WASHINGTON: The United States Central Intelligence Agency stepped up its efforts to convince Russians to come out with their country’s secrets on Monday, posting a moving video on Telegram aimed at people frustrated with the situation under President Vladimir Putin.
The short video shows a Russian bureaucrat and a woman at home with a child, both seemingly troubled in their lives, asking if this is what they dreamed of.
This suggests that people can take steps to make things better – provide information to the US intelligence agency – and remain patriotic Russians.
The video and an accompanying text provide instructions on how to do this, using a Tor browser to access the dark web and encryption tools that the CIA says will ensure their protection.
“The CIA wants to know the truth about Russia, and we are looking for reliable people who can tell us that truth,” the agency writes.
“Your information may be more valuable than you think.”
The CIA said it hoped to contact people in intelligence, diplomacy, science and technology, and other fields, and was interested in all kinds of information, including political and economic.
An agency official told AFP that while they had previously pitched on other social networks, they were now focusing on encrypted Telegram as it is the main way for Russians to share and communicate. get information and news, on everything from politics to the war in Ukraine. .
The CIA hopes that providing a simple but clear way to leak information via the dark web will convince cautious Russians to take the next step.
“Our goal is to provide them with as secure a means as possible to contact us,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official stressed that the United States was not looking to provoke a revolt or regime change, but simply hoped that some Russians might see it as a way to help their country move forward.
The official said similar outreach on other social media, much of which is now blocked in Russia, had results.
“Contact us,” urged the CIA.
“Maybe the people around you don’t want the truth. We do.”
The short video shows a Russian bureaucrat and a woman at home with a child, both seemingly troubled in their lives, asking if this is what they dreamed of.
This suggests that people can take steps to make things better – provide information to the US intelligence agency – and remain patriotic Russians.
The video and an accompanying text provide instructions on how to do this, using a Tor browser to access the dark web and encryption tools that the CIA says will ensure their protection.
“The CIA wants to know the truth about Russia, and we are looking for reliable people who can tell us that truth,” the agency writes.
“Your information may be more valuable than you think.”
The CIA said it hoped to contact people in intelligence, diplomacy, science and technology, and other fields, and was interested in all kinds of information, including political and economic.
An agency official told AFP that while they had previously pitched on other social networks, they were now focusing on encrypted Telegram as it is the main way for Russians to share and communicate. get information and news, on everything from politics to the war in Ukraine. .
The CIA hopes that providing a simple but clear way to leak information via the dark web will convince cautious Russians to take the next step.
“Our goal is to provide them with as secure a means as possible to contact us,” the official said on condition of anonymity.
The official stressed that the United States was not looking to provoke a revolt or regime change, but simply hoped that some Russians might see it as a way to help their country move forward.
The official said similar outreach on other social media, much of which is now blocked in Russia, had results.
“Contact us,” urged the CIA.
“Maybe the people around you don’t want the truth. We do.”
