Support The Moscow Times!

FBI Recruits D.C.-Area Russians With Russian-Language Facebook Ads

FBI / MT

The FBI appears to be recruiting Russians living in and around the U.S. capital with awkwardly worded and grammatically incorrect Russian-language Facebook ads, CNN has reported.

Washington and Moscow have traded accusations of espionage, disinformation and other influence campaigns as relations between the powers have deteriorated to Cold War levels. An investigation into the 2016 U.S. presidential race found that the Russian state ran a hacking and propaganda operation to disrupt the election.


										 					Screenshot FBI / CNN
Screenshot FBI / CNN

Three targeted ads on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s verified Facebook page solicit intelligence from Russian speakers in the Washington, D.C. area, CNN reported Wednesday. 

The still-active ads link to the website of the counterintelligence program at the FBI’s Washington field office, where a message in both English and Russian calls on potential recruits to “visit us in person.”

The field office website says its mission “is to protect the American people... through the detection, identification and neutralization of hostile foreign intelligence activities.”


										 					Screenshot FBI / CNN
Screenshot FBI / CNN

“Russia has long been a counterintelligence threat to the U.S.," Alan E. Kohler Jr., a special agent in charge of the Washington field office's counterintelligence division, told CNN. Kohler Jr. added that the FBI will “continue to adapt our investigative and outreach techniques to counter the [Russian] threat.”

One of the stock-photo ads urges Russian speakers to come forward “for your future [and] for your family’s future,” but misspells three Russian words and misplaces a comma.

The other two ads call on potential recruits to “draw bridges” and “make your move.”

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more