CIA's Online Recruitment Efforts for Russian Spies Ridiculed by Moscow

The CIA has released a third video aimed at recruiting disaffected Russian officials and elites, with Deputy Director David Cohen stating that the campaign has been successful in making contact with potential sources inside Russia. The videos, viewed over 2.1 million times, are part of an online effort to connect with sources, but the CIA declined to provide details on the response. The latest video features a fictional Russian official and has drawn criticism from the Kremlin, with spokesperson Dmitry Peskov dismissing the effort and downplaying its impact. This recruitment campaign comes amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and a stalled U.S. military aid to Kyiv, with CIA Director William Burns emphasizing the agency's openness for recruitment in Russia.