Christopher Wray, who believes the influence of Russian intelligence has declined, said there are still too many Russian spies operating in the United States, despite efforts to expel them.
FBI Director Christopher Wray has warned that too many Russian spies and counterintelligence agents are still operating in the United States, despite efforts to eliminate them.
“The footprint of Russian intelligence, and by that I mean intelligence officers, is still very large in the United States. We are constantly confronting them, trying to block them, prevent them, and disrupt them in every possible way.” Tell opinion.
In 2018, America expelled 60 Russian diplomats it designated as intelligence agents and ordered the closure of the Russian consulate in Seattle in response to Russia’s alleged nerve agent poisoning of a former Russian spy living in Britain.
Russia uses not only “traditional intelligence agents” but also intermediaries, Wray said, referring to a Mexican national arrested by US authorities in 2020 on charges of aiding Russian intelligence.
Last year, Dutch intelligence identified a Russian military intelligence officer who studied in the elite diplomacy program at the prestigious Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, which is popular with American military personnel, young diplomats and potential spies.
Meanwhile, the FBI director also reported that in the past few years the United States has taken significant steps to reduce the number of Russian intelligence officers, that is, to expel them from the country.
