Ukraine has spies in Putin’s inner circle, defense official reveals

Ukrainian intelligence has spies lurking within Vladimir Putin’s inner circle in Russia according to a spokesperson from the country’s Ministry of Defense. 

During an interview with the Greek media outlet Iefimerida, Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesperson Andrii Chernyak said that his country’s intelligence services had received information from people very close to Russia’s dictator. 

“In war, we use all the means that the law allows us,” Chernyak told Iefimerida’s Kostas Onisenko. “We found mechanisms of cooperation even with people very close to Putin.” 

“These are people beyond all suspicion, known as supporters of great Russia,” Chernyak added, before moving on to explain why those closest to Putin were providing information to Ukraine. 

Chernyak pointed out that his country’s secret assets in Russia weren’t assisting Ukranian intelligence out of any sense of duty or morality, but rather in order to help themselves. 

“Look, there are quite a few people in Putin's circle who do not support his policy regarding Ukraine,” the Ukranian Defense Ministry official explained. 

“There are hardly any who do so because they have friendly feelings for Ukraine or because they abhor war,” Chernyak continued. “They all do it for their own benefit because it's in their best interest.”

Chernyak said that some Russians close to Putin are helping Ukraine to save lives while others do it because they are losing money and need help. 

“After the invasion of Ukraine, several people began to lose money and influence very quickly. That's not something they like," Chernyak told Onisenko.

Onisenko asked Chernyak if the Russians helping Ukrainian intelligence would be able to overthrow their dictator, but Chernyak said, “Only if Putin is weakened enough to do so.”

“At this time they are not ready to take any revolutionary action,” Chernyak added. “If he loses power, they will exterminate him.”

While the possibility of those around Putin feeding information to Ukraine may seem too good to be true, there have been indications that some members of Putin’s entourage have gotten frustrated with the way the dictator is running the war. 

In October 2022, The Washington Post ran a story by Greg Miller highlighting an American intelligence report that showed some of Putin’s closest allies in Moscow were upset over Russian losses and the September mobilization order. 

“Since the start of the occupation we have witnessed growing alarm from a number of Putin’s inner circle,” a Western intelligence official said according to Miller’s reporting. 

“Our assessments suggest they are particularly exercised by recent Russian losses, misguided direction, and extensive military shortcomings,” the unnamed intelligence officer added. 

In a different story published by The Washington Post in December 2022, Catherine Belton wrote about Putin’s increasing isolation as Russian forces continued to be defeated in Ukraine. 

“There is huge frustration among the people around him,” an anonymous Russian billionaire who claimed to still be in contact with top officials in Moscow told Belton. “He clearly doesn’t know what to do.” Whether or not that frustration has led to Putin’s inner circle passing on information to Ukraine has yet to be seen, but it’s certainly possible.