MOSCOW, 8 Apr. U.S. intelligence is using social media to recruit Russians to gather intelligence, Fox News reported.
According to media reports, the FBI has been doing this since February.
«A video posted on Facebook* (banned in Russia as an extremist social network) and Twitter shows scenes from the US capital and the Russian embassy, with a voice in Russian telling listeners that the FBI can change their future if they can provide intelligence to the US. Narrator says the FBI is looking for spies, émigrés, and anyone with information about opposing the Kremlin,» the journalists explained.
Experts interviewed by the TV channel were ambiguous about such a statement. Rebecca Koffler, a former Defense Intelligence Agency officer for Russian Doctrine and Strategy, said the quality of the video leaves much to be desired and undermines the credibility of the FBI.
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» The FBI is using this new method for several reasons. First, it is extremely difficult to recruit Russian agents. Russia is a super-heavy environment because its counterintelligence services are among the most efficient and toughest in the world. The FBI is responding to a modern age where young people are constantly on social media. It is trying to cast a wide net and get more returns by attracting more potential candidates to spy for the United States,» the expert said.
Koffler also wished good luck to US intelligence officials, but added that she almost did not believe in success their ideas.
* Meta activity (social networks Facebook and Instagram) is banned in Russia as extremist.