There has never been any doubt that Ukraine was the focus of an intelligence war as much as a physical one. But the extent of Western assistance, as well as growing concern at some Ukrainian tactics, is only now becoming clear.
On Monday, the Washington Post ran a lengthy examination of the level of CIA assistance for the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) that bore all the hallmarks of being facilitated by the US government. It acknowledged that since the annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Americans has invested ‘tens of millions’ of dollars in training and technical assistance for their Ukrainian counterparts, even building new headquarters for HUR’s special forces, for fear that the old ones were compromised.
There is often a ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ understanding at work, allowing the West to maintain a clear conscience
Kyiv is now increasingly acknowledging, however, that the SBU and HUR are behind a growing campaign of sabotage and assassinations inside Russia – something the Americans appear eager to dissociate themselves from.
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