US CIA Director: "Ukraine War is a Chance to Recruit Russian Spies"

"Once-in-a-generation opportunity... Won't miss it"
CIA recently recruited spies via Telegram

William Burns, Director of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), stated that the war in Ukraine presents a golden opportunity to recruit Russian informants.

On the 1st (local time), according to US media such as CNN, Director Burns said at the annual lecture of the UK Ditchley Foundation, "Discontent with the war will continue to erode Russia's leadership," expressing this view.

Burns said, "This has provided a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the CIA's core HUMINT (human intelligence, information obtained or collected through human networks) service," adding, "We will not miss this opportunity. We are very open about this effort."

Earlier, a CIA official claimed in an interview with CNN that "the recruitment of informants immediately after Russia's invasion last year was quite successful."

The CIA is reportedly publicly attempting to contact Russians using the social media platform Telegram. Last month, the CIA opened a channel on Telegram called 'Contact the CIA Safely' and posted a video recruiting Russian spies. The video was also posted on other platforms such as YouTube and Twitter.

At that time, the CIA estimated that thousands or tens of thousands of people inside and outside Russia would flock to it. They also explained the background of the spy recruitment plan, saying, "Many of them may not know how to contact the CIA or may not even realize that the information they know is important."

William Burns, CIA Director
Photo by Yonhap News

Director Burns explained, "The Telegram video provides instructions on how to contact the CIA while avoiding censorship via the dark web (a web accessible only through special browsers), and it recorded 2.5 million views in its first week of release."

Another official explained, "The US is not trying to incite rebellion or regime change," adding, "It is about showing some Russians a way to help their country's development through this."

Burns pointed out that the recent armed rebellion by the Russian mercenary group Wagner vividly revealed "the corrosive effects that Vladimir Putin's war has had on Russian society and the regime."

Burns stated, "Russia's military weaknesses have been exposed, and the Russian economy will be severely damaged for years to come," arguing, "Putin's mistakes are creating Russia's future as a junior partner and economic colony of China."

He also predicted that the remarks of Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Wagner Group, who criticized the grounds and execution of Russia's invasion, will have a lasting impact.

Additionally, Burns reiterated the US's existing position that it did not intervene in Prigozhin's rebellion.

Earlier, immediately after the rebellion broke out in Russia, Burns contacted Sergey Naryshkin, Director of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (FIS), to convey the message that the US was not involved in the rebellion at all.

Earlier, Burns reportedly made a secret visit to Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, last month, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukrainian intelligence officials.

According to The New York Times (NYT) and CNN, during this visit, he reaffirmed the existing position of helping Ukraine resist Russia's invasion through intelligence sharing.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.