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
Russian agency: Russia will conduct a nuclear test if the US does
Al-Nakhalah: We are the rightful owners, and we must fight to retrieve our rights
Al-Nakhalah: The enemy and its allies must know that we can never surrender to their terms and diktats after all the sacrifices made
Al-Nakhalah: The prisoner exchange clause can be completed in the next few days, and thus we will have pulled the [explosion] fuse and removed the enemy's justifications for aggression
Al-Nakhalah: The Resistance has expressed its willingness to negotiate on the basis that there are items that can be dealt with positively, the first of which is the prisoner exchange item
Al-Nakhalah: Trump's plan entails the Palestinian people's declaration of complete surrender to the enemy
PIJ Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, in an address aired on Al Mayadeen: The Resistance is engaging in a fierce negotiating battle under the so-called Trump plan
Russian Federation Council approves joint military cooperation agreement with Cuba
Al-Nunu: Today, the lists of prisoners required to be released, the agreed-upon criteria and numbers, were exchanged
Al-Nunu from Sharm el-Sheikh: Negotiations focused on mechanisms for implementing an end to the war, the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners

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

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 28 Oct 2024 21:30
  • 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

Russia ratifies military deal with Cuba amid US escalation

Araghchi denies any contact with US envoy Witkoff over nuclear talks

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

Tucker Carlson speaks at a memorial for Charlie Kirk, Sunday, September 21, 2025, at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (AP)

Tucker Carlson: Israeli officers gave orders on Iran inside Pentagon

  • Politics
  • 2 Oct 2025
A Hamas fighter in combat fatigues stands before the ceremony for the handover of Israeli captives to the Red Cross in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip, Saturday, February 22, 2025 (AP)

Hamas responds to Trump plan, backs Gaza withdrawal, exchange

  • Politics
  • 3 Oct 2025
ap

'Israel' pays influencers $7K per post to whitewash Gaza genocide

  • Politics
  • 1 Oct 2025
Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder revealed

Mossad’s secret role in Aldo Moro’s 1978 murder exposed

  • Politics
  • 5 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Retired Israeli General Brik says Israel has reached point of no return.
Politics

Retired Israeli General Brik: 'Israel has reached point of no return'

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation
Politics

Depleted by foreign wars, US seeks to re-arm for another confrontation

Gaza’s newborns gasp for life as hospitals collapse amid Israeli war
Health

Gaza newborns gasp for life, share oxygen masks amid collapsed system

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls
Politics

UK arms exports to 'Israel' reach record high despite ban calls

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