ALLATRA Contributes to Emerging Global Security Paradigm at the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism 2025

Ms. Kamila Marchenko, official representative of ALLATRA in Israel; Ms. Maryna Ovtsynova, President of ALLATRA; Prof. Uriel Reichman, Founding President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors, Reichman University; Col. Sean Morrow, Director, Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), U.S. Military Academy, West Point; Mr. Gregory D. LoGerfo, Acting Coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State at the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism

Herzliya, Israel, September 18, 2025 – ALLATRA, represented by its President Maryna Ovtsynova and official representative in Israel, Kamila Marchenko, participated in the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism 2025, organized by the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University (Israel).

The Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism is recognized as one of the most prestigious and high-impact security forums in the world. Bringing together top government officials, intelligence leaders, military experts, and scholars from over 50 countries, the summit serves as a global hub for shaping cutting-edge counterterrorism strategies and addressing the most complex threats of our time: from hybrid warfare to disinformation and emerging security challenges.

Leading the ALLATRA delegation, Maryna Ovtsynova completed a course on counter-terrorism at the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT) at Reichman University. She is an expert in global risk strategy, a graduate of Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School.

Mr. Gregory D. LoGerfo, Acting Coordinator for the Bureau of Counterterrorism at the U.S. Department of State; Col. Sean Morrow, Director, Combating Terrorism Center (CTC), U.S. Military Academy, West Point; Mr. Michael H. Glasheen, Operations Director, National Security Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), USA; Ms. Maryna Ovtsynova, President of ALLATRA at the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism

During the summit, the ALLATRA delegation discussed with participants and keynote speakers its latest OSINT-based analytical study, A New Form of Hybrid Terrorism: Analysis of Structure, Methods, and Financing Using the Example of the Transnational “Anti-Cult” Network.

The report serves as a strategic addition to current counterterrorism doctrines, highlighting dimensions of hybrid threats that often remain underexplored. By analyzing the sophisticated methods of psychological and cognitive manipulation employed by transnational anti-cult networks, the report presented by ALLATRA reveals how these networks covertly interfere in domestic affairs, amplifies internal divisions, and erodes the foundations of democracy and national security.

Mr. Michael H. Glasheen, Operations Director, National Security Branch, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), USA; Mr. Jonathan Davis, Vice President for External Relations and Head of the Raphael Recanati International School (RRIS), Reichman University; Lt. Col. (Res.) Dr. Uri Ben Yaakov, Chief Operations Officer (COO) & Senior Researcher, the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University; Ms. Kamila Marchenko, official representative of ALLATRA in Israel; Ms. Maryna Ovtsynova, President of ALLATRA at the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism

This research opens new perspectives for understanding the complexity of modern security challenges, emphasizing that information, cognition, and human consciousness themselves have become arenas of strategic contestation. ALLATRA’s work provides policymakers and security experts with critical insights for developing more comprehensive approaches to global safety.

The report presented by ALLATRA drew significant attention from experts and officials, including:

• Michael Glasheen, Operations Director, Terrorist Screening Center, FBI (USA),
• Nir Barkat, Minister of Economy and Industry of Israel,
• Yoav Gallant, former Minister of National Security of Israel,
• Jonathan Davis, Vice President for External Relations and Head of the Raphael Recanati International School, Reichman University,
• Mitchell D. Silber, former Director of Intelligence Analysis, NYPD (USA),
• Roger Carstens, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA),
• and Brian Jenkins, Senior Advisor to the President of RAND.

The summit in Herzliya has traditionally served as a venue for addressing the most critical global security challenges. In 2025, discussions focused on key topics such as:

• new forms of terrorism and radicalization, including online extremism and the phenomenon of “lone wolves”;
• terrorism financing and transnational networks;
• cyberattacks and information warfare, including disinformation and cognitive manipulation;
• CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) threats;
• international legal frameworks for counterterrorism;
• resilience and civil protection amid global crises.

Maj. Gen. (Res.) Yoav Gallant, Former Minister of Defense of the State of Israel; Ambassador Roger D. Carstens, Former Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs (SPEHA), Freedom for Political Prisoners Distinguished Senior Fellow, McCain Institute; Mr. Brian Jenkins, Senior Advisor to the President of RAND; Dr. Michael Barak, Senior Researcher & Head of Global Jihad and Palestinian Terrorist Organizations Desks, International Institute for Counter-Terrorism (ICT), Reichman University; Ms. Maryna Ovtsynova, President of ALLATRA at the Shabtai Shavit World Summit on Counter-Terrorism 

Speaking on the sidelines of the summit, Maryna Ovtsynova emphasized:

“Our research indicates that the world is entering a period of profound transformation, where traditional security frameworks are no longer sufficient to address new hybrid threats. One of the most alarming among them is a coordinated anti-cult network backed by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB), which has evolved into a transnational system of psychological and informational warfare. Operating under the guise of academic and social research centers, this network uses sophisticated instruments of cognitive manipulation and social destabilization. To confront such complex and borderless challenges, the global community must work together in strategic cooperation.”

As hybrid and cognitive threats continue to evolve, ALLATRA’s work underscores the necessity of collaboration between science, civil initiatives, and state institutions, ensuring that strategies for global security remain comprehensive, forward-looking, and grounded in the protection of human freedom and dignity.

About ALLATRA

ALLATRA is an international organization with a research center in the United States (ALLATRA Global Research Center), engaged in the comprehensive analysis of climate and environmental changes, the study of the impact of micro- and nanoplastics, and the promotion of intercultural cooperation and the protection of fundamental human rights and freedoms.

In recognition of its commitment to environmental protection and preservation of creation, ALLATRA received an Apostolic Blessing from His Holiness Pope Francis in 2024. In 2025, His Holiness Pope Leo XIV likewise bestowed an Apostolic Blessing upon the President of ALLATRA and all its volunteers.

For media inquiries, please email us at [email protected]