The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is offering a way for Russians disaffected by the invasion of Ukraine to contact them: the darknet.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is offering a way for Russians disaffected by the invasion of Ukraine to contact them: the darknet.
On Instagram this week, the agency shared what it called “Russian-language instructions on how those who feel compelled by the Russian Government’s unjust war can securely contact us.”
The instructions detail how to access CIA’s darknet site, which is accessible via the Tor browser and routes internet traffic through multiple third parties so that a user’s identity is masked.
In the post, the CIA added, “We urge you to take all appropriate measures to protect yourself. Your safety is above all.”
Some Russians have indeed turned against President Vladimir Putin in the midst of their country’s invasion, fleeing to neighboring countries or protesting in the streets.
But questions abound about high-ranking military officials or members of Russian elite that might turn on Putin and assist the U.S.
Putin himself has reportedly noted that the wave of economic sanctions by Western countries could sow internal divisions.
“The West will try to bet on the so-called fifth column, on traitors … to divide our society,” Putin said in a March speech.
Recently declassified intelligence shows that the U.S. has determined Putin feels he was misled by some of his own advisers amid the invasion, which has led to many Russian casualties as their troops have been met with fierce resistance by the Ukrainians.
The message from the spy agency comes more than two months after Russian forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.
Details of the fighting change by the day, but thousands of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children, though the actual number of deaths is difficult to determine.
More than 5.5 million have fled the country as refugees — and half are children, according to the United Nations. Millions more have been displaced inside Ukraine.
The invasion, ordered by Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe financial punishments against Russia.
With NATO forces amassed in the region, various countries are offering aid or military support to the resistance. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.
Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.
“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,” he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”
This news was originally published by People.