One grinder said it was nice to
be back on the court in a real
game and love from the fans was
amazing.
>> The CIA is trying to
convince Russian spies to spill
their secrets.
Launching a new social media
campaign this week aimed at
targeting Russians disaffected
by the war in Ukraine.
And basically, life in Russia.
The video which you see right
here was first posted on
telegram.
A popular unfiltered site
source --
source of news in Russia.
And it includes instructions on
how to get in touch with the
CIA anonymously and securely.
It promises to protect any
Russian spies who come forward.
Joining us now is former CIA
officer, Ronald marks, Ronald
thank you for joining us.
Look, I saw clips of this
video.
It's quite melancholic, it's
emotional, it's two minutes,
long there's no mention of
Ukraine or Putin.
And there are cultural
references.
Some lines from tolstoy and
dostoyevsky are quoted there.
Who do you think the CIA is
trying to appeal to when it
comes to recruitment and who
are they trying to motivate to
reach out to them?
>> It's a real in your face
move.
No doubt.
We've had virtual walk-ins for
years were people sent an email
saying look, I want to
volunteer. This is advertising.
And it's an indication that we
really think that they are
pretty weak.
Now there is a real problem
here.
You've got a younger population
at this point that is affected
by what is going on.
They pick that up a lot
unclear.
It's also a way that, if you're
in the spy game, it's what we
call it cold pitch.
You are getting right in there,
you're saying hey, we'd like to
have you.
And if you're the opposition of
this point you are saying well,
wait a minute, we've got
ourselves the problem here.
So it accomplishes two things
in the spy game.
Number, one potential to get
people who are disaffected in
who love their country, but are
not happy with what they see
going on right now.
The idea that you're betraying
your country.
You're trying to help your
country.
But fooling with the opposition,
letting them know well, you
guys are vulnerable and that
means that they've got to spend
some more resources keeping an
eye on things.
>> How effective do you think
this will be?
You say this isn't in your face
move.
There's a lot of disaffected
rushes with this Ukraine war.
This will take a lot of guts
for someone to actually crossed
that line.
Especially regular citizen or
someone who might be low level
in the government.
Because the consequences could
be quite severe.
>> Yes, you are dealing with an
interesting conundrum.
Nine out of ten people in
Russia are connected to the
internet.
There is a big organization
inside the Russian government
that is monitoring it.
But I can tell you my
experience, you can't monitor
everything.
The idea of appealing to
someone, it is taking a chance.
And I would only say, it only
takes one.
It only takes two or three.
You see the kind of damage that
came out of our army national
Guard guy up in cape cod.
Imagine that, now, from the
Russian standpoint, anybody who
has access to military, anybody
who has access to the political
and can get inside peoples
strategic or tactical plans.
Or can inside the head of the
leadership.
It doesn't take many.
A couple, three out of tens of
thousands, I'm sure they will
have all kinds of dangles out
there that will have effort on
the Russian Intel part to enter
into the process and enter into
the game.
They will tangle people out
there and pretend they have
information. We will have to watch, it we've
got good people doing
counter-intelligence but again,
it is broadcasting in the sense
of, you are sending an out to 1
million people.
Our one 100th of 1% angry
enough?
Maybe.
And if they're in the right
positions, they can do an
enormous amount of damage.
>> Would you say this is the
right moment for the CIA to
reach out in this very bold way?
>> I would say so.
I like the idea.
You have what is probably the
worst engagement from the
military since Afghanistan from
the Russians back in the late
80s, early 90s.
People are unhappy.
We know that.
That house gotten out loud and
clear.
You even see some conflict
internally to Russia.
What you see on television --
some of it is pretty baked.
Young people are unhappy.
They are being called up in
this.
And they are turning, slowly
but surely, and two of Putin's
--
this may be a great moment, in,
fact to get in there and take
advantage of people who have
had enough and would like to
see this thing over with.
>> Yeah, it would be
interesting to see how