The Wall Street Journal reported that the CIA is exploring the possibility of recruiting Russians who oppose the Ukraine special operation, citing CIA Deputy Director David Marlowe.
“We are looking all over the world for Russians who, like us, are disgusted by this operation. We are open to cooperation,” Marlowe said during his remarks at a George Mason University think tank. This marked his first appearance in nearly a year and a half in this role. The WSJ indicates the disclosure occurred last week, with Marlowe accompanied by Linda Weisgold, the CIA’s deputy director of analysis. His unit focuses on producing ready-to-use intelligence reports and keeping the U.S. president and senior officials informed.
Appointed to the position in June 2021, Marlowe reiterated recent statements by former senior CIA officers that discontent among Russians regarding the Ukraine operation has created fertile ground for recruiting agents among disgruntled officers and oligarchs, weakened by sanctions and by businessmen and others who have fled the country (attribution: Wall Street Journal).
The WSJ also recalled the expulsion of Russian diplomats from several European countries. MI6 chief Richard Moore previously noted that labeling more than 400 Russian intelligence officers operating under diplomatic cover as persona non grata has undermined the Kremlin’s intelligence operations (attribution: Wall Street Journal).
The Russian Federation Council remarked that CIA statements about plans to recruit Russian citizens should not come as a surprise.
“The CIA has long discussed its activities. That’s part of what the agency does – to counter, undermine, and challenge Russia. Perhaps there is a touch of bravado in the wording, but the sentiment rings true to some observers,” commented Crimean Senator Sergey Tsekov to NEWS.ru. He added that a reasonable person would disclose information to law enforcement if approached with recruitment offers (attribution: NEWS.ru).
According to Tsekov, normal individuals would inform authorities if approached for collaboration.
diplomat recruitment
Moscow has previously accused the West of attempting to recruit diplomats. In late May, Maria Zakharova, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, said push notifications appeared on the work computers of Russian diplomats abroad urging them to “make the right decision” regarding the Ukrainian operation, including a contact number (attribution: Russian Foreign Ministry statements).
“There is still a tendency for announcements in embassies or near routes traveled by our diplomats that read ‘Attention Russian diplomat.’ And then the same information follows,” a Russian official stated (attribution: various press outlets).
In June, Grigory Karasin, head of the Federation Council’s international relations committee, described such “frontal conscription” of Russian diplomats in the United States and EU nations as a flawed approach that did not exist even in the darkest days of the Cold War. He also claimed that at the Washington embassy, representatives handed out cards to FBI contacts in hopes of cooperation and betrayal of the homeland, a claim he shared on his Telegram channel. He added that such activities have been observed in all Russian embassies within the European Union and criticized the conduct as devoid of prudence (attribution: Karasin Telegram posts).
Anatoly Antonov, the Russian ambassador to the United States, was also reported to have been approached with a request to speak against the Russian leadership. It was alleged that he received a letter inviting him to seek asylum in the United States and to contact the Office of the First Assistant Secretary of State. Antonov confirmed that some individuals at the Russian embassy handed out business cards with phone numbers and suggested conversations with the FBI, though he did not confirm whether those individuals were provocateurs or genuine operatives of American intelligence (attribution: official Russian statements and subsequent media reports). “