Russian intelligence services have been building up their presence in Mexico in recent years, adding dozens of personnel to their embassy staff in Mexico City, despite limited trade ties with the country. This buildup is concerning to U.S. officials, who believe that it is aimed at strengthening Russia’s intelligence operations targeting the U.S. and its propaganda efforts aimed at undermining Washington and Ukraine.
The Biden administration has raised the issue with the Mexican government, with CIA Director William Burns stating that Russia’s expanding footprint in Mexico is partly a result of Russian spies being expelled from European capitals after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. There are reports of Russia’s GRU military intelligence service having a massive presence in Mexico, keeping a close eye on opportunities to influence U.S. affairs.
Mexico has historically maintained friendly relations with Russia and Cuba, steering away from fully aligning itself with Washington’s foreign policy. The environment for Russian intelligence operations in Mexico is seen as benign, providing a lower-risk setting for overseeing agents in the U.S. and staging other operations. The Russians likely use Mexico’s proximity, safety, and relative ease of operation to support agents in the U.S. and stage various intelligence operations.
Russia’s actions in Mexico are part of a larger strategy to silence critics abroad, undermine support for Ukraine, and weaken Western democracies. The Russians are also making efforts to manipulate the information landscape in Mexico through state-funded media outlets and propaganda campaigns to sow social divisions and spread disinformation. U.S. officials are closely monitoring Russia’s activities in Mexico and have expressed concern about its expanding presence in the country for intelligence operations targeting the U.S.
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