Moscow mocks CIA for new bid to recruit Russian spies

The Kremlin has laughed off an attempt by the CIA to recruit spies from Russia via social media.

“Somebody should tell the CIA that VKontakte is much more popular here than the banned X [formerly Twitter] and that VKontakte has a much larger audience,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Tuesday, according to state-run news agency TASS, referring to the Russian social media platform.

The video which the CIA posted on various social media channels shows “a fictionalized Russian making the difficult but important decision to secretly contact CIA,” according to the American intelligence agency’s YouTube channel.

“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 added.

It is not the first time the U.S. intelligence service has launched such an appeal. In May 2023, the agency targeted people fed up with life in President Vladimir Putin’s Russia with a message: “Do you have information about the economy or the top leadership of the Russian Federation? Get in touch with us.”

Earlier this month, the head of Russia’s foreign intelligence service accused the U.S. of planning to interfere in Putin’s re-election campaign. He said Russian graduates of American education programs could be mobilized to serve as a potential “fifth column.”