Russia Ukraine war, page-206081

DD Geopolitics

25 Feb, 21:49

⚔️ The United States created 12 secret bases along the Ukraine border 8 years ago for operations against Russia, prompting Putin to start a Special Military Operation - New York Times

These bases housed underground bunkers for monitoring Russian broadcasts, and now also operate kamikaze drones for strikes against Russia.

"The CIA and other US intelligence agencies provide reconnaissance data for targeted missile strikes, track the movements of Russian troops, and help maintain spy networks."

This has turned Ukraine... into one of the most important intelligence partners of the United States in the fight against Moscow.

In 2016, the CIA began training the Ukrainian "Detachment 2245," which captured Russian drones and communication devices for CIA hacking. One of the officers of this unit was Kyrylo Budanov, the current head of the GRU.

The CIA also helped train a new generation of Ukrainian spies who operated inside Russia, across Europe, in Cuba, and elsewhere where Russians have a significant presence.

Over 10 years, this cooperation "turned Ukraine into a hub for gathering intelligence, intercepting more Russian messages than the CIA station in Russia."

Such American involvement became one of the factors underlying Putin's decision to initiate the Special Military Operation.

According to a senior European official, at the end of 2021, Putin was considering whether to start the operation. He met with the head of one of Russia's main intelligence services, who told him that the CIA, along with British MI-6 intelligence, control Ukraine and turn it into a staging ground for operations against Moscow, writes NYT.