Russian officials welcome CIA’s new Telegram channel as ‘convenient resource’ for tracking wannabe spies
The Central Intelligence Agency has created a Russian-language Telegram channel for recruiting informants. In particular, it is targeting the Russian military, secret services, foreign service, science and technology, and other key spheres.
In an opening post on the channel, the agency explains its main goal is to instruct potential spies on how to get in touch with the CIA securely:
CIA’s global mission requires that individuals be able to contact us securely from anywhere in the world. That’s why, for the first time, CIA is establishing a presence on Telegram – to reach those who feel compelled to engage CIA and ensure they know how to do so as securely as possible. If you’re considering reaching out to CIA, please review the materials on this channel: we value those willing to talk with us, and your safety is our priority.
A cinematic recruitment video dramatizing “the difficult but important decision” to get it touch with the CIA is also posted on the new channel. “I’m going to live a genuine life,” says the voiceover. “I will persevere. My family will persevere. We will live worthy lives, thanks to my actions.” The video has already been posted on the CIA’s YouTube channel and its Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.
The Russian text accompanying the video on Telegram explains:
This video shows fictional Russians who have made the difficult but important decision to contact the CIA secretly, through the anonymous information system Tor. The CIA wants to know the truth about Russia, and we’re looking for reliable people who know and can tell us the truth.
A second video provides detailed instructions on how to get in touch with the agency securely and anonymously.
The Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson Maria Zakharova told the Russian news outlet RBC that the CIA’s new Telegram channel is a “very convenient resource for tracking those who want to get in touch.”
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also says he is “convinced that our secret services are monitoring this space.” “We know very well that the CIA and other Western secret services are persisting in their activities on our territory,” he said.
David Marlowe, the CIA’s deputy director of operations, announced the agency’s plans to recruit disenchanted Russians last November. By the time of this publication, the recruitment channel had more than 4,600 subscribers.
