from Force Factor, the #1 beets brand in America!
>> BEFORE HE WAS YOUR TYPICAL
AMERICAN CITIZEN, OUR NEXT
GUEST, JACK BARSKI WAS RUSSIAN
BORNAL LBRET DETRICK, RECRUITED
BY THE KGB.
AS UKRAINE FACES AN ASSAULT OF
PUTIN’S FORCES, RUSSIAN SPIES
ARE LURKING ABROAD AND IN OUR
COUNTRY.
HERE WITH A LOOK BACK AT HIS
DOUBLE LIFE AND WHAT HIS
UNDERCOVER JOB WOULD LOOK LIKE
IN TODAY’S WAR IS JACK BARSKI.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
HERE.
FASCINATING.
YOU WORKED AS A DOUBLE AGENT.
YOU DID ESPIONAGE ON BEHALF OF
MOSCOW.
HOW MUCH HAS IS THAT DONE TODAY,
BOTH IN EUROPE AND IN THE UNITED
STATES?
>> IT’S DONE EVERYWHERE.
BUT I’M REASONABLY SURE IT’S IN
A DIFFERENT FASHION.
THE ILLEGALS IN THE KGB ERA WERE
THE ELITE OF THE THE ELITE.
THERE WAS A MYSTIQUE ABOUT US.
WE WERE THE MOST HIGHLY TRAINED
AND THERE WERE VERY FEW OF US
BUT TO FIND US WAS NEARLY
IMPOSSIBLE.
NOWADAYS, I CAN GUARANTEE YOU
THERE ARE MORE RUSSIAN AGENTS IN
THIS COUNTRY AND IN WESTERN
EUROPE THAN THERE HAVE EVER
BEEN, SIMPLY BECAUSE IT’S
POSSIBLE.
RIGHT.
THE WORLD IS MUCH MORE OPEN AND
DURING THE COLD WAR THE SOVIET
UNION WAS CLOSED AND THERE
WASN’T A WHOLE LOT OF COMMERCIAL
INTERACTION AND SO FORTH.
NOWADAYS, WE HAVE STUDENTS IN
THIS COUNTRY, WE HAVE
BUSINESSMEN AND SO FORTH AND A
COUNTRY LIKE RUSSIA, THEY PRETTY
MUCH KNOW WHO IS GOING ABROAD
AND WHY THEY’RE GOING AND WHERE
THEY’RE GOING AND I GUARANTEE
YOU A LOT OF THEM ARE TALKED TO
BY RUSSIAN ESPIONAGE AGENCIES
AND ASKED, CAN YOU HELP US OUT.
SO WHAT YOU WIND UP IS SORT OF A
SMALL ARMY OF WOULD-BE SPIES WHO
ARE NOT WELL TRAINED BUT CAN BE
SUCCESSFUL.
LIKE FOR INSTANCE, THE
RED-HEADED LADY BUTINA WHO DID
REASONABLY WELL, SHE BEFRIENDED
FOLKS IN THE NATIONAL RIFLE
ASSOCIATION BUT SHE WAS A RANK
AMATEUR.
SHE COMMUNICATED VIA SOCIAL
MEDIA.
THERE WAS NO TRAINING.
>> INTERESTING.
JACK, AS IT PERTAINS TO BOTH
UKRAINE AND THE UNITED STATES
THEN, IF THE INTEL NETWORKS FOR
RUSSIA ARE SO ROBUST, THEN WAS
BAD INTELLIGENCE GIVEN TO PUTIN
ABOUT HOW EASY IT WOULD BE TO GO
INTO UKRAINE OR DID HE DISREGARD
IT OR DID THEY GET IT WRONG?
WHAT HAPPENED THERE?
>> OKAY.
LET ME TELL YOU.
THERE’S NO WAY THAT RUSSIAN
INTELLIGENCE DIDN’T KNOW IN
GREAT DETAIL WHAT RUSSIA WOULD
BE FACING.
NOT SO MUCH THE FSB BUT THE
MILITARY INTELLIGENCE OF RUSSIA
IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
THEY’RE NOT REALLY THAT
WELL-KNOWN BUT THEY ARE THE BEST OF THE THREE.
OF THE THREE.
THE GRU AND EVEN THE FSB AND
FCR, THE OTHER AGENCIES, I GOOD
AFTERNOONGUARANTEE THEY HAD INSI
UKRAINE, LOTS OF THEM.
THERE’S NO WAY THAT THEY DIDN’T
KNOW THAT THERE’S AN INTRINSIC
HEYINTRINEINTRINSICHEY DREAD FOR
AMONG UKRAINIANS.
THERE’S NO WAY THEY DIDN’T KNOW
IT.
THERE’S TWO CHOICES HERE.
EITHER THEY WERE AFRAID TO TELL
OR THEY DID TELL AND PUTIN
DISMISSED IT.
IT COULD BE A MIXTURE OF BOTH.
VLADIMIR PUTIN HAD A HISTORY, A
LONG HISTORY KNOWING THAT HE IS
THE SMARTEST MAN IN THE ROOM AND
JUST LIKE IGNORING THE ADVICE
FROM HIS PEOPLE.
ON THE OTHER HAND, IF YOU KNOW
THAT YOU GET PUNISHED FOR GIVING
BAD NEWS, THEN YOU JUST MAYBE
NOT TALKING ABOUT IT.
>> I HAVE TO ASK JUST A
QUESTION THAT I HAVE.
HOW DOES A FORMER KGB SPY END UP
IN THE UNITED STATES AND WHAT DO
YOU MAKE OF WHAT RUSSIA IS DOING
NOW?
>> WELL, I WOUND UP HERE LIKE
EVERYBODY ELSE.
I GOT ON A PLANE AND EVENTUALLY
I GOT OFF A PLANE.
AND THE REASON THAT I WAS SENT
TO THE U.S. WAS MY LANGUAGE
ABILITY AND OVERALL ABILITY TO
OPERATE AS A LONE WOLF IN ENEMY
TERRITORY.
NOW, WHAT WAS THE SECOND PART OF
THE QUESTION, PLEASE?
>> WELL, DOES THAT MEAN NOW
YOU’RE AN AMERICAN CITIZEN?
DID YOU GIVE UP YOUR ALLEGIANCE
TO RUSSIA AND SAY I WANT TO BE
IN THE UNITED STATES?
HOW DOES THAT WORK.
>> OF COURSE, THERE’S ONLY ONE
ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION CAN.
I AM TODAY LEGALLY,
INTELLECTUALLY AND EMOTIONALLY
AN AMERICAN.
I WAS BORN IN GERMANY.
I DON’T CONSIDER MYSELF GERMAN
ANYMOMENT IT -- ANY MORE.
IT WAS A LONG, LONG WAY TO GET
THERE.
THAT’S IT.
THAT’S ME.
>> THE SECOND PART OF MY
QUESTION IS WHAT DO YOU THEN,
FROM YOUR PERSPECTIVE, FROM WHAT
YOU KNOW, WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF
WHAT VLADIMIR PUTIN HAS DONE FOR
OVER A MONTH IN UKRAINE?
>> WELL, WE AS A COUNTRY HAVE
NOT PAID ENOUGH ATTENTION TO
WHAT PUTIN HAS BEEN PLANNING FOR
A LONG TIME.
HE WANTS TO ESTABLISH GREATER
RUSSIA THE WAY IT ONCE STARTED
AND HE HAS BEEN PRETTY OPEN
ABOUT IT.
HE HAS STATED IN PUBLIC THAT HE
DOESN’T CONSIDER UKRAINE A
SOVEREIGN NATION.
UKRAINE AND RUSSIA SHOULD BE
UNITED.
AND YOU KNOW, WE HAD A PERIOD
WHEN WE HAD AN ADMINISTRATION
THAT THOUGHT, YOU KNOW, WE COULD
PLAY VERY NICE WITH VLADIMIR
PUTIN, THAT WAS THE OBAMA
ADMINISTRATION.
RESET WITH RUSSIA.
NAIVE.
NOT PAYING ATTENTION.
AND SO THIS IS WHERE WE ARE AT
NOW.
>> FASCINATING.
JACK BARSKI, HIS PODCAST, THE
AGENT IS AVAILABLE ON ALL
STREAMING SERVICES.