Topline
The Central Intelligence Agency is recruiting Russian intelligence officials to work as double agents for the U.S. in a video posted to X, a decision that has drawn criticism from the Kremlin, which noted the agency and other countries regularly use social media platforms to recruit spies.
The agency’s video was posted on X, a social media platform banned throughout Russia.
Key Facts
The Russian-language video—posted to the CIA’s official channel on X—features a 35-year-old male employee of Russia’s intelligence agency, who is questioning Russia’s leadership amid concerns over the country’s war with Ukraine.
The man suggests Russia’s “leadership has sold the country out for palaces and yachts at a time when our soldiers are chewing rotten potatoes and firing from prehistoric weapons,” before the video details how to contact the CIA.
Kremlin Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday the “practice is quite common,” adding intelligence agencies around the world often use social media platforms to recruit new agents, according to Reuters.
The CIA made a mistake posting the video to X, Peskov said, because the platform is banned throughout Russia and the Russian social media site Vkontakte is more popular.
Crucial Quote
“Somebody should tell the CIA that Vkontakte is much more popular here than the banned X and that Vkontakte has a much larger audience,” Peskov said.
Key Background
The video posted to X is the latest attempt by the CIA to recruit Russian officials as double agents over social media. Last year, the CIA launched a new channel on Telegram called “Securely Contacting CIA” that calls for Russian military officers, intelligence officials or anyone with “information about the economy or senior leadership of the Russian Federation” to contact the agency. A similar video was posted to the Telegram channel that was designed to appeal to disaffected, patriotic Russian officials, CIA officials told CNN. James Olson, the former head of counterintelligence for the CIA, suggested there were Russian intelligence officers who “want to strike back” amid the country’s conflict in Ukraine, adding it was “probably the best period of recruiting Russians” the agency has had. Maria Zakharova, head of Russia’s foreign ministry, criticized the CIA’s efforts on Telegram and said “such malicious activity” would “not remain without a proper effective response.”
Tangent
Other countries have been targeted over social media to recruit spies. In 2019, several former White House officials were messaged by China-based accounts on LinkedIn indicating they would be offered “well-paid” opportunities if they traveled to China, according to the New York Times. German, French and Danish officials were also contacted by similar accounts. William Evanina, director of the National Security Institute, told Reuters that Chinese spy agencies were contacting thousands of people at a time on LinkedIn. China’s foreign ministry denied the allegations.
Further Reading
How China Uses LinkedIn To Recruit Spies Abroad (New York Times)
CIA Tries To Recruit Double Agents In Russia With New Video (Reuters)
