'Somebody tell CIA...': Kremlin mocks US for using social media to recruit Russian spies

Russia has mocked the USA and its Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for attempting to recruit spies via social media platforms. According to the state-run agency TASS, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov took a jibe at Washington for its rather juvenile recruitment process.

The CIA on Monday (Jan 22) released a video in Russian on X (formerly known as Twitter) which attempted to persuade Russian intelligence employees to switch allegiances and work as double agents for Washington.

“Somebody should tell the CIA that VKontakte is much more popular here than the banned X and that VKontakte has a much larger audience,” said Peskov.

Notably, Moscow blocked complete access to X shortly after its Ukraine invasion as part of a broader effort to control the narrativewhich was against Russia on the US-based social media platform.

CIA's recruitment video

The said recruitment video tries to appeal to what it suggests are patriotic Russians working in intelligence agencies who may feel betrayed by what it called corruption in elite circles.

"Those around you may not want to hear the truth. But we do. You are not powerless," says the recruitment propaganda video.

“At CIA, we have a solemn duty to protect those who work with us around the world. If you’re reaching out to CIA to share information about Russia, please do so securely via our portal on the dark web. When possible, CIA has verified its social media accounts through each platform’s official process,” it adds.

The video features a dark, melancholic theme and has a fictional 35-year-old male employee working in Russia's military intelligence agency who is on the fence about the war.

"Do I have enough courage to confront this betrayal? The top leadership has sold the country out for palaces and yachts at a time when our soldiers are chewing rotten potatoes and firing from prehistoric weapons," he can be heard saying in the video.

The video suggests that patriotism for the country spurred the intelligence agent to contact the CIA and give the US agency clandestine details about Russia's plans concerning Ukraine.

Notably, CIA Director William Burns last year in July claimed that the lengthy war with Ukraine had created friction among some Russians which created a rare opportunity for the intelligence agency to recruit spies and attack Kremlin from inside.

A CIA official told news agency Reuters on the condition of anonymity that there was an increase in outreach from Russians due to these propaganda videos.

(With inputs from agencies)