Day: June 3, 2024
Number of Russian spies in US remains ‘way too big,’ says FBI director https://t.co/UR2w808djj
— Michael Novakhov (@mikenov) June 4, 2024
FBI Director Christopher Wray said Thursday the number of Russian spies in the U.S. remains “way too big” despite recent efforts to root them out.
“The Russian traditional counterintelligence threat continues to loom large,” Wray said at an event at the International Spy Museum.
“The Russian intelligence footprint — and by that, I mean Russian intelligence officers — is still way too big in the United States,” he added. “And it’s something that we’re constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we can.”
While Wray emphasized the U.S. has made “very positive, significant strides” on the issue in recent years, he also said they remain mindful of Moscow’s “disproportionately large” footprint in the U.S., and the interests those individuals are advancing.
“If anybody needs a reminder of what Russia’s interests are, you can just look at what’s going on in Ukraine,” he said. “And so, we never lose sight of the fact that these are the same people that are involved in unconscionable activity and aggression in Ukraine.”
He noted Russia is also now using cut-outs, or individuals who act as intermediaries between agents, as part of its intelligence operations. Wray pointed to the case of Hector Alejandro Cabrera Fuentes, a Mexican national who was arrested by U.S. authorities in 2020 for spying on behalf of Moscow.
Tags Christopher Wray FBI russia Russian spies
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Undercover in suburbia- the double lives CIA operatives live, especially when they’re your next door neighbor! https://t.co/dp3lq293Ci#cia #undercover #intelligence #doublelife #spylife #usa pic.twitter.com/ypRMG5tbSI
— Robert Morton (@Robert4787) June 4, 2024
In 1959, the CIA had a top-secret report on France’s nuclear weapons program detailing its plutonium production, isotope separation, and nuclear bomb development- it even forecasted the first nuclear test in the Sahara Desert. #ColdWar #NuclearSecurityhttps://t.co/umfxjkUzof pic.twitter.com/mxVKCcAyQC
— Robert Morton (@Robert4787) June 4, 2024