By Eric Bazail-Eimil, Daniel Lippman, Matt Berg and Nahal Toosi

A view of the Kremlin on May 18, 2023, through the barbed wire of a municipal technical facility in Moscow. | Alexander Nemenov/AFP/Getty Images

With help from Lara Seligman and Joshua Posaner

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As the war in Ukraine rumbles on, debate has emerged at a U.S. government-funded broadcaster in former Soviet states over how to balance the celebration of Russian culture and traditions with hard news about Moscow’s military actions.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty — launched during the Cold War to promote American values behind the Iron Curtain — is facing a complaint from a former editor over how it has handled this question. In the July complaint, sent to the State Department Inspector General and shared exclusively with NatSec Daily, KENAN ALIYEV claims that consultants hired by the broadcaster pushed for content “celebrating Russian culture and creativity, without any regard to RFE/RL’s mission of countering Russian propaganda.”

Aliyev, a former executive editor for feature programming at one of RFE/RL’s channels, and others formerly affiliated with the broadcaster say the content misrepresents Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with executives taking a more open-minded approach to Russian cultural programming, often causing intense editorial disagreements.

A spokesperson for RFE/RL said the broadcaster is aware of Aliyev’s claims and told NatSec Daily that Congress understood it would pursue greater cultural programming when it authorized increased funding in the immediate aftermath of the 2022 invasion.

“While reporting and analyzing the news remains the bread and butter of what we do, RFE/RL also provides intelligent and effective cultural programming that is entirely consistent with our mission and values,” said the spokesperson, who like others interviewed was granted anonymity to discuss details of the complaint freely.

The State Department Office of Inspector General, which received Aliyev’s complaint, said it would not comment on investigative matters. STEVE CAPUS, a former president of NBC News and one of the consultants named in Aliyev’s complaint, did not return NatSec Daily’s request for comment.

Cultural programming has long been a staple of U.S. international broadcasts, but the war in Ukraine has prompted hostility toward Russian culture more broadly. Moscow, for its part, has in turn used this backlash to fuel its Russia-versus-the-West narrative.

“It’s in our interest to advance a different, appealing vision for Russian society that looks beyond VLADIMIR PUTIN,” said a former RFE/RL executive familiar with the matter. “You need to reach the audience inside Russia with topics and voices that appeal to them. You can’t drag them kicking and screaming to dull, tired content that is irrelevant to their lives.”

MARK POMAR, a senior fellow at the University of Texas at Austin and former RFE/RL Russian service official, noted that cultural programming could also help challenge revisionist narratives about Russian history.

“If they’re doing cultural programming that is challenging the Kremlin interpretation, that is telling Russians and showing Russians their history is far more complex than what is being presented in this sanitized version … that’s a wonderfully important thing,” Pomar told NatSec Daily.

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‘BOTTOM OF THE BARREL’ VISIBLE: The Pentagon has transferred more than 1 million rounds of ammunition seized from Iran to Ukraine, our own LARA SELIGMAN reports.

The transfer, which took place Monday, is aimed at helping Kyiv’s forces push through Russia’s defensive lines before winter arrives. It comes as Western support is starting to slip for Ukraine and further U.S. funding has fallen victim to political infighting in the House, where a group of hardline Republicans is opposing any additional aid.

Overnight, Russian forces claimed to have foiled Kyiv’s largest cross-border drone attack, The Associated Press’ DASHA LITVINOVA reports. As cold weather concerns loom, NATO officials continued to press today for increased weapons production from allies.

“The bottom of the barrel is now visible,” Adm. ROB BAUER, head of NATO’s Military Committee, said about Ukraine’s weapons systems and ammo while speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum.

Former NATO chief ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN believes a resolution to the budget standoff in the U.S. is critical to ensuring allies in Europe remain in-step on maintaining support.

“The fact is that if we can count on continued American support, then the European allies will follow,” Rasmussen told our own JOSHUA POSANER, adding that he was “optimistic” agreement can be found in Washington on further funding.

Read: The White House never fully trusted McCarthy. But they didn’t celebrate his downfall by our own ADAM CANCRYN, JENNIFER HABERKORN, SAM STEIN and Lara

SECRET NAGORNO-KARABAKH TALKS: United States, EU and Russian officials held secret discussions in Istanbul about the crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, a week before Azerbaijan launched a military incursion into the contested territory, our own GABRIEL GAVIN, Nahal and Eric report.

The Sept. 17 meeting saw LOUIS BONO, the State Department’s senior adviser for Caucasus negotiations, TOIVO KLAAR, the EU representative for the region, and IGOR KHOVAEV, Russia’s special envoy on relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, gathered to discuss “how to get the bloody trucks moving” in the blockaded Lachin Corridor and ensure supplies of food and fuel could reach Nagorno-Karabakh’s estimated 100,000 residents.

A U.S. official familiar with the matter told POLITICO the discussions came out of an understanding that the Kremlin still holds sway in the region: “We need to be able to work with the Russians on this because they do have influence over the parties, especially as we’re at a precarious moment right now.”

Read: France will send military gear to Armenia by our own LAURA KAYALI.

IRAN DETERRED? The Pentagon’s deployment of additional forces to the Middle East this summer seems to have had the desired effect of deterring Iran from attacking commercial vessels in and around the Strait of Hormuz, the commander of U.S. Air Force Central Command told reporters today, Lara writes in.

The military sent additional surface ships to the region, as well as for the first time F-35 fighter jets, after Iranian Navy vessels tried to seize two oil tankers in or near the Gulf of Oman in July. Since then, the attacks against shipping vessels have decreased in the Strait, the world’s most important oil chokepoint, said Lt. Gen. ALEXUS GRYNKEWICH.

“That increase in surface vessels, combined with our airpower, has deterred Iran from taking any actions against maritime shipping,” Grynkewich said.

That lull doesn’t extend to military aircraft, however. Vessels with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps shone a laser multiple times at a Marine attack helicopter flying over the Arabian Gulf at the end of September, the Pentagon announced at the time. No injuries were reported, and the aircraft was not damaged.

INSIDE INDIA’S SPY PROGRAM: India widely expanded its spy program in the West in the past decade and a half to help the country play a more assertive role on the world stage, four retired and two current Indian security and intel officials told Reuters’ KRISHN KAUSHIK and SANJEEV MIGLANI.

The officials’ input comes as Canada and India’s dispute over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia continues to escalate. New Delhi's secretive Research and Analysis Wing doesn’t take part in targeted killings, each official said, and Indian officials have denied a role in the killing.

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‘UTTERLY INEXCUSABLE’: Former Vice President MIKE PENCE blasted DONALD TRUMP for suggesting that former Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. MARK MILLEY deserves “death.”

“Frankly, what Donald Trump said about him in that tweet, about treason and death, was utterly inexcusable,” said Pence, who’s running against Trump for the Republican presidential nomination, at a natsec event at Georgetown University co-hosted by The Associated Press Tuesday night.

In a Truth Social post two weeks ago, Trump said Milley committed “an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!” referring to when the general called Chinese officials after the storming of the Capitol in 2021 to reassure them of Washington’s security. Milley has defended the calls as “routine,” and on his final day in the post on Friday, he seemingly struck back: “We don’t take an oath to a wannabe dictator.”

NO SPACE FOR SPACE: An interagency council on critical infrastructure protection has recommended against designating outer space as the nation’s 17th critical sector following concerns about U.S. cybersecurity in orbit, two people familiar with the matter told our own JOHN SAKELLARIADIS (for Pros!).

The guidance is a blow to the idea that the government needs more robust oversight of the fast-growing space industry. Lawmakers and outside experts have been sounding the alarm on the security of the modern space sector ever since Russian cyber operatives launched a large-scale attack on U.S. satellite provider Viasat during the first stages of the invasion of Ukraine.

The recommendation comes as the White House weighs changes to Presidential Policy Directive-21, a 10-year-old executive branch policy that defines which sectors are critical to U.S. national security and how government agencies can help secure them against physical and digital disruption.

DRONE ZONE: The Pentagon doesn’t have enough drones, and it’s asking anyone who will listen to help it out, our friends at Morning Defense (for Pros!) report.

A new plea from the department’s Silicon Valley outreach arm, the Defense Innovation Unit, asks industry to submit ideas for what it’s calling “airborne medium-range precision delivery vehicles” that can be ready for flight testing within seven months.

Military planners want the drone to have a minimum of 575-mile range, be able to deliver a “kinetic payload” (stuff that goes boom) and hit a minimum cruise speed of 115 miles per hour.

The DIU’s request lays out the stark reality of the U.S. drone stockpile. DOD “replenishment rates for unmanned aerial delivery vehicles are neither capable of meeting surge demand nor achieving affordable mass” in the near term.

Read: In Ukraine, explosive DIY drones give an intimate view of killing by The Washington Post’s ALEX HORTON and SERHII KOROLCHUK.

C.Q. MEETS THE PRESS: Newly minted Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. C.Q. BROWN met with a small group of reporters in the chair’s dining room in the Pentagon’s E-Ring today. Brown’s spokesperson Col. DAVE BUTLER told NatSec Daily the new chairman wanted to meet with the Pentagon press corps “right off the bat,” adding that Brown is “dedicated to being open with the media and transparent.”

KILLER CONDITIONS: Leading Democratic senators are calling on President JOE BIDEN to ensure that key conditions are met before he signs off on a grand diplomatic normalization deal between Saudi Arabia and Israel.

In a letter to the president dated today, 20 senators call for a high bar before the U.S. agrees to Saudi demands such as a U.S. security guarantee and help with a civilian nuclear program. They also insist that Israel take steps that allow for the creation of a Palestinian state, including stopping settlement construction.

The letter is signed by 19 Democrats and Independent Vermont Sen. BERNIE SANDERS. It reminds Biden in particular that Saudi Arabia is “an authoritarian regime which regularly undermines U.S. interests in the region, has a deeply concerning human rights record, and has pursued an aggressive and reckless foreign policy agenda.”

The lawmakers say they are “maintaining an open mind” about a deal, but their conditions may be impossible to meet. Israel, for one, is led by a far-right government with no intention of permitting a Palestinian state.

CONSERVATIVES CALL FOR AID: A network of conservative national security professionals called on Republicans to ramp up support for Ukraine as congressional turmoil has left further assistance for Kyiv hanging in the balance.

“Efforts to stop our aid to Ukraine could lead to a Russian battlefield victory, with catastrophic effects for American security,” The Vandenberg Coalition wrote in a letter today signed by over 100 people, including former U.S. Ambassador to Russia JOHN SULLIVAN, former Secretary of Veterans Affairs ROBERT WILKIE, former deputy national security adviser MATTHEW POTTINGER, as well as former Sens. ROY BLUNT of Missouri and JON KYL of Arizona.

Halting aid to Ukraine could allow Putin to strengthen Russia and provide the green light for China to invade Taiwan, the coalition argues, adding that Washington’s aid so far has encouraged allies to boost their defense spending.

GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.

HALTING AZERI MILITARY AID: Sen. BEN CARDIN (D-Md.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is accusing Azerbaijan of an “intentional campaign of ethnic cleansing” in Nagorno-Karabakh and wants the U.S. to stop military assistance to the country.

The SFRC chair issued a tough statement on the unfolding crisis today, saying he stands squarely with the ethnic Armenians who’ve fled the region and calling on the international community to document any Azerbaijan atrocities.

“We must take steps to ensure that Azerbaijan does not advance militarily in pursuit for further territorial gains, including forcefully condemning inflammatory rhetoric,” Cardin said. “The United States should halt security assistance to Azerbaijan until it has stopped this brutal campaign.”

Armenian diaspora groups had worried Cardin would be less engaged on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict than his predecessor as chair, Sen. BOB MENENDEZ (D-N.J.), who was recently indicted on corruption charges. Menendez has been a staunch backer of Armenian causes.

— DAVID MILIBAND and YALDA HAKIM joined the Center for a New American Security’s board of advisers. Miliband is the head of the International Rescue Committee, and Hakim is an award-winning international correspondent and documentary filmmaker.

— Delphon named JERRY BROZ as vice president for strategic marketing and business development. He was the president and director of technology at Advanced Probing Systems.

— KIT CONKLIN will be a senior adviser to the House China Committee. He was a vice president at Kharon.

— Retired Adm. MIKE MULLEN, former Joint Chiefs chair, now chairs Saildrone’s board of directors.

— Agile Defense named RICK WAGNER as its CEO, succeeding JAY LEE, who will become a strategic adviser at the company. Wagner was president of Microsoft Federal.

— MICHELLE GRISÉ and ALEXANDRA EVANS, RAND Corporation: The drivers of and outlook for Russian-Iranian cooperation

— PIERRE ESPÉRANCE, The New York Times: Haiti doesn’t need more guns. It needs a new government.

— EDWARD LUCE, The Financial Times: The return of American isolationism

— The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9:30 a.m.: China and Russia's role in North Korea's human rights abuses

— The Center for Strategic and International Studies, 9:30 a.m.: China's power conference: up for debate 2023

— The Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 10 a.m.:A hearing on the nominations for U.S. ambassador to Somalia, U.S. ambassador to Liberia, and deputy director of the Peace Corps

— The Henry L. Stimson Center, 10 a.m.: A conversation with Undersecretary of State BONNIE JENKINS

— The Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Walsh School of Foreign Service, 11 a.m.: The 2023 Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards ceremony to honor "women trailblazers" with remarks from former Secretary of State HILLARY CLINTON

— Georgetown University, 12 p.m.: Critical perspectives on U.S. concessions for the Abraham Accords: Saudi Arabia-Israel-United States

— The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, 12 p.m.: 50 years since the 1973 war

— The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, 1:30 p.m.: A book discussion on "The Ghost at the Feast: America and the Collapse of World Order, 1900-1941"

— The Brookings Institution, 3 p.m.: A book discussion on "America and the Yemens: A Complex and Tragic Encounter” with remarks from Sen. CHRIS MURPHY

— American University's School of International Service, 4 p.m.: Finland and Estonia in the age of great competition

— The Institute of World Politics, 5 p.m.: A book discussion on "Failed State: A Guide to Russia's Rupture"

— The Institute for Policy Studies, 6:30 p.m.: Belly of the beast: inside Biden's Cuba policy

Thanks to our editor, Emma Anderson, who undermines democracy and human rights daily.

We also thank our producer, Gregory Svirnovskiy, who always calls out her behavior and is weighing legal action.

A message from Lockheed Martin:

Our mission is to prepare you for the future by engineering advanced capabilities today.

Many of today’s military systems and platforms were designed to operate independently. Through our 21st Century Security vision, Lockheed Martin is accelerating innovation, connecting defense and digital to enhance the performance of major platforms, to equip customers to stay ahead of emerging threats. Learn more.

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