New CIA video recruits government officials in Russia

The next new batch of CIA recruits could be officials in the Russian government. The Central Intelligence Agency said it’s open for business in Russia, and apparently, business is good.

Since last fall, the CIA and the FBI have not been shy about asking disgruntled Russians to reach out. David Marlowe, the deputy director of operations for the CIA, said Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was a massive failure that created new opportunities for Western intelligence agencies.

The CIA’s efforts to recruit disgruntled Russians are going well enough the agency is now expanding the operation. The American spy agency released a new video on Telegram and other social media sites popular in Russia. The video is directly targeted at people in the Russian government.

The nearly two-minute fictional video depicts Russian officials at home or work, wrestling over the decision to contact the CIA. The video is voiced in Russian, but does not mention the war in Ukraine or Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The CIA’s video ends telling the audience, “The people around you may not want to hear the truth. We do. You aren’t powerless. Connect with us securely.” Instructions then come on the screen with ways to securely connect with an American spy.

For security reasons, the CIA isn’t disclosing how many Russians it has successfully recruited into the fold since last fall. Nor will the agency say what sort of information it has gleaned from its recent recruiting efforts in Russia.

According to reporting from the Wall Street Journal, the video is not designed to foment Putin’s overthrow or Russia’s destabilization. The WSJ reported the CIA is hoping Russians will come forward with information relating to Russia’s economy, foreign policy, cyber activities and senior leadership.

The timing of the video’s release is also worth noting; coming out just before Ukraine is expected to launch a counteroffensive against Russia. Daniel Hoffman, the CIA’s former Moscow station chief, told the WSJ “you want to be prepared, with your catcher’s mitt, ready to go.”