The attempt to portray the war in Ukraine as a disaster for Russia is coming at a moment when Western officials are discounting Moscow’s claims that it is deescalating the conflict in Kyiv and elsewhere. But of course, that’s the point, and it’s keeping the Russians guessing too. So we don’t know where it’s all coming from or from whom.
#SOCIAL SPY AGENT FULL#
Outsiders have no way of independently assessing the full accuracy of the information being pushed into the public view by their leaders. Part of the intrigue about the US showdown with Putin and the intelligence angle is being fed by the nature of the covert community itself. “It makes intelligence professionals, even former ones like me, nervous, because, of course, it’s so ingrained in us to protect sources and methods,” Steve Hall, former chief of Russia operations for the CIA, told CNN’s Ana Cabrera Thursday. The willingness of Western governments to be so open about what they are seeing inside Ukraine and Moscow has surprised even some veteran spies. And they leave open the possibility that Western intelligence agencies have the capacity to see deep into the Kremlin’s war effort and internal politics, which is likely to infuriate the Russian leader and could open further cracks in his regime. The remarkable detail of the declassified intelligence assessments must also be especially galling to Putin, a former KGB officer and intelligence chief. It is a tough position for a Russian leader who has often deployed information warfare himself, notably while meddling in US and European elections. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Imagesīiden says US still looking for clear answers on Putin's next moves President Joe Biden addresses and event to celebrate Equal Pay Day in the East Room of the White House on March 15, in Washington, DC.