In recent years, the number of employees at the Russian embassy in Mexico City has increased significantly, despite the fact that the Russian Federation has limited trade ties with Mexico. According to US officials, this increase is due to the Kremlin’s desire to increase espionage activity against the United States and intensify its propaganda efforts aimed at weakening support for kyiv and undermining bilateral relations between Washington and its allies.
NBC News reports this, citing data from US officials and former intelligence officers.
The publication’s sources also reported that President Biden’s administration has already discussed this issue with Mexican authorities, expressing its concerns. Earlier this month, CIA Director William Burns stressed that his agency and the US government are actively focusing on the issue of Russian reinforcements in Mexico. According to him, one of the reasons for this movement of Russian agents was their mass expulsion from European countries following the start of a large-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Burns noted that Russian spies are now looking for new bases for their activities and Mexico turned out to be one of those territories. This is because Russian intelligence faces less risk in Mexico than in the United States, where its activities are closely monitored by the FBI and consulates are closed.
Douglas London, a former senior CIA official, says Mexico provides Russian spies with a convenient platform for recruitment and covert operations. Across the U.S.-Mexico border, these agents can easily cross paths with Russian agents, passing them information or receiving money.
In addition, according to veterans of US intelligence, the Kremlin may use Mexican criminal groups to organize sabotage actions in the United States. In addition to espionage activities, Russia is also strengthening its information influence in Mexico by expanding the presence of its propaganda outlets such as RT.
Earlier, Kursor reported that a Sarmat nuclear missile in the Russian Federation exploded during a test.
