Russian secret services in the so-called special operation in Ukraine

This article deals with the role of the Russian Federation’s secret services in the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The author explains the facts and regularities regarding the activity of the Russian secret services in this war. The research was performed from a positivist and post-positivist perspective and takes into consideration the so-called mainstream theories. For its purposes, a system analysis was included as well as references were made to the genesis of the Russian secret services, giving consideration to the space of the post-Soviet states. In addition, an in-depth study of the activity of the Russian special services, bearing in mind the key facts and methods of their operation were conducted. It confirmed the weakness of the Russian secret services. At the same time, the aftermath of this state of affairs is the increase in the importance of military intelligence.