CIA openly invites Russians for espionage on their own country
In a Russian-speaking video, the CIA says it is looking for reliable people who can tell it the "truth" about Russia.
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The logo of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (AFP)
In an attempt to recruit Russians willing to spy for the US, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) sent on Monday a Russian-speaking video on Telegram, asking people to leak information about the Russian economy and top leadership.
The short video depicts a Russian bureaucrat and a woman at home with a child, both troubled in their lives, asking if it is what they dreamed of.
It depicts an illusion tricking people into believing that by providing information to the US intelligence agency, they can make things better.
Почему я пошел на контакт с ЦРУ: мое решениеhttps://t.co/mhQbzet5X2 pic.twitter.com/1Uj4POAOmm
— CIA (@CIA) May 15, 2023
The video and an accompanying text provide instructions on how to do so, using a Tor browser to access the dark web and encryption tools the CIA says will ensure their protection.
"The CIA wants to know the truth about Russia, and we are looking for reliable people who can tell us this truth," the agency writes.
"Your information may be more valuable than you think."
The CIA said it was hoping to contact people from intelligence, diplomatic, science, and technology, as well as other fields, and were interested in all kinds of information, including political and economic.
A CIA official told AFP that while the agency had made the pitch on other social media before, it was now focusing on encrypted Telegram because it is the main medium for Russians to share and obtain information and news about everything from politics to the war in Ukraine.
"Our aim is to provide avenues that are as secure as possible for them to contact us," the official said on grounds of anonymity.
The official claimed the United States was not seeking to provoke a revolt or regime change, but just hoping that some Russians might see it as a way to allegedly help the country move forward.
The official also alleged that similar outreach on other social media did have results.
"Contact us," the CIA urges.
"Perhaps the people around you don't want the truth. We want it."
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