Tuesday, March 25, 2025
The Nordic Times

Polaris of Enlightenment

Tuesday, March 25, 2025

Polaris of Enlightenment

Breaking News
Ad:
This article was published 1 year ago

https://nordictimes.com/world/nyt-cia-built-secret-spy-bases-along-russian-border/

World

NYT: CIA built secret spy bases along Russian border

The war in Ukraine

  • Already after the 2014 coup, cooperation between the CIA, MI6 and the Ukrainian intelligence services began.
  • The Americans trained Ukrainian soldiers to intercept Russian drones, break encryption, and operate on Russian soil under false identities.
  • At least 12 spy bases were established along the Russian border.
  • "The Biden White House authorized spy agencies to provide intelligence support for lethal operations against Russian forces on Ukrainian soil"
Published 27 February 2024
– By Editorial Staff
President Joe Biden and Volodomyr Zelensky.
Share via

On Sunday, the New York Times revealed parts of the CIA’s long-running covert operations in Ukraine. Among other things, the US intelligence agency has helped build 12 spy bases along the Russian border and trained and equipped Ukrainian intelligence officers.

In addition, CIA Director William Burns recently visited Kiev, and according to his staff, all indications are that CIA activities in Ukraine will continue into the future.

“Before the war, Ukraine provided intercepts proving Russia’s role in the 2014 downing of MH17. They also helped pursue Russians who meddled in the 2016 US election”, the paper writes.

In 2016, the CIA began training what is described as an elite Ukrainian unit that captured Russian drones and equipment to crack Moscow’s encryption. A key officer was Kyrylo Budanov, now the head of Ukrainian military intelligence.

The CIA also helped train Ukrainian spies to operate in Russia, Europe, and other places with a large Russian presence.

“Now these intelligence networks are increasingly at risk: If Republicans in Congress end military funding to Kyiv, the C.I.A. may have to scale back”, the NYT warns.

But as recently as February, director of national intelligence William Burns made a secret tenth visit to Ukraine to reassure Ukrainian leaders that US support would continue.

Cooperation began in 2014

CIA-Ukraine cooperation dates back to 2014, when Ukraine’s pro-US government took power in a coup after then-president Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia. At the time, spy chief Valentyn Nalyvaichenko proposed tripartite cooperation with the CIA and Britain’s MI6.

But the Obama administration did not want to provoke Russia unnecessarily, and the result has been described as a “delicate balancing act” in which the US would strengthen Ukraine’s intelligence services without antagonizing Moscow.

In Kiev, spy chief Nalyvaichenko chose his aide, General Kondratiuk, as head of counterintelligence. Together they created a paramilitary unit to conduct operations and gather intelligence that the CIA/MI6 could not provide.

American officers in Ukraine in 2016. Photo: US Army Europe

In 2016, the CIA began sending encrypted radios and equipment to intercept communications. The CIA also oversaw Operation Goldfish – a training effort to teach Ukrainian officers to assume false identities and steal Russian state secrets.

Bases on the Russian Border

Operation Goldfish officers were soon deployed to 12 newly constructed operational bases along the Russian border. From each base, the Ukrainian officers led networks of agents gathering intelligence in Russia. The graduate officers also trained sleeper agents for future guerrilla operations should the country be occupied.

When Ukraine discovered that Russia was using attack helicopters in Crimea, general Kondratiuk sent a team led by lieutenant colonel Budanov to plant explosives without CIA approval. Dressed as Russians, they crossed the Persian Gulf but were met by Russian commandos. After casualties on both sides, the team withdrew.

Donald Trump with “war hawks” Mike Pompeo and John Bolton. Photo: US State Department

Kondratiuk was fired, but Ukraine continued similar operations. A day after Kondratiuk’s resignation, for example, a mysterious explosion in Russian-occupied Donetsk killed a senior Russian separatist commander.

Trump’s election in 2016 reportedly made Ukraine and the CIA nervous, but his neoconservative staffers soon returned to Kiev to underscore their support and expand training and basing. The partnership also soon led the CIA to want to replicate it and work similarly with other European agencies opposed to Russia.

“Lethal Operations”

In late 2022, the CIA and MI6 warned Ukraine that Russia was planning a full-scale invasion to overthrow the government and install pro-Kremlin leadership. At the behest of CIA director Burns, a small group of officers remained in the hotel in western Ukraine after the American evacuation. After the invasion, the CIA officers at the hotel were the only American presence, sending daily intelligence updates to Ukraine.

“The old handcuffs were off, and the Biden White House authorized spy agencies to provide intelligence support for lethal operations against Russian forces on Ukrainian soil”, writes the NYT.

When Russia’s assault on Kiev stalled, the CIA returned and sent more officers. In July 2022, Ukrainian spies reported that Russian convoys were crossing a key bridge. CIA/MI6 quickly verified the data via satellite, allowing Ukraine to destroy the convoys with missiles.

A CIA official confirmed to the newspaper that CIA director William Burns’ recent visit to Kiev signals that US involvement in Ukraine will continue.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

TNT is truly independent!

We don’t have a billionaire owner, and our unique reader-funded model keeps us free from political or corporate influence. This means we can fearlessly report the facts and shine a light on the misdeeds of those in power.

Consider a donation to keep our independent journalism running…

https://nordictimes.com/world/mcdonalds-cheeseburgers-used-to-recruit-soldiers-for-ukraines-army/

World

McDonald’s cheeseburgers used to recruit soldiers for Ukraine’s army

The war in Ukraine

Published yesterday 17:01
– By Editorial Staff
Using fast food to attract young people to the army has provoked many.
Share via

A Ukrainian recruitment campaign on TikTok is enticing young men to sign military contracts with the promise of buying thousands of McDonald’s cheeseburgers.

The campaign has caused controversy and faced harsh criticism, while raising questions about the authorities’ recruitment practices during the ongoing war.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has launched a recruitment video on TikTok, which appears to primarily target young men between the ages of 18 and 24. An age group that is currently excluded from the country’s mobilization.

The video emphasizes that those who sign a military contract will receive one million hryvnia (approximately €22,000) – a sum that, according to the video, is enough to buy 15,625 cheeseburgers at McDonald’s.

In the video, a man stands outside a McDonald’s restaurant and asks the question “How many cheeseburgers can be bought for 1,000,000 hryvnia?”, before presenting the figure of 15,625, based on a price of 64 hryvnia per cheeseburger.

The strategy of using McDonald’s fast food as an incentive has generated strong reactions from, among others, former Ukrainian diplomat Andrey Telizhenko.

He says the strategy shows desperation and a lack of respect for the citizens of Ukraine.

– Anyone who would fall for the promise of 15,625 cheeseburgers is not going to receive that money anyway, he says, pointing out that many soldiers do not survive long enough to use the money.

Creative desperation

The criticism is amplified by social media, where users express both surprise and anger. Many call the campaign bizarre and inappropriate, especially given the ongoing conflict with Russia.

Previous reports from the Associated Press and others in January 2025 show that the country is planning reforms to include younger age groups in recruitment, which the video in question appears to be part of.

The recruitment campaign also reflects a broader trend of Ukraine trying to reach younger generations through social media, but using cheeseburgers as bait during a war creates a contrast that many find offensive.

The debate highlights the problems Ukraine faces in balancing military needs with public trust. While some see the video as a creative way to reach young people, others see it as a sign of desperation in a time of crisis.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has not yet commented publicly on the criticism.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/the-nordics/finland/finlands-president-militarize-ukraine-to-its-teeth/

Finland

Finland’s President: “Militarize Ukraine to its teeth”

The war in Ukraine

Published 22 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Alexander Stubb and NATO chief Mark Rutte.
Share via

Finnish President Alexander Stubb has called on Ukraine’s Western backers to provide the country with even more arms and financial aid, claiming this will deter Russia.

The statement was made shortly after a meeting with Volodymyr Zelenskyj in Helsinki. Meanwhile, negotiations are underway within the EU to double its arms budget.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, had earlier presented a plan to increase EU funding for Ukraine from €20 billion in 2024 to €40 billion this year. However, in a comment to the Italian newspaper La Stampa, she admitted that she had faced opposition from Italy, France, Spain and Portugal. According to the newspaper, an upper limit of €5 billion has been set for the donations instead.

Speaking to the politically-oriented Politico newspaper on Wednesday, Stubb argued that “deterrence – which is based on militarizing Ukraine to its teeth” would be the most effective way to end the war.

The Finnish president regretted that Kallas had failed to rally support for his plan and hoped that EU leaders could save the aid package.

– It’s very important now to get a message from Europe that the military, political and economic support continues, he said. He also stressed that sanctions against Russia must be tightened and that the country’s frozen assets should be seized to increase pressure on the country.

A ceasefire is being negotiated

Stubb also stressed that he supports Ukraine’s possible membership of both the EU and the NATO military pact. However, the Trump administration has ruled out the latter.

Moscow has consistently denounced NATO’s eastward expansion and considers the alliance a threat to Russia’s national security. President Vladimir Putin and other senior officials have repeatedly claimed that the ambition to include Ukraine in NATO was one of the main drivers behind the 2022 war.

Stubb’s remarks come amid negotiations on a 30-day ceasefire, proposed by US President Donald Trump, aimed at stopping long-range attacks on energy infrastructure from both sides. A new round of talks between Russian and US delegations is scheduled for March 24 in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com

https://nordictimes.com/letters/europe-prepares-for-war/

Letters

“Europe prepares for war”

The war in Ukraine

EU leaders are deliberately choosing to burden our grandchildren with debt to continue the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Brussels and the mainstream media falsely claim that Russia is to blame for the EU’s economic problems, writes Josef Csiba.

Published 17 March 2025
Share via
This is an opinion piece. The author is responsible for the views expressed in the article.

The representatives of the twenty-seven EU countries have, at an urgently convened summit in Brussels, decided that the EU will not allow Putin and Trump to determine Ukraine’s fate without their participation. If the US no longer wants to support Ukraine, the EU countries will continue fighting against Russia together for as long as necessary – until a just and secure peace can be achieved.

The problem is that the EU does not have enough weapons, soldiers or money to carry out its insane plans, so the 27 countries have also agreed to put our children and grandchildren in debt by jointly taking out a loan of €800 billion for this purpose. According to Ursula von der Leyen, Russia and Putin are an aggressor and must be defeated at all costs. The package also includes support for Ukraine of around another €100 billion, which was vetoed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. My personal view is that Ursula von der Leyen will eventually find a way to override Orbán’s veto.

But if we look back in history, we can see that it was not Russia, but always some European country (Germany, France), that has attacked Russia and not the other way around!

Someone is bound to point out that it was Russia that started the war in Ukraine. Perhaps it can be interpreted that way, but the war is first and foremost a war between Russia and the United States in Ukraine, provoked by the United States and could have ended a long time ago if the EU had not taken over the role of the United States. A role that has financed a war that is long overdue and will only lead to continued killing and suffering of the Ukrainian people, which EU leaders refuse to acknowledge.

According to Ursula von der Leyen, Ulf Kristersson, Jimmie Åkesson and others, it is necessary to continue the war until a just peace is achieved in Ukraine. This sounds like schoolchildren who have missed their history lessons, because so far in history, no war has ended with a just peace, but always the victorious power determined the terms of peace. Ukraine is no exception, because at the moment no one believes (except perhaps Ursula and our Prime Minister) that Russia will draw the short straw?

But to return to the question of spending €800 billion on rearming Europe’s armies, or even worse – a common army for the whole of the EU, as Ursula and her comrades dream of. Have the bigwigs in Brussels considered the consequences if, as a natural response to the EU’s rearmament needs, the intended enemy will also spend the same amount of money on its defense? Will the EU then become militarily superior, or will we just become even poorer and have only contributed to a rearmament spiral that no one knows how it can end?

Germany has also been allowed to further increase its national debt (in violation of all current EU rules) by five hundred billion euros to strengthen its army and improve the country’s infrastructure.

Allowing Germany to re-arm, as part of Ursula’s plans, could be as dangerous for Europe now as it was before the Second World War, which we all know how it ended. Germany’s current leaders Scholtz, Merkel and future Chancellor of Germany Mertz, are as untrustworthy and dangerous to Europe especially if they will feel strong enough militarily as their predecessors before WWI and WWII.

The President of France, Emanuel Macron, is at least as untrustworthy as his comrades in Germany, as he openly threatens Russia with its mostly inoperable nuclear warheads, which have been unmaintained for years for lack of resources, and would prefer to evaporate at the mere mention of the word “Waterloo”.

To sum it all up, it is not Russia or Putin that is the cause of all the EU’s problems with finances, democracy, defense etc. as the propaganda machine from Brussels and SVT would have us believe, but our own politicians in Brussels and Stockholm. It is good to keep in mind for the next election, if the collapse in Brussels and Stockholm does not occur long before.

 

Josef Csiba

https://nordictimes.com/world/here-are-putins-demands-for-a-ceasefire/

World

Here are Putin’s demands for a ceasefire

The war in Ukraine

Published 17 March 2025
– By Editorial Staff
Vladimir Putin does not want to see a temporary pause used by Ukraine to mobilize more soldiers and new arms supplies.
Share via

Recently, Vladimir Putin confirmed that Moscow is ready to discuss a ceasefire – but that the terms must first be clarified and a series of questions answered

The president stresses that Moscow is not interested in any short-term pauses in the war, but seeks a lasting and long-term peace settlement.

The background is that Washington and Kiev agreed on a proposal for a 30-day temporary ceasefire after a meeting in Saudi Arabia last week. Although Putin basically states that he wants to end the war, he is clear that a number of questions need to be answered before Russia is ready to sign a ceasefire agreement.

In particular, he emphasizes that Moscow will not approve a temporary pause in the war if this is used to strengthen and supply new weapons to the currently weakened Ukrainian army.

The Nordic Times publishes the Russian President’s response in full below:

Before I assess how I view Ukraine’s readiness for a ceasefire, I would first like to begin by thanking the President of the United States, Mr. Trump, for paying so much attention to resolving the conflict in Ukraine.

We all have enough issues to deal with. But many heads of state, the president of the People’s Republic of China, the Prime Minister of India, the presidents of Brazil and South African Republic are spending a lot of time dealing with this issue. We are thankful to all of them, because this is aimed at achieving a noble mission, a mission to stop hostilities and the loss of human lives.

Secondly, we agree with the proposals to stop hostilities. But our position is that this ceasefire should lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the initial causes of this crisis.

Now, about Ukraine’s readiness to cease hostilities. On the surface it may look like a decision made by Ukraine under US pressure. In reality, I am absolutely convinced that the Ukrainian side should have insisted on this (ceasefire) from the Americans based on how the situation (on the front line) is unfolding, the realities on the ground. And how is it unfolding?

I’m sure many of you know that yesterday I was in Kursk Region and listened to the reports of the head of the General Staff, the commander of the group of forces ‘North’ and his deputy about the situation at the border, specifically in the incursion area of Kursk Region.

What is going on there? The situation there is completely under our control, and the group of forces that invaded our territory is completely isolated and under our complete fire control.

Command over Ukrainian troops in this zone is lost. And if in the first stages, literally a week or two ago, Ukrainian servicemen tried to get out of there in large groups, now it is impossible. They are trying to get out of there in very small groups, two or three people, because everything is under our full fire control. The equipment is completely abandoned. It is impossible to evacuate it. It will remain there. This is already guaranteed.

And if in the coming days there will be a physical blockade, then no one will be able to leave at all. There will be only two ways. To surrender or die.And in these conditions, I think it would be very good for the Ukrainian side to achieve a truce for at least 30 days. And we are for it. But there are nuances. What are they? First, what are we going to do with this incursion force in Kursk Region?

If we stop fighting for 30 days, what does it mean? That everyone who is there will leave without a fight? We should let them go after they committed mass crimes against civilians? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down their arms. Simply surrender. How will this work? It is not clear.

How will other issues be resolved on all the lines of contact? This is almost 2,000 kilometers. As you know, Russian troops are advancing almost along the entire front. And there are ongoing military operations to surround rather large groups of enemy forces.

These 30 days – how will they be used? To continue forced mobilization in Ukraine? To receive more arms supplies? To train newly mobilized units? Or will none of this happen?

How will the issues of control and verification be resolved? How can we be guaranteed that nothing like this will happen? How will the control be organized?

I hope that everyone understands this at the level of common sense. These are all serious issues. Who will give orders to stop hostilities? And what is the price of these orders? Can you imagine? Almost 2,000 kilometers. Who will determine where and who broke the potential ceasefire? Who will be blamed?

These are all questions that demand a thorough examination from both sides.

Therefore, the idea itself is the right one, and we certainly support it. But there are questions that we have to discuss. I think we need to work with our American partners. Maybe I will speak to President Trump. But we support the idea of ending this conflict with peaceful means.

Editorial Staff
editorial@nordictimes.com
Share via

N

Polaris of Enlightenment

News

Other

Subscribe to our newsletter!

Follow TNT socials!

X-twitter Facebook Telegram Instagram

© 2022-2025 The Nordic Times TNT.
All rights reserved.

Our independent journalism needs your support!
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Donate

Our independent journalism needs your support!
Consider a donation.

You can donate any amount of your choosing, one-time payment or even monthly.
We appreciate all of your donations to keep us alive and running.

Donate
Dont miss another article!

Sign up for our newsletter today!

Take part of uncensored news – free from industry interests and political correctness from the Polaris of Enlightenment – every week.

Send this to a friend