New reports show the C.I.A. has been financing Ukraine as an intelligence hub for the U.S. for more than a decade.
Over a dozen C.I.A.- supported and financed spy bases have been constructed along the Russian border in Ukraine over the past 8 years. Is this why CIA director, William J Burns has made 10 visit to Ukraine since the start of the war?
While we know Ukraine has partnered with U.S. intelligence in the past, how close is this relationship and how much autonomy does the C.I.A. have over Ukraine?
Before Putin launched his attacks on Ukraine, he was warned by one of his intelligence agencies that the C.I.A, along side Britain M16, had been in control of Ukraine with intent to utilize the country for operations against Moscow. The C.I.A. has trained and used Ukrainian spies to operate in Russia, Cuba and Europe. In fact, in 2022, just before Russia advanced its forces into Ukraine, C.I.A. officers remained in country after the Biden administration evacuated U.S. personnel. Head of S.B.U., Ukraine's domestic intelligence agency, Ivan Bankov noted, " Without them, there would have been no way for us to resist the Russians, or to beat them."
A report by the New York Times, painted a scenario where Kyiv courted the CIA, eventually positioning themselves as an asset to U.S. intelligence. However, we know that not only has Ukraine been used to house and launch U.S. operations, but is heavily influenced, if not, completely controlled by U.S. intelligence.
In 2022, U.S. undersecretary, Victoria Nuland, testified in front of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee stating that the U.S. was working with Ukraine to prevent secret biological research facilities from falling into the hands of Russian forces.
Nuland is known for her involvement in the 2014 regime change in Ukraine. At the time, Nuland was the Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs under Barack Obama and many believe she was the mastermind behind the plot to overthrow the democratically elected government of President Viktor Yanukovych.