Colombian spy chief claims intelligence-sharing with CIA continues despite dispute
December 1, 2025 3 Comments
IN A RARE MEDIA interview, the chief of Colombia’s National Intelligence Directorate (DNI) has said that his agency’s collaboration with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and other American spy organizations continues unabated. This statement appears to contradict a prior statement by the president of Colombia, who said his country had stopped all intelligence-sharing with the United States in protest against the lethal targeting of civilian vessels in the Caribbean.
The political dispute between the two countries made headlines on November 11, when Colombian President Gustavo Petro (pictured) ordered his government’s intelligence agencies to “suspend intelligence sharing with US intelligence agencies”. The leftist leader made the announcement in response to the targeting of Colombian boats that Washington accuses of involvement in narcotics smuggling in the Caribbean. Two weeks earlier, the White House had personally accused Petro of participating in illicit drug trade activities and imposed sanctions on him and his immediate family.
Two days after the dramatic breakdown in intelligence cooperation between Colombia and the United States, Colombian officials claimed that Bogota would continue to share intelligence with international spy agencies, including those of the United States. Petro’s Minister of the Interior, Armando Benedetti, said that reports about the alleged breakdown in intelligence cooperation between the two countries were due to “a misunderstanding”. He added that Colombia would “continue working […] against drug trafficking and crime with the United States”.
Now the director of the DNI, Jorge Lemus, has told Agence France Presse that his agency’s relationship with the CIA had not been disrupted, despite the high-level political dispute between Colombia and the United States. The CIA “are collaborating a lot, and so are we”, said Lemus. The spy chief added that Colombian counternarcotics forces had destroyed “over 10,000” illicit cocaine labs in 2025 and were continuing operations against drug cartels “together with them [the CIA], hand-in-hand with them. We continue exactly as before […] not only with the CIA, but with all agencies”.
Lemus’ comments are reportedly the first high-level confirmation of Benedetti’s November 13 statement that intelligence cooperation between Colombia and the United States continued unabated despite the political falling-out between the two countries’ leaders.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 01 December 2025 | Permalink
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Former deep-cover spy leads Kremlin’s efforts to woo Indian high-tech sector
December 8, 2025 by Joseph Fitsanakis 2 Comments
Posing as Donald Heathfield and Tracey Foley, Bezrukov and Vavilova were among 10 Russian non-official-cover intelligence officers arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in June 2010. They were eventually swapped with Moscow for several Western spies held in Russian prisons. After returning to Russia, Bezrukov and Vavilova received the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” 4th Class, which is Russia’s second-highest state decoration. They also entered state-sponsored employment, with Bezrukov advising the Rosneft Oil Company—Russia’s second-largest corporation—and teaching at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations.
In June 2025, Bezrukov apparently represented the Russian state at the 28th Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF)—often referred to as “Putin’s Davos”. According to the Washington Post, Bezrukov’s apparent role at SPIEF was to network with Forum representatives from India’s advanced technology sector, allegedly on direct orders by the administration of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The event, which went under the tagline “Shared Values as a Foundation for Growth in a Multipolar World”, gathered nearly 20,000 delegates from 140 countries. The Kremlin touted it as evidence of the West’s failure to isolate Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. It also served as part of a set of broader efforts by the Kremlin to prevent the Russian economy from sliding into a recession by seeking to develop alternative energy markets and strengthening economic and political ties to the Global South.
India is by far the largest of a group of countries seen as “friendly” by Russia, which could potentially help revitalize the Russian economy, largely through the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC). The 14-year-old agreement aims to interconnect a transnational transportation network connecting Russia and India with import-export routes in Central Asia the Middle East, and Europe. Experts claim that the INSTC is the logistical backbone of Russia’s efforts to salvage its economy from the growing pressures of the war in Ukraine.
The Post reported that Bezrukov denied that he is still an employee of Russian intelligence agencies when approached and asked about his past by Western journalists.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 08 December 2025 | Permalink
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