New CIA video appeals to Russians disillusioned with Moscow elite

The CIA released another video Monday appealing to Russians disillusioned with the country’s leaders, offering them a way to pass secrets to the American spy agency.

Titled “Why I contacted CIA: the motherland,” the Russian-language video, posted on Telegram and other social media platforms, attempts to connect with Russians’ sense of patriotism and the disparity between soldiers’ making sacrifices on the battlefield and the comfortable lives of the country’s elites.

The CIA posted two similar videos last year on social media.

“We are seeing more outreach from Russians as a result of these videos,” a CIA spokesperson said. “If it weren’t working, we wouldn’t be on video number three.”

The videos launched last year attracted 2.1 million views, the spokesperson said.

CIA Director William Burns has described the turmoil caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity” for the agency to recruit Russian spies.

The latest highly produced video, accompanied by stirring music, features an unnamed narrator contemplating his 35th birthday, the legacy of his father, who served as a Russian paratrooper, and whether he has “the courage to stand against this betrayal.”

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

“My father was a practical man, believed in Russia. He talked of cosmonauts and scientific achievements that the whole world admired,” the narrator says in the three-minute video.

For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAbdul El-Sayed tries to woo MAHA voters as Democrats seek inroads with RFK’s supporters

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKratom-like substances are popping up in a typically benign supplement

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP super PAC increases its spending for Sen. Jon Husted in tough Ohio race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRecords reveal tumultuous marriage between slain New York Times executive and wife

FOR SUBSCRIBERSFrom clean energy warrior to ‘wall of shame,’ James Talarico reverses on a fossil fuel money pledge

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCongressional staff planned official trip with luxury stops in Italy and France weeks before election

FOR SUBSCRIBERSA harrowing ordeal aboard an Israel-bound plane

FOR SUBSCRIBERSOpenAI CEO Sam Altman to skip congressional hearing on rogue AI agents

FOR SUBSCRIBERSKey DOJ lawyers departed Trump ‘grand conspiracy’ probe amid pressure to produce, source says

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump’s new AI chatbot often links to a site launched under Clinton 26 years ago

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAt MAHA summit, industry CEOs the movement once vilified take the stage

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThis Paralympian has two goals: Win medals and give away $500,000 to her teammates

FOR SUBSCRIBERSCornell rape allegation spotlights stringent New York state laws that have long drawn criticism

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe debate over AI’s future rages on both coasts

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDecades-old march dispute reignites in Northern Ireland, threatening political crisis

The narrator goes on to say he joined the military’s intelligence service, the GRU, to serve his country. “But I quickly realized that the real enemy lies within,” he says.

“Our leaders sell out the country for palaces and yachts while our soldiers chew rotten potatoes and fire ancient weapons,” he says. “Our people are forced to give bribes just to find a job. But the elites in incredibly expensive watches while away the time as the corruption and nepotism eat my country alive from the inside.”

At the end of the video, the narrator decides he will honor his father’s example and build a future for his son, contacting the CIA secretly on his mobile phone. “My desire is to save Russia. I will be the spark of truth for my son’s sake,” he says.

The video comes amid a stalemate in the war in Ukraine, with both sides unable to achieve a major breakthrough in the fighting over the past year and with weakening political support in Congress to continue U.S. military aid to Ukraine.