This article was originally published on LinkedIn.

It is unclear who coined the phrase “disposable agent” in relation to Russia recruiting human intelligence sources (HUMINT), but we need to stop using it. By focusing on supposedly disposable agents, we ignore Russian recruited agents who have not yet been identified, and who are progressing and moving to more complex tasks.

The first time I saw the phrase "disposable agents" being used in relation to Russia was in late 2024. The term has become trendy since then, with even respected organizations like the Royal United Services Institute jumping on the bandwagon.

Calling low-level, untrained Russian agents “disposable” does not align with Russia’s clandestine recruitment process. The term ignores the historical record about Soviet and Russian intelligence, much of which is openly available, which shows these operations are not new and not disposable. Soviet services never recruited agents with the intention of disposing of them. Allowing agents to get caught is a waste of effort and resources, especially in a sparse recruitment environment. It makes hostile territory even more hostile, as........

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