As of: February 29, 2024, 4:02 a.m
By: Nadja Zinsmeister
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Press
Split
Deeply hidden in the forests of Ukraine there is said to be a secret base near the Russian border.
The Kyiv base is used for espionage.
Kiev - The US foreign secret service CIA has apparently set up several secret bases in Ukraine to train and support Ukrainian spies in the fight against Russia.
In a
New York Times
article published on Wednesday , two journalists reported on the underground military bases near the Russian border that they said they had personally visited.
They are hidden in dense forests, in old bunkers underground.
Espionage against Russia is of central importance for Ukraine.
“The underground bunker, built in the months after the Russian invasion to replace the destroyed command center, is the secret nerve center of the Ukrainian military,” write reporters Adam Entous and Michael Schwirtz.
What's special is that the base is almost entirely financed and partly equipped by the CIA.
The information was confirmed by a high-ranking commander in the secret service.
“One hundred and ten percent,” said the general named Serhii Dvoretskiy at the scene.
“The secret nerve center of the Ukrainian military”: Underground bunkers are used for espionage
According to the report, the partnership between Ukrainian and US intelligence is an important factor for Kiev to defend itself against Russian attacks.
Espionage could be used to identify targeted missile attacks and enemy troop movements.
The base that the journalists visited is said to be just one of many listening posts on the Russian border.
The CIA has therefore set up a spy network consisting of a total of 12 secret locations.
There are military bases in the Ukrainian forests not only above ground, but also below.
(Archive photo) © Amadeusz Swierk/IMAGO / SOPA Images
The espionage bases in Ukraine are of immense importance in the fight against Russia, but they were built long before the Russian invasion of the country.
The CIA began work in 2016.
Gradually, under the administrations of various US presidents, Ukrainian elite units were trained and espionage systems were set up in Ukraine, so that Kiev is now an important intelligence partner against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Secret bases in Ukraine - CIA set up spy network years ago
The close cooperation between the two countries came about because the Ukrainian military had repeatedly helped the USA in matters against Russia.
The secret service helped to prove Russian involvement in the crash of a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane in 2014.
Specifically, Ukraine is said to have collected various records for this purpose.
Meanwhile, above ground, the close partnership appears to be crumbling.
After two years of being the largest foreign supporter of Ukrainian defense, the United States is currently stalling on new deliveries - even though Kiev is requesting urgent help for the Ukrainian war.
The reason is a blockade by the House of Representatives in Washington DC, which is resisting sending an aid package worth $60 billion.
Republicans argue that “the first priority in this country” is the border with Mexico.
US President Joe Biden warned on Tuesday of the devastating consequences of the lack of support for Kiev.
“As far as Ukraine is concerned, I think help is urgently needed,” he emphasized.
The inaction is “terrible”.
(nz)