US accuses Russia of recruiting current & ex-Ukrainian govt officials to take over Kyiv

United States on Thursday sanctioned at least four Ukrainian government officials as it accused them of engaging in Russian government-directed influence activities to “destabilize” Ukraine. The US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in a report on Jan. 20 revealed that Russia was actively recruiting current and former Ukrainian government officials in an “attempt to take control of Ukraine's government” as it sanctioned the members in order to “target purveyors of Russian disinformation.” 

"Russia has directed its intelligence services to recruit current and former Ukrainian government officials to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine and to control Ukraine's critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force," the Treasury Department said in a statement. 

The four sanctioned Ukrainian officials-- two of whom are the current members of Ukraine's Parliament --- have been acting under the direction of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), an intelligence service sanctioned by the United States, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) informed. Washington took action to target, undermine, and expose Russia’s ongoing destabilization effort against Kyiv.

“This action is separate and distinct from the broad range of high impact measures the United States and its Allies and partners are prepared to impose in order to inflict significant costs on the Russian economy and financial system if it were to further invade Ukraine,” the US treasury warned Russia. Moscow recruited the high level former Ukrainian government officials to bolster global influence campaign to destabilize sovereign countries in support of the Kremlin’s political objectives. 

“The United States is taking action to expose and counter Russia’s dangerous and threatening campaign of influence and disinformation in Ukraine,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo in a statement. “We are committed to taking steps to hold Russia accountable for their destabilizing actions.”

According to Washington’s own intelligence, Russian intelligence services, such as the FSB, have been involved in recruiting Ukrainian citizens in key positions to gain access to sensitive information, and threaten the sovereignty of Ukraine. They then leverage these Ukrainian officials “to create instability in advance of a potential Russian invasion,” said the US treasury.

Last year, the Kremlin launched a comprehensive information operation plan that aimed to identify and co-opting pro-Russian Ukrainians that would lay the groundwork for creating a new, Russian-controlled government in Ukraine, said the United States. Russia also launched disinformation campaigns and intelligence service affiliates to spread false narratives in support of its strategic goals, it added. 

US approves weaponry export licenses for Baltic nations to deliver to Kyiv

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the sanctions against Ukrainian officials are "in line with other actions that we have taken to target Russian disinformation campaigns.” This comes at a point of high tensions between Ukraine and Russia, militarily, as US intel found that Russia, which has been mobilizing troops from the Belarusian front might attack Kyiv “at any given moment.” 

The US State Department earlier yesterday also approved weaponry export licenses for Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in order to export arms to Kyiv via the Baltic nations. American anti-aircraft weapons systems and five Russian-made Mi-17 helicopters will be delivered from the route in Latvia and Lithuania to assist Ukraine troops to fend off Russian aircraft in the early stages of invasion. The helicopters were pulled out of Afghanistan during the Kabul withdrawal.