This is a Yahoo News exclusive, which, interestingly, no one else is really picking up. Could it be due to a responsibility to not broadcast secret material, or something else?
Exclusive: Secret CIA training program in Ukraine helped Kyiv prepare for Russian invasion
Ukrainian snipers had a problem: Russian forces in eastern Ukraine were trying to blind them.
As the Ukrainians were looking through their scopes in order to find their targets, the Russians had begun pinpointing their location using the glare of the glass, and were shooting high-energy lasers into them, damaging the snipers’ eyesight.
The two sides were squaring off in close proximity. In early 2014, Russia had already invaded and annexed Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula. Shortly thereafter, pro-Russia insurgents in the eastern Donbas region began a grinding secessionist war against Kyiv.
Russian troops soon entered the fray. So, quietly, did the CIA.
As the battle lines hardened in Donbas, a small, select group of veteran CIA paramilitaries made their first secret trips to the frontlines to meet with Ukrainian counterparts there, according to former U.S. officials.
CIA paramilitaries soon concluded that, in Russia and its proxies, the agency was facing an adversary whose capabilities far outmatched the Islamist groups that CIA had been battling in the post-9/11 wars. “We learned a lot real quick,” says a former senior intelligence official — including about the Russians’ laser-blinding techniques. “That s*** wouldn’t happen with the Taliban.”
The Ukrainian military has claimed to have killed three Russian generals, including at least one reportedly eliminated by sniper fire. (Yahoo News could not independently verify whether the Russian commanders were killed by CIA-trained troops.)
The CIA was spending a lot of time in Ukraine training snipers, working to overcome the obstacles presented by well trained Russian troops with high tech capabilities, and more
As part of the Ukraine-based training program, CIA paramilitaries taught their Ukrainian counterparts sniper techniques; how to operate U.S.-supplied Javelin anti-tank missiles and other equipment; how to evade digital tracking the Russians used to pinpoint the location of Ukrainian troops, which had left them vulnerable to attacks by artillery; how to use covert communications tools; and how to remain undetected in the war zone while also drawing out Russian and insurgent forces from their positions, among other skills, according to former officials.
Sounds like a good operation. It’s certainly helped Ukraine fight back, eh? Perhaps Yahoo News should have scuttled essentially telling the Russians all about the secret program, which they say was verified by many, many unnamed sources. The piece spends many, many paragraphs describing all the training the CIA provided, well worth the read. Good of Obama to greenlight the program (if he even knew about it, since he seemed to find out most things from the media). The job was to train and advise, not engage Russians, to make the Ukrainians more effective. The Trump admin was concerned about the potential for direct confrontation, but, still kept it. But
The Ukraine-based CIA program operated for years, according to former officials. But as the threat of a large-scale Russian invasion became increasingly acute last month, the Biden administration, still feeling the sting of the Afghanistan withdrawal, pulled all CIA personnel out of the country, including war-zone-hardened agency paramilitaries, according to a former intelligence official in close touch with colleagues in U.S. government.
The administration was “terrified of even clandestine folks being on the frontline,” says the former official.
Run away, run away! I wonder of Biden even knew about it till last month?
This article seems like BS to me. It talks about the”well trained Russian military” ???? Who? The Ukes seem to be fighting poorly trained 19yo conscripts who aren’t even properly equipped with food and diesel let alone anti sniper lasers to blind eyes.
As for Trump aiding the Ukrainians? Wasn’t that what he was impeached for? When he failed to give them the Congressioally authorized military aid fo regusing/being able to give him dirt on Biden ? Wasn’t Trump always pulling around with Putin ? Telling him NATO was a paper tiger? Russian economy is crumbling under the Biden/Euro sanctions. Even the Swiss have locked down that Oligach money. I wonder if all that criminalRussian money poured in to Trumps NYC properties will also be seized. His Son once said Russisns were his best customers.
If true, thank you President Obama and then VP Biden!!
As for pulling U.S. CIA personnel from Ukraine when the CIA intelligence services revealed that Putin was going to invade (which Teach’s hero, Putin, denied) isn’t that 1)protecting American personnel and 2) avoiding direct conflict with Russian troops??
Why does Teach hate America and Americans?
Teach: Run away, run away!
Why does Teach desire WWIII?? Bored? Sick of the U.S.A.?? A Russian asset (bingo!)??
nuCons just can’t help themselves. They love them some authoritarianism.
How can you possible conflate Biden running away from confronting The russians with claiming the right is pro putin.
If Biden runs from Russia. Does that not make him pro putin. He is handing the keys to the city.
It sounds more like the OP is in favor of standing against Putin while Biden Runs away.
DOWD is the poster child of fake news and disingenious posting for the sole purpose of getting emotional responses. Nothing he says makes any sense.
Watch has he rebuts and throws shade at the NON PRESIDENT TRUMP, ranting and raving about Debunked lies as being the truth. He is fake news with every word he puts on paper.
To whom do you think these programs were secret? Do you think the Russians were unaware? Lol
They were only unknown to the US taxpayers..
Biden is the linch pin of the greatest unification of Europe. He even has the Seedes sending weapons as well as the Swiss putting a lovkdown on the wealth of the oligarchs.
The Biden lead coalition is kicking Trumps friend Putin right in the nutz.
Maybe Johnnie should direct those questions to the Yahoo author or maybe just lie back take a few more puffs of his Buddhist sensimilla.
#LetsGoBrandon
#LosingTheNarrative
Bwaha! Lolgf
Hairy actually accidently hits on a truth.
They(These secret programs) were only unknown to the US taxpayers..
Which is exactly the point I have been saying about the Ukraine since the beginning Hairy. Not all is as it is made out to be.
The Peaceful Ukrainains have been murdering and bombing the DonBass(PRO RUSSIAN)region since it Broke away in 2012. A state of war has existed and finally Putin said FF this and attacked.
I don’t condone Putin but on the other hand I don’t condone the Ukrainans either. Both have been wrong and in ways both are right.
Either way, the MSM and our government INCLUDING MANY, MANY NEOCON REPUGNANTS are trying to drum up another war. Hell Biden’s been the only one with half a brain in this whole thing and that is his nature.
IF YOU REMEMBER he was OPPOSED GO GOING AFTER BIN LADEN when they knew where he was. Biden is a Dove and even in his dimented stupor he remains a Dove.
All the while the government lies to us non stop. Spys on us and YOU and the left want them to RUN EVERYTHING.