The American Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) began financing a network of military bases in Ukraine ten years ago, after Russia seized Crimea, the American newspaper The New York Times (NYT) found in a journalistic investigation, News .ro reports. Those bases are under “increasing danger” if Republicans continue to block $61 billion in aid to Kyiv, it also said. Independent Kyivciting the same source.

According to the newspaper, there are 12 bases established along the Russian border that continue to function despite Russian bombings.

The bases allow the Ukrainian military to “track Russian intelligence satellites and eavesdrop on conversations between Russian commanders,” the NYT reports.

“These intelligence networks are more important than ever,” now that Russia is ramping up its offensive and Ukraine is “more reliant on sabotage and long-range missile strikes that require spies behind enemy lines.”

How the CIA began to secretly help Ukraine

On February 24, 2014, four days after the invasion of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, appointed head of the Ukrainian intelligence service SBU, contacted the heads of the CIA and British intelligence MI6.

“That’s how it all started,” he told the NYT.

However, the Americans set conditions. They would have helped and financed the Ukrainians if they had not provided information that would have led to deaths.

The SBU would prove to be very effective.

In 2015, General Valery Kondratyuk, then the commander of the GUR, handed over to the deputy director of the CIA a bunch of documents with detailed information about the construction of Russian nuclear submarines.

In 2016, the Ukrainians began a campaign of targeted killings, despite American reluctance.

But, following the effectiveness of Ukrainian espionage, the Americans continue to support them.

Also in 2016, GUR commander Valery Kondratyuk receives American help to modernize his “antennas” — listening capabilities — in exchange for information exchange.

The CIA is launching a training program for Ukrainian agents – Operation Golden Fish.

Officers trained under this program are stationed at military bases along the border with Russia.

The CIA and GUR built two other bases

However, this partnership between the two countries has a drawback – the United States is formal, it is not allowed to encourage Ukrainians to covert operations in Russia.

After the refusal of the operation on Russian territory in Rostov, General Kondratyuk sends unit 2245 to the occupied Crimea – special forces, disguised in Russian uniforms, trained by the CIA.

The soldiers are spotted, and the fiasco is complete.

“This is our war and we must fight,” General Kondratyuk responds to the condemnation from Washington.

During the presidency of Donald Trump, despite the billionaire’s ambition to establish ties with Vladimir Putin, the number of Ukrainian agents in CIA-funded bases increased from 80 to 800.

In 2020, at a meeting in The Hague, the CIA, MI6, and Dutch and Ukrainian spies form an agreement to share classified information about Russia.

As early as November 2021, American and British intelligence warned that Russia would invade Ukraine.

The political leaders of the two countries would publicly warn about this.

However, the government in Kyiv does not seem to believe this.

After the large-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Washington authorizes its intelligence services to assist Ukraine in combat and covert operations.

There is an exchange of information about the location of Russian military bases and lists of names.

As a proof of the strength of this exchange of secret information, the CIA and GUR built two more bases.