US CIA maintains secret bases of surveillance over Russia in Ukraine
CIA Director William Burns (Getty Images)
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) of the United States is reported to maintain 12 secret bases in Ukraine, aiding in tracking the movements of Russian armed forces and gathering crucial intelligence, according to The New York Times.
"The listening post in the Ukrainian forest is part of a C.I.A.-supported network of spy bases constructed in the past eight years that includes 12 secret locations along the Russian border," the NYT states.
It is noted that around 2016, the American intelligence service began training an elite Ukrainian unit that captured Russian drones and communication equipment, enabling CIA technicians to break Russian encryption systems with their assistance.
Reportedly, one of the officers in the unit was the current head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov.
Additionally, the CIA aided in training a new generation of Ukrainian spies operating in Russia, throughout Europe, Cuba, and other areas where Russians have significant presence.
It is also reported that CIA Director William Burns made a secret visit to Ukraine last Thursday, marking his 10th visit since the invasion.
Furthermore, during the invasion, the CIA provided critically important intelligence, including details on where and with what weaponry Russia planned to strike.
CIA on the war in Ukraine
The CIA chief said at the end of January that Ukraine faces a difficult year in its war with Russia. Ceasing American aid to Kyiv would be a mistake of "historic proportions."
The CIA also reported that since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, the Russian army has suffered around 315,000 casualties, killed and wounded, and Moscow's tank reserves have been reduced by two-thirds.
