CIA
- The CIA released a video attempting to persuade disaffected Russians to inform on their leaders.
- It's the third video so far, which the agency claims is an effective tactic.
- The CIA says it's playing on growing Russian discontent with the war in Ukraine.
The CIA released a new video appealing to disaffected Russians who might pass secrets on to the spy agency — a tactic it says is already bearing fruit.
The video, posted to the CIA's social channels on Monday, is narrated by a fictionalized father on his 35th birthday,
The man reflects on his life, his father's achievements, and his son's future.
Russia's oligarchs have corroded the country from within, preventing ordinary people from prospering, the narrator says.
It's the third such propaganda video released. A prior one, in May 2023, appeared to target Russian officials instead of civilians.
The tactic is working, a CIA spokesperson claimed. "We are seeing more outreach from Russians as a result of these videos," the unnamed spokesperson told NBC News. "If it weren't working, we wouldn't be on video number three."
Business Insider was unable to independently verify the claim.
On Telegram, the video had been seen 6,400 times as of Tuesday. A previous video, published there in May last year, had racked up more than 200,000 views.
Telegram, the encrypted messaging app, is popular in Russia, offering anonymity in an otherwise highly controlled media, with heavy punishments for people who step out of line.
The CIA has a dedicated Russian-language channel to encourage informants, with 13,500 followers there — a minuscule fraction of the Russian population.
The latest video seeks to tap into domestic frustration with the war in Ukraine, with its narrator saying that the country's elites "sell out the country for palaces and yachts while our soldiers chew rotten potatoes and fire ancient weapons," according to NBC News' translation.
It contrasts muted footage of a man sitting pensively in his home — some of which is repurposed from the earlier videos — with patriotic archival footage of Russian achievements such as the Soviet space missions and military parades.
Eventually, the man is seen messaging on his phone, presumably to contact the CIA. The video ends with a message urging the viewer to reach out on a secure platform.
CIA
Russia's leadership has shown acute sensitivity to the type of contrast offered in the video. In December, a risqué $250,000-a-ticket party hosted by a Russian influencer sparked almost universal public outrage.
The reaction, officially over the accusation that it violated the country's stiff anti-LGBTQ laws, also included pundits who contrasted the event's opulence with the fate of frontline Russian soldiers.
The response was swift and heavy-handed, including the jailing of one attendee, the canceling of promotional deals, and a class-action lawsuit.
The CIA has argued that such tensions stemming from the war in Ukraine bring opportunity to encourage recruits.
Western sanctions and accelerated military production have paralyzed the Russian economy, analysts say.
Meanwhile, an anti-war presidential candidate — a lawmaker and vocal state TV pundit named Boris Nadezhdin — looks set to quickly gather the 100,000 signatures needed to be put on the ballot, as The Moscow Times reported.