Soldier of Fortune Magazine The Journal of Professional Adventurers
COMMENTARY by Susan Katz Keating
The SVR did not respond to a request to explain what a cranberry movie is.
Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has taken a swipe at the Central Intelligence Agency’s spy recruitment videos, and has created its own counter-video, asking “true American patriots” to reach out and touch the Russian spy agency.
Russia’s SVR on Thursday mocked how the CIA recruitment efforts channeled “hackneyed Hollywood cranberry movies,” without describing what that means; and also announced its own video appeal for secret agents to join its ranks.
“Against the backdrop of the US CIA’s clumsy attempts to recruit Russian citizens with the help of primitive video clips distributed on the Internet,” Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service has created “an appeal to Americans for whom love for their homeland and the ideals of freedom are not an empty phrase,” the SVR revealed last week.
READ MORE: Kremlin ‘Mad as Hell’ About CIA Recruitment Videos, Mocks US Spy Agency
The CIA last year released recruitment videos featuring deeply moral, sympathetic Russian main characters who decide to contact the CIA. The videos brought the desired results, according to the agency. “We are seeing more outreach from Russians as a result of these videos,” a CIA spokesperson said. “If it weren’t working, we wouldn’t be on video number three.”
The Kremlin responded with derision at the time. Now, Moscow strikes back.
The Russian recruitment video depicts a man recalling his idyllic childhood on horseback in the company of his revered grandfather.
In a flat Western accent that doesn’t entirely ring true, the narrator says: “What could be more precious than our freedom?” The video shows old film clips from U.S.-Russian joint efforts during World War II, depicting friendship between the two nations’ soldiers. The video then switches to modern images of the war in Ukraine.
The Ukraine portions show images from the Biden administration, with clips of then-President Joe Biden and his Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. The video does not explain why Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, nor does it reference any current efforts that are directed toward resolving the conflict.
“Honor does matter. Be worthy of our grandfathers,” the narrator says. “Your option is a better future for the nation.”
The narrator does not specify which nation he is referencing, nor how American spies can maintain freedom for Americans by working with Russia.
As the video closes, a window flashes up on the screen: “We are the option.”
Composite image
Kyiv, meanwhile, released a video of its own, warning Ukrainians they will be arrested if they secretly work for Moscow.
President Donald Trump over the weekend told The New York Post that he had spoken with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Feb. 7., discussing ways to resolve the conflict.
The SVR did not respond to a request to explain what a cranberry movie is.
Susan Katz Keating is the publisher and editor in chief at Soldier of Fortune.
