian logistics firm)—the motive being intimidation and destabilization.

  • Polish prosecutors: Parcels were engineered to detonate mid-transit, a clear signature of Russia’s hybrid warfare playbook (espionage, sabotage, cyberattacks).

    • Quote: “A signature, they say, of Moscow's hybrid war campaign. Espionage, sabotage, cyber attacks, each a different instrument in the same Russian orchestra, all meant to rattle Europe's resolve.” — Mike Baker [11:09]

• Wider Context: Not an Isolated Incident

  • Part of an ongoing campaign: earlier in the year, parcel detonations occurred across Europe, routed through courier firms (e.g., DPD, DHL), likely as “dry runs” for larger strikes (even cargo planes bound for the US were considered).
  • Connections to previously reported events:
    • Polish prosecutors (last week’s episode): charged a Russian couple with mail-bombing plans
    • Estonia: Arrest in a GRU-linked operation
    • UK: Three convicted for an arson attack on a warehouse storing Ukrainian humanitarian aid—funded by Russian intelligence.

• Strategic Assessment

  • Russian “Active Measures” (propaganda, psychological operations, covert action) continue with updated methods—using civilians and commercial logistics.
    • Quote: “European security agencies call it part of Moscow’s ‘active measures’, a decades old term for the Kremlin’s mix of propaganda, covert operations and psychological warfare. The playbook hasn’t changed, just the tools.” — Mike Baker [12:06]
  • Poland has detained 55 suspects recently, all for suspected work for Russia.

Memorable Quotes

• On Russian Sanctions Evasion:
  “This investigation shows just how effectively the Kremlin has worked around them, especially when it comes to acquiring critical technology.”
  — Mike Baker [04:13]

• On the Threat of Harmony:
  “If Harmony allows Moscow to spot those patrols, or worse, identify what a US Submarine is tailing one of theirs, it could change how both sides operate.”
  — Mike Baker [05:07]

• On Russia’s Hybrid Warfare:
  “Espionage, sabotage, cyber attacks, each a different instrument in the same Russian orchestra, all meant to rattle Europe's resolve.”
  — Mike Baker [11:09]

• On Russian Active Measures:
  “The playbook hasn’t changed, just the tools. And in this case, civilian operatives and courier systems have become tools in a growing terror network.”
  — Mike Baker [12:06]

Noteworthy Segments & Timestamps

• [00:53] — Introduction to Russian Undersea Espionage Operation “Harmony”
• [03:16] — Strategic importance of Harmony and Russian bastion doctrine
• [04:36] — Sanctions evasion and failure of Western export enforcement
• [06:06] — Dual-use threat to global infrastructure
• [09:32] — Details of the foiled Russian parcel bomb plot, Ukrainian operatives’ arrest
• [10:29] — Technical details on the operation in Bucharest
• [11:09] — Hybrid warfare as Russian modus operandi
• [12:06] — “Active Measures” and expansion of Russian covert tactics across Europe

Conclusion

Mike Baker’s Afternoon Bulletin underscores the adaptability and reach of Russian intelligence and covert operations, from the depths of the Arctic to commercial courier networks in Europe. He cautions about the necessity for tighter export controls, counterintelligence vigilance, and a greater awareness of how hybrid warfare continues to threaten the security of the U.S., NATO allies, and Ukraine.

“That, my friends, is the PDB Afternoon Bulletin for Thursday 23rd October... stay informed, stay safe, stay cool.” — Mike Baker [13:15]