A study conducted by a team at Cambridge University has found that the happiness of the Russian public fell sharply last year, primarily because of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
The research also found that internet searches linked to anti-war sentiment and opposition to President Putin increased in Russia during the early months of the war, and increased further when the President introduced military conscription.
The analysis suggests that by April of this year, the public mood in Russia was at its lowest since the invasion began last year.
The Times is reporting this morning that the CIA has seen a recruitment opportunity:
The CIA has sought to capitalise on the disillusionment by launching a new campaign to recruit Russian spies.
In a video released across social media on Monday, the agency makes an emotive appeal to Russian patriotism and dignity, offering potential new spies an opportunity to fight back against the “doubt, lack of purpose and oppression” created by the war and Putin’s clampdown on dissent.
The video uses lines from revered Russian authors, including Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky.
Putin is not mentioned by name and there is no direct reference to Ukraine.
The video closes with instructions on how to contact the agency through a portal on the dark web called Tor, and shows a woman reaching out to the CIA through her phone before the agency’s logo appears.
CIA officials have said the video is not intended to foment civil unrest in Russia but to encourage resistance to Putin among Russians who wish to see the country take a different course.
