The Russian Konnection: Follow the $cuds

Confusion and surprise has fueled the international community especially the United States after documents revealed Russian intelligence had informed the now captured Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of the impending US invasion. An exchange of information between Hussein and the Russians revealed the troop movements from neighboring Kuwait and other logistical details.

Is the Russian connection with Iraq any real surprise? Hardly. During the Iran-Iraq War of in much of the 1980's, while the United States was tangled with Iran-Contra Affair and the Embassy Crisis in Tehran, Iraq was mostly armed by Russia including the infamous "Scud" or SS-1 (NATO terms) missile. The complete transfer of military missile technology to allow Iraq to manufacture their own version of the Russian design may indicate that Russian intelligence has been far seeded into the Iraq way before. According to Defense Journal, Russian has supplied many nations with Scuds:

Countries with Scud Missiles
Country	Ballistic Missiles 150 to 1000 Km
Belarus	Scud B
Bulgaria	Scud B
Czech Republic	Scud B
Hungary	Scud B
Poland	Scud B
Romania	Scud B
Russia	Scud B
Slovakia	Scud B
Ukraine	Scud B
Egyp	Scud B
	Scud C ?
Iran	Scud B
	Scud C ?
Iraq	Scud B
Libya	Scud B
	Scud C ?
Syria	Scud B
	Scud C ?
Yemen	Scud B
Afghanistan	Scud B
Kazkhastan	Scud B
Tajikistan	Scud B
North Korea	Scud B Scud C ?

It can be assumed that many nations were either part of the former USSR and had a share of the military from the breakup and that most of these nations were also part of the former Warsaw Pact (Bulgaria, Romania, etc.) and were bound to recieve military assistance from Russia.

This leaves the Middle East. The Middle East Review of International Affairs states that:

From the mid-1950s until its dissolution four decades later, the Soviet Union played a key role in helping Arab States improve their military capabilities. Throughout the Cold War, the Soviet Union supplied advanced military equipment, trained officers in its military schools and provided in-country military advisors to regional allies such as Egypt (before 1972), Syria, Libya, Yemen, Algeria and Iraq. This assistance was provided in the context of U.S.-Soviet competition for influence in the Middle East and therefore under very favorable conditions, often practically free of charge or under long-term loan arrangements that were never expected to be repaid.

Iraqi military even the airforce is primarily all Russian including the MiG-29:

Soviet Union had provided extensive military assistance to Iraq, and at the same time, continued its efforts to gain leverage on Iran. In early 1987, Moscow delivered a squadron of twenty-four MiG-29 Fulcrums to Baghdad. Considered the most advanced fighter in the Soviet arsenal, the MiG-29 previously had been provided only to Syria and India. The decision to export the MiG-29 to Iraq, also assured Iraq a more advantageous payment schedule than any offered by the West and it reflected Soviet support for one of its traditional allies in the Middle East. In May 1987 the Soviets provided Iraq with better financial terms in a successful effort to prevent Iraq from buying sixty French Mirage 2000 fighters for an estimated US$3 billion. Caught in a financial crisis, Baghdad welcomed the low-interest loans Moscow extended for this equipment.

With such deep connections with money from the Iran-Iraq War to the Scuds used during Desert Storm - how is it hard to assume that Russian intelligence wasn't involved EVER in Iraq? Citing more than just arms transfers, military assistance that Russia provided could be assumed to possibly in the form of intelligence as well. With a cash-strapped and broken nation like Russia and the Iraq government notoriously overspending on military - the two nations were bound to run into each other in the military market. Russia was more than happy to provide and Iraq was just as happy to accept.