“Is this the life I dreamed of?” This is how a recent recruitment video from the American intelligence agency CIA, published on YouTube and Telegram on Tuesday, among others, begins. There, the CIA goes to great lengths to recruit Russians who are dissatisfied with President Vladimir Putin’s regime. With emotional music and dramatic images, the viewer hears a man questioning today’s Russia. “Why are some lives valued more than others?”, asks the voice. “Being a hero means standing up for yourself,” says a voice in the CIA’s recent recruitment video for Russians. Focuses on Russians’ patriotism The purpose of the video is to reach out to Russians in Russia who sit on socially critical information and who do not support the war in Ukraine, explains Eskil Sivertsen. He is an expert on propaganda and digital warfare at the Norwegian Defense Research Institute (FFI). The aim of the video is therefore to recruit possible Russian informants into American service. The message in the video plays in particular on the patriotism of many Russians to the fatherland in order to recruit them as informants. This is not accidental, according to Sivertsen. – Russians who are against Putin will still be happy in Russia. The patriotism angle is therefore probably very conscious, he explains. He believes it is absolutely clear who the Russians are addressing in the video. – The CIA is looking for Russians who work in defense, intelligence, diplomacy, research and technology, who can sit on valuable information about internal affairs in Russia, and who do not support Putin and his regime, says Sivertsen. The recent video shows a clear development in how the CIA addresses possible foreign informants. A video with a similar purpose from 2022 is completely different, consisting entirely of text. Photo: Screenshot / CIA Expert: – Challenging Moscow – I see this as a campaign that challenges and provokes Moscow. That’s what Tom Røseth, head teacher in intelligence at the Norwegian Defense Academy, says. – But this is also real. There is an apparatus in the CIA that wants to take in Russian defectors and informants, he continues. This is not the first time the CIA has called for Russian informants, according to Røseth. But it’s the first time in modern times that intelligence organizations are taking action so clearly, he explains. – The CIA has previously encouraged the Russians to inform them, but we have not seen them do it this way in recent times, he says. It is no coincidence that it is in Russian. The CIA has not officially commented on the video, but an anonymous official in the organization tells CNN that the goal is to gain access to Russian people with valuable information. He also confirms that it is no coincidence that the video was made in Russian. – We wanted to convey to the Russians in their own language that we know what they are going through, says the CIA employee. The video was published at the same time that the intelligence agency started a separate account on Telegram. It also shows a clear development in how the CIA approaches possible foreign informants. For example, a video with a similar purpose from 2022 consists entirely of text. The video plays on emotions against patriotism and family life. This is deliberate, explains expert Eskil Sivertsen. – Russians who are against Putin will still be happy in Russia. Not intended to throw fuel on the fire The source in the CIA believes the video is not intended to throw fuel on the fire in the relationship between the US and Russia. Nor is it made for those Russians who support Putin. On the contrary, the CIA employee believes that the video is aimed at Russians who may have a desire to become informers, but who, due to fear of sanctions, have remained on the fence. The video should also make it less scary to contact American intelligence, according to the source. The Kremlin, for its part, was quick to comment on the video. – I am convinced that our special services are monitoring this area in the necessary way, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday. – Everyone knows perfectly well that Western intelligence services do not reduce their activity in our country, he continued. This is the first time in modern times that intelligence organizations have gone to work so clearly, says Tom Røseth at the Norwegian Defense Academy. Photo: Trygve Heide / news Uncertain about the effect Although the video may provide informants, Tom Røseth from the Norwegian Defense Academy is unsure what effect it will actually have. – For it to work, they must meet those who are willing to take that risk. That risk is high, he emphasizes.
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CIA uses social media to reach Russian informants – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
