Page 21 of Spymaster

“The People’s Revolutionary Front is all made up. It isn’t real.”

“I don’t understand.”

“It’s a two-pronged attack against NATO. The first part involves the attacks themselves. They’re meant to create an internal panic and drain NATO resources as SHAPE moves to secure all their diplomats and facilities while simultaneously hunting down the perpetrators.

“Then there’s the propaganda component. With each attack, the PRF puts out a gratuitous statement, describing NATO as an imperialist organization, propped up by global corporations, committed to war, conquest, and profiteering, among a host of other false charges. Each attack gets them even more news coverage.

“On the Internet, armies of trolls and bots repeat the lies. They attack anyone with a pro-NATO stance. They put out fake news stories to amplify their message, to appear like they are part of a broad international movement. Their goal is to throw NATO into chaos and to cause the citizens of its member countries to question the organization’s ultimate value.”

She was stunned. “But to what end?” she asked.

“To prevent NATO from effectively responding to an invasion.”

“By whom?”

Harvath took a long pause before responding. “Russia.”

Jasinski couldn’t believe it. “You’re telling me Russia is behind the attacks on our diplomats?”

Harvath nodded.

“And the attempted sabotage of American military equipment in Norway?”

He nodded again.

“How can you be so sure?”

He looked at her. “Because I personally put the bag over the head of the Russian embassy official who provided this information.”

CHAPTER 15

“Wait,” she said. “You kidnapped a Russian embassy official?”

“Technically, he was Russian Military Intelligence.”

“GRU?” she asked, using the popular acronym for the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Army, Russia’s largest and most secretive foreign intelligence service.

He nodded once more. “Colonel Viktor Sergun. He was operating as Russia’s military attaché to Germany, out of their embassy in Berlin.”

“And you just snatched him off the street?”

“No. From his apartment.”

“I can’t believe I’m hearing this.”

“Believe it.”

Jasinski shook her head. “There’s no way NATO condoned something like that.”

“I wasn’t working for NATO at the time,” he stated.

“Then whom were you working for?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Jasinski shook her head again. He was exasperating—all the subterfuge, all the double-speak. “I’m going to go out on a limb and assume it was for the United States. I’m going to go even further out on that same limb and assume it probably involved moreconsulting, right?” She drew the word “consulting” out as if it was some sort of slur.

Harvath let her get it out of her system. He knew what was in her file. He knew she hated the Russians just as much as he did, if not more. She also believed in the rule of law—as did he. But she wasn’t yet at the point where she was willing to bend one to beat the other.