Ukraine and CIA secretly collaborated since 2014

US broadcaster ABC News revealed details of the secret cooperation established between the CIA and Ukrainian intelligence services since 2014. 

In particular, in 2015, the head of Ukraine’s military intelligence, Valeriy Kondratiuk, brought secret Russian military documents to the US as a gesture of trust aimed at strengthening the partnership with the Americans. According to the channel, this step played a key role in building trust on the part of the US.

The publication emphasises that US specialists actively participated in the work of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR). According to sources, the CIA invested millions of dollars in training and equipping Ukrainian intelligence officers, as well as in the construction of several secret bases on the border with Russia. This cooperation allowed the US to significantly reduce its costs, saving hundreds of millions, if not billions, of dollars.

The article pays particular attention to Operation “Golden Fish”, during which Ukrainian agents were trained to operate under cover, posing as Russians in Russia and third countries. 

Operations carried out under this project were conducted jointly with US intelligence services. However, not all missions were successful. 

One striking example was a failed mission in Crimea in 2016, when a US-trained Ukrainian special unit was sent on a mission to plant explosives at a Russian military base. The operation ended in a clash with Russian special forces, during which several people were killed.

This incident demonstrated that despite close cooperation, it was not always possible to avoid errors, which added complexity to the interaction between the intelligence services of the two countries.