JRL NEWSWATCH: “Extortion, threats, fear, traitors: How Russia recruits Ukrainian spies” – Washington Post
“… Moscow’s initial plan was to have … agents infiltrate the highest levels of Ukrainian society ahead of its invasion and … seize power from within. … [M]ost … were … weeded out by Ukrainian law enforcement or fled … after Russia’s invasion. … [Today] there are fewer Ukrainians with pro-Russian sympathies, especially in positions of influence, willing to help Moscow. Videos, documents and text message exchanges … and Ukrainians contacted by individuals claiming to represent Russia’s special services revealed that in many cases the Russians used extortion to force Ukrainians to work for them — by threatening family members who still live under Russian occupation or who have been taken prisoner. … [M]any are just everyday people with no [espionage] training or experience …. Instructions from … Russian handlers have included reporting on the movement of military equipment or confirming that a missile struck its target. … [A]ny kernel of information can provide an edge …”