Pak Sahafat – The Hill website reported that the United States and its allies are seeking to create a gap in the power base of Russian President Vladimir Putin by seducing high-level Russian officials to spy for them.
According to Pak Sahafat News Agency, according to this American website, this effort is being carried out with new urgency following last month’s military rebellion by the head of the Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, against the Russian military leadership, which failed.
CIA Director William Burns has called for spy recruitment from Russia’s elite, saying it is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for America to exploit gaps in Russia’s leadership.
Speaking at the Aspen Security Forum last Thursday, Burns said: “I think Putin is a little restless right now, while he is very careful.”
These statements by Burns come as the head of the British foreign intelligence service MI6 indicated earlier last week that Russians who are “offended” by Putin’s war in Ukraine should contact Western intelligence.
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Richard Moore, the head of MI6, also claimed in a speech in Prague on Wednesday: “There are many Russians today who are silently offended by the fact that their country’s armed forces are destroying Ukrainian cities, evicting innocent families from their homes and kidnapping thousands of children.”
He added: I invite them to do what others did 18 months ago and join us.
These public words show the increased efforts of intelligence agencies, especially the FBI and CIA, to recruit Russians who have been affected by the war in Ukraine.
A video the CIA released in May showing how Russians can discreetly contact the agency had more than 2.5 million views in its first week, Burns said.
A CIA source told The Hill that the agency wants to know the truth about Russia and is looking for trusted people who can “tell us and we can communicate with them securely.”
According to the Hill website, the CIA’s goal is to reach Russian officials who serve in important areas, including the military, intelligence services, research and scientific technology.