Our special offer on annual subscriptions is only available for another 24 hours. Get 33% off for 1 yearThe digital coup unfolding across America's federal agencies just exposed a disturbing international dimension. A whistleblower at the National Labor Relations Board has documented how DOGE's data theft was immediately followed by attempted access from Russian IP addresses – raising grave questions about foreign intelligence penetration of America's most sensitive systems.Daniel Berulis, an IT professional at the NLRB, provided forensic evidence showing that within minutes after DOGE engineers gained "God-tier" access to sensitive labor systems, someone operating from Russia attempted to log in using newly-created DOGE credentials. Not just random guessing – they had the correct username and password.Narativ with Zev Shalev is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.This wasn't just some random hacking attempt. According to Berulis' official disclosure to Congress: "Those attempts were 'near real-time'... Whoever was attempting to log in was using one of the newly created DOGE accounts — and the person had the correct username and password."While these Russian login attempts were blocked, they reveal the immediate vulnerability created by DOGE's activities. The timing suggests either shocking carelessness or something far more sinister – coordination with foreign intelligence services.Cybersecurity experts who reviewed Berulis' evidence saw techniques consistent with sophisticated Russian intelligence operations. Former FBI cyber official Russ Handorf noted these actions match what we've seen from Russian threat actors targeting U.S. government systems in the past. The key difference? "They were given the keys to the front door."This Russian connection is especially alarming given Elon Musk's well-documented ties to Putin and Russian oligarchs. His companies have received significant Russian investment, including from sanctioned billionaires. The whistleblower's attorney specifically noted the foreign intelligence dimension, stating: "This case has been particularly sensitive as it involves the possibility of sophisticated foreign intelligence gaining access to sensitive government systems."What DOGE engineers did at the NLRB – disabling security logs, using obfuscation code, and extracting approximately 10 gigabytes of sensitive files – perfectly mirrors the techniques used by Russian intelligence services. They even employed DNS tunneling, a technique one threat researcher confirmed "we've seen Russian threat actors do" on government systems.Democratic staff on the House Oversight Committee confirm they've received "multiple verifiable reports showing that DOGE has exfiltrated sensitive government data across agencies" – suggesting this Russian connection might extend beyond the NLRB.The pattern is unmistakable. DOGE is systematically dismantling security protections across government databases while using techniques that create openings for foreign access. As one Interior Department employee told NPR: "Our cyber teams are pissed because they have to sit on their hands when every single alarm system we have regarding insider threats is going off."This isn't just about government efficiency or even domestic power grabs – it's about potentially compromising America's most sensitive systems to foreign adversaries. With DOGE continuing its agency-by-agency data conquest, we're witnessing what may be the most significant national security breach in American history – executed not through hacking, but through executive order.We may indeed be seeing the foundation of a Russian-style surveillance state as I’ve detailed in my new series the New Feudalism. The story was first reported by NPR.Our special offer on annual subscriptions is only available for another 24 hours. Get 33% off for 1 year