Washington (AP) — CIA says Russians are dissatisfied with Vladimir Putin Ukrainian invasion You may be trying to get in touch with US intelligence — and it wants them to go to the darknet.
On Monday, the agency launched a new push to promote its presence in parts of the Internet that are only accessible through specialized tools that provide more anonymity. The CIA has a darknet site that has the same functionality as a regular home page, but can only be accessed from a Tor internet browser with encryption that is not available in most regular browsers.
Description English and Russian Information on how to access the darknet site was posted on the CIA’s social media channel on Monday. The agency wants Russians living abroad to be able to share instructions with domestic contacts.
What many Russians seem to support Kremlin officially calls Russia’s long-time observers, a “special military operation,” believe Putin’s war management may drive away powerful people who oppose him. Despite the vast capabilities for communications and satellite image capture, it is still important for Western intelligence agencies to employ human sources that can provide insights into the Kremlin and the situation within Russia.
“Our global mission requires individuals to be able to contact us safely from anywhere,” the agency said in a statement.
CIA officials, who speak on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue of sensitive information, say they know that “Russians desperately trying to reach the CIA are concerned.” Officials did not reveal how many people tried to reach out after the war began.
“It is not safe to involve Americans directly physically or virtually,” officials said in Russia. “For those who want to be safe with us, this is the way to do it.”
The CIA darknet site launched in 2019 can be accessed from the Tor browser. Tor, short for “The Onion Router,” routes Internet traffic to multiple third parties to mask a user’s identity and destination. After downloading Tor Browser, users usually enter “.onion” after a long string.
Tor removes cookies and many other means of tracking common Internet users. Also, although there isn’t always a completely secure form of communication, intelligence officials say potential tipsters are better protected on the darknet from Russian snooping.
Originally created with the support of the US Navy Research Institute, Tor has been run by a non-profit organization since 2006. It has long been used by opposition to authoritarian nations, people seeking to avoid firewalls and censorship, law enforcement agencies, intelligence personnel, and others seeking privacy.And journalists including the Associated Press Unique hint drop box To Tor.Anyone can use it Ask for additional privacy..It has also been Abused by criminals..
Russians I had to find a way for a long time To avoid government blocks on the internet. In response to the Kremlin crackdown since the beginning of the war, some media and Twitter have encouraged the use of their own “.onion” sites or the use of virtual private network software.
Authorities do not provide details, but it can be safely assumed that US intelligence is functioning within Russia. Calling attention to darknet sites encourages future contacts that the CIA is paying attention to their safety, Mark Kelton said.
“When people decide to reach out, they know very well what they are doing and what the risks are,” Kelton said. “The problem here is to reassure them that there are people on the other side who are interested in protecting them.”
Basin events like Berlin wall collapse He has frequently offered intelligence recruitment opportunities in both Washington and Moscow.Putin’s war in Ukraine and spiral consequences for Russia — thousands of soldiers killedHave sanctions Inconvenient Russian economy, and Failure While the obvious image of war crimes spreads around the world, achieving basic military goals can be one of those turning points, some observers believe.
Two respected Russian journalists, Andrey Soldatov and Irina Bologan, I have written In a recent article, the failure of the war caused a “malicious blame game” within a Russian security agency commonly known as “Silovik.” Russian troops have accused Putin of demanding a “newly reduced strategy” that he believed had tied up with Western-backed Ukrainian troops, Soldatov and Bologan wrote.
Some of the “Silovik” who refused to respond to journalists’ calls when the war began are now speaking out more.
“This is the first time Silovik has kept a distance from the president. This opens up all sorts of possibilities,” they write.
Personal ideologies and disappointments in the Putin administration are likely to be the driving force behind spies against Russia, rather than the monetary rewards they may receive, Kelton said.
“The crisis is always a good time for espionage,” he said. “People in dictatorial societies are often happy to go with them until they face the moral and political needs to make choices. Historically, people have been in the United States. It was a great opportunity to reach out. “