CIA Seeks To Recruit Dissatisfied Russians

(RepublicanView.org) – The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has released a video urging Russians to spy on its behalf. The agency says previous efforts to recruit disaffected Russians unhappy with President Putin have been successful. During a speech at the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C., CIA Deputy Director David Cohen said the video – the agency’s third – is a pitch to people “who see a better future for Russia, one that frankly we can help them achieve if they work for us.”

A spokesperson added that the two previous campaigns in 2022 and 2023 were watched by millions of people online, including on Twitter, Facebook, and other major social media platforms.

The latest film, posted to YouTube and other sites, features images of a Russian man looking at pictures of his young son and video clips of traditional Russian culture, interspersed with quotes from Leo Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky. One official said in May 2023 that the effort was an attempt to let disaffected Russians know that “we know what they’re going through.”

The Kremlin has dismissed the ad campaign and said it is not uncommon for countries to seek out spies on the territory of its adversaries. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the CIA should do its homework before posting ads on social media platforms not available in Russia, such as Twitter. “Somebody needs to tell the CIA that in our country, VKontakte is much more popular,” Peskov said, according to CBS News.

Former CIA head of counterintelligence, James Olson, stated in May, however, that the war in Ukraine has created fertile ground for Russian recruitment. Olson said many people are disgusted at Vladimir Putin’s actions in Ukraine, according to CNN. Putin is causing chaos and murdering Russia’s “brother and sister Slavs,” Mr. Olson added.

CIA Director William Burns declared that the Ukrainian war had created a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the CIA to access Russian citizens. Last year, Mr. Burns said the CIA is “very much open for business.”