The CIA is offering Russians who oppose the war in Ukraine a sure way to contact the agency amid fears for their safety as the Russian government continues to crack down on foreign information and oppose the months-long Kremlin invasion.
“We provide instructions in Russian on how to safely contact the CIA – through our Dark Web site or a reputable VPN – for those who feel compelled to contact us because of the unjust war of the Russian government,” said a CIA official. in front of CBS News. “Our global mission requires that people be able to connect with us securely from anywhere.”
On Monday, the agency released only text instructions in Russian on several of its social media channels, including YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, to access its dark website – which has shown value in securely retrieving information from people around the world since it was launched. for the first time in 2019
Access to the site requires a browser called Tor, or the “onion router”, which protects the user’s identity by encrypting their web traffic. The CIA hopes to help concerned citizens in Russia – as well as Russian troops in Ukraine – to safely contact the agency with information.
Western estimates routinely show that Russia’s military forces in Ukraine suffer from low morale, with occasional reports of soldiers refusing to carry out orders or sabotaging their own equipment.
And while opinion polls in Russia show that there is widespread public support for the Kremlin invasion, US officials are also closely monitoring potential cracks in Russia’s elite, some of whom have seen their condition deleted by punishing sanctions and publicly expressed opposition to the war.
Both Facebook and Instagram have been banned in Russia since the invasion, although people have found workarounds to access censored sites using premium premium VPNs. Recent reports suggest that demand for VPNs in Russia has risen sharply since the Kremlin imposed the ban.
A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the extent of the engagement he saw from Russia through his dark website, or how analysts were verifying his identity or information after contact.
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