Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
AFP, citing a Palestinian source: This would force hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians into a small area near the city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt
AFP, citing a Palestinian source: 'Israel' was proposing to maintain military forces in more than 40 percent of the Palestinian territory
AFP, citing a Palestinian source: The map actually depicts redeployment and repositioning of the Israeli army rather than a genuine withdrawal
AFP, citing a Palestinian source: The negotiations in Doha are facing a setback and complex difficulties due to 'Israel's' insistence on presenting a map of withdrawal
Israeli media, citing former Aman official, reserve Colonel Jacques Neriah: Syria's transformation into a buffer zone as far as Iran is concerned changes the entire regional equation
Israeli media, citing a former security official: "Our borders" are now opposite Iraq after Syria became a buffer zone between us and Iran
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Israeli occupation launched more than 40 raids, in the form of fire belts, targeting Beit Hanoun; the most violent and intense since the beginning of the war
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli aircraft launched the largest waves of raids since the beginning of the war on the city of Beit Hanoun, north of the Gaza Strip
Barrack: The United States is committed to supporting that relationship between two equal and sovereign neighbors enjoying peace and prosperity
Barrack: I can assure that Syria’s leaders only want co-existence and mutual prosperity with Lebanon

Ex-CIA analyst: US deeply immersed in Ukraine war from outset

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 28 Oct 2024 20:30
  • 2 Shares
4 Min Read

Retired CIA officer Larry Johnson claims that the involvement of foreign militants in a thwarted Ukrainian attack on Russia showcases NATO's desperation.

Listen
  • x
  • A US mercenary who serves with the 23rd separate rifle battalion of Ukraine's Armed Forces, holds the US flag near the front line in the Kharkov region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP)
    A US mercenary who serves with the 23rd separate rifle battalion of Ukraine's Armed Forces holds the US flag near the front line in the Kharkov region, on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024. (AP)

Retired CIA intelligence officer and State Department official Larry Johnson stated that the involvement of foreign militants in a recently foiled Ukrainian cross-border assault on Russia reflects "desperation from NATO and the West," regardless of whether these militants were "part of an official NATO force" or acting as mercenaries.

Johnson asserted that this situation evidently demonstrates that NATO countries have personnel fighting on behalf of Ukraine, highlighting the irony given the unfounded allegations from the West that soldiers from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are supposedly fighting for Russia.

Circling back to the most recent failed attack on Russia, Johnson stressed that it was not a Ukrainian-planned aggression, rather, he said it was "clearly planned by intelligence operatives."

"The primary CIA presence in Ukraine is what was known as special operations division, it's a paramilitary force," Johnson remarked, adding that "they've been there from the outset, trained to carry out missions like this, sabotage missions, raids."

He also argued that this incident should not be viewed as a sign of the US' growing involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, since the US has been deeply engaged from the very beginning.

"It's just that now it's becoming perhaps, this could be used as evidence to present that. But I think the reality is the United States has been directly involved with this from the outset," Johnson explained.

Ukraine incursion in Kursk struggles as Russians retake territory: WP

Related News

'Everyone in Washington' believes Epstein Mossad spy: Tucker Carlson

Barrack defends Syria comments, claims they are no threat to Lebanon

A report by The Washington Post on October 25, said, "As President Volodymyr Zelensky traveled through Europe and the United States to promote his “victory plan” aimed at resolving the war with Russia, Ukrainian forces encountered significant setbacks on the battlefield."

Analysts indicated that Russian forces may have retrieved up to half of the territory that Kiev originally captured during its summer offensive into Russia’s Kursk region. According to The Washington Post, this concerning shift calls into question the effectiveness of Ukraine’s military strategy amid the ongoing conflict.
 
The incursion into Russia was initially celebrated by Ukrainian officials as a success, however, recent Russian counterattacks in the Kursk region have raised concerns about how long Kiev can maintain control over the territory.

The Institute for the Study of War, which has been closely monitoring the conflict, reported visual evidence indicating that Russian forces have regained control of 46% of the territories in the Kursk region.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that pockets of Ukrainian forces in the region had been encircled, however, this assertion was strongly disputed on Friday by Oleksandr Syrsky, the commander of Ukraine’s armed forces, according to WaPo. 

He posted on Telegram, “Ukrainian forces continue active operations in the Kursk direction, for the third consecutive month, destroying the enemy’s combat potential,” adding that “despite the immense pressure from the enemy on this front, the occupiers are suffering significant losses in personnel and military equipment.”

The Washington Post stated that Ukraine’s recent losses in Kursk highlight the country’s ongoing military struggles even as talks to end the war continue, adding that Russia has steadily gained ground in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region and has recently made further advances in the northeastern Kharkiv region, aiming to reach the city of Kupyansk.
 
Kiev's territorial gains in the Kursk region were featured in Zelensky's victory plan, with Ukrainian officials portraying the incursion as a potentially significant leverage point in future peace negotiations, however, Russia’s recent advances are reframing the perspective, according to the report. 

“I don’t think we can talk about the large-scale Russian offensive that could push the Ukrainians out just yet,” said Franz-Stefan Gady, a Vienna-based military analyst. “I think we’re still in a shaping phase — that is, in a preliminary phase before a larger-scale assault — and the major objective of the Russian forces currently is to [weaken] Ukrainian forces with artillery and drone strikes.”

“They’re essentially just testing the weaknesses of the Ukrainian defenses, so the incursion’s still fairly limited. And I think what’s concerning is that the Ukrainians are indeed actually already in this phase of being pushed back,” he added.

Read more: Zelensky 'Victory Plan' pushes NATO toward WWIII: French party leader

  • United States
  • CIA
  • Russian special military operation
  • Russia
  • Ukraine
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

Hezbollah SG reveals war details on Al Mayadeen for the first time

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Major ambush in Gaza kills 6 Israeli troops, injures dozens

Major ambush in Gaza kills 5 Israeli troops, injures 14

  • Politics
  • 8 Jul 2025
Israeli soldiers are seen in Beit Hanoun ahead of an operation by the al-Qassam Brigades, undated (Al-Qassam Brigades Military Media)

'Israel' on blast as media exposes report discrepancies in Gaza ambush

  • Palestine
  • 8 Jul 2025
Yemeni air defenses repel substantial part of Israeli aggression

Yemeni air defenses confront Israeli aggression on Hodeidah

  • Politics
  • 7 Jul 2025

Coverage

All
The Ummah's Martyrs

Read Next

All
Trump announces Mexico, EU rariffs of 30%
US & Canada

Trump slaps trade partners, Mexico, EU, with 30% tariffs from Aug. 1

Deal struck to create new state of New Caledonia
Europe

France announces State of New Caledonia, except with a twist

Taiwan President Lai Ching-te, center, inspects a live-fire shooting training in Hsinchu County, Taiwan, Thursday, July 10, 2025 (AP)
Politics

US demands allies' plans in event of Taiwan war erupting

Israeli settlers kill American-Palestinian visiting West Bank
Palestine

Israeli settlers kill American-Palestinian visiting West Bank

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS