Number of Russian spies in U.S. ‘way too big,’ FBI director says – National | 24CA News
While it might seem to be a relic of the previous, Russian spies are nonetheless very a lot a presence within the U.S., the FBI’s director warned Thursday.
“The Russian traditional counter-intelligence threat continues to loom large,” Christopher Wray mentioned throughout a chat at Washington’s Spy Museum.
“The Russian intelligence footprint, and by that I mean intelligence officers, is still way too big in the United States.”
Wray mentioned that the U.S. has made strides over the previous couple of years in kicking out Russian spies, however the nation nonetheless has a “disproportionately large intelligence footprint” within the U.S.
“It’s something we’re constantly bumping up against and trying to block and prevent and disrupt in every way we can,” he mentioned.
Wray mentioned that Russia additionally makes use of “cut-outs,” equivalent to a Mexican citizen who was within the U.S. and was enlisted to spy for them.
The U.S. is just not the one nation Russia could have networks inside. On Friday, Cuban authorities arrested 17 folks that they are saying comprised a community to recruit Cubans to struggle in Ukraine.
Canada has included Russia in its public international interference inquiry introduced Thursday, together with China and different international locations that will have tried to affect inner affairs.
“This is a global challenge for democracies. China is not the only country that seeks to interfere in an inappropriate way,” Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc informed reporters in Ottawa on Thursday.
“We did not want to restrict it to one country alone.”
He famous that he spoke along with his counterpart within the U.Ok. over the summer time concerning the challenges they’re seeing with international interference. The U.Ok. contended with the poisoning of a former Russian double agent, Sergei Skripal, in Salisbury in 2018.
In response to the assault that concerned a nerve agent, Canada expelled 4 members of Russia’s diplomatic workers in 2018.
“The four have been identified as intelligence officers or individuals who have used their diplomatic status to undermine Canada’s security or interfere in our democracy,” then-Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland mentioned in an announcement.
Wray referenced the poisoning in his discuss for instance of the sorts of actions Russia is concerned with, mentioning as properly its invasion of Ukraine.
“These are the same people who are involved in unconscionable activity,” he mentioned.
“We know who we’re up against.”
— with recordsdata from Global News’ Aaron D’Andrea.
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