Senior CIA operatives trapped in Pokrovsk? A report by Larry Johnson and confirmed by Andei Martyanov on Lt. Col. Daniel Davis's "Deep Dive" program, looks like two failed attempts at a rescue.
"Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (GUR) has conducted two high-risk air assault operations using US-supplied UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters in the Pokrovsk sector of Donetsk Oblast amid intense Russian advances. Pokrovsk, a key logistics hub, has been under siege for over a year, with Russian forces controlling ~80% of the city by late October 2025 and have now encircled the Ukrainian forces that remain in the area. The missions, overseen by GUR chief Kyrylo Budanov, tried, and failed, to insert elite special forces into contested or Russian-claimed areas. The key question is why?§
Ukrainian sources claim the feckless operation was to disrupt enemy positions, clear strongpoints, and restore supply lines, but this is nonsensical. The first mission, which was launched the night of 28 October, dropped 11 GUR commandos in an open field northwest of Pokrovsk's industrial zone. Video showed troops disembarking and fanning out rapidly. Insertion was at night/low visibility to minimize detection, but Russian reconnaissance drones spotted the low-flying helicopter and destroyed the 11 commandos.
The subsequent mission, which was launched on the night of 30 October using two Blackhawk helicopters, inserted two groups (total ~20–24 troops) in the same general area and they suffered the same fate as the first group.
To understand the purpose of these two failed missions you need to understand the relationship between the GUR and the CIA. Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR, or HUR in Ukrainian), the military intelligence agency under the Ministry of Defense, has developed one of the closest partnerships with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) among any foreign service. This relationship, forged in secrecy after the 2014 Maidan Revolution and Russia's annexation of Crimea, reportedly transformed the GUR from a Soviet-era remnant infiltrated by Russian agents into a sophisticated operator renowned for audacious strikes against Moscow. The CIA invested tens of millions of dollars in rebuilding the GUR, providing training, equipment, and secure facilities, while sharing intelligence that proved critical during Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. Former U.S. officials describe it as a "historic opportunity" to counter Russia, with the GUR becoming "our little baby."
While the Western media reports claim that this operation was supported by NATO, I think the more likely explanation is that this was a joint-CIA-GUR operation to extract CIA paramilitary officers who were operating with Ukrainian forces in and around Pokrovsk. I don't think we are talking about junior CIA personnel... I think there are at least a couple, if not more, senior CIA paramilitary officers who are now trapped in Pokrovsk. Given that Western reports emphasize that these two failed missions were carried out at the direction of Budanov, the Chief of the GUR, and that Budanov works with the CIA rather than the US military or NATO, this has all the trappings of a CIA op.
Attempting an extraction twice in three days is but another indicator of the desperate situation confronting the Ukrainian forces and their Western advisors in Pokrovsk."
And now the World's Bully is turning its attention to (projecting power onto) Venezuela and Nigeria. This is not just the profound Exceptionalism of one supposed president, nor his party, nor the war-hungry Democrats, nor the attitude of the CIA-Deep State, nor the ingrained war-mongering of the Beltway Neocons and the military-industrial-congressional complex, it is the deep belief of the vast majority of Americans - that USA is the true ruler of the world and everyone else must bow and scrape. Every aspect of the American project, from every individual to the ruling classes and oligarchy, stands unrepentant in Exceptionalism and cannot possibly acknowledge a multi-nodal world. There are but two ways this conceptual error can be remedied. One is by the entire population relinquishing this Exceptionalist outlook (not very likely); the other is by strategic defeat and possible occupation. Choose wisely.
Years ago I had the opportunity to read Kissinger's PhD thesis, but now it seems to be tightly controlled. Kissinger, Henry A. 1954. Peace, Legitimacy, and the Balance of Power. Ph.D. dissertation, Harvard University. https://www.scribd.com/document/712454530/Henry-Kissinger-Thesis
Some of his thoughts were carried on into his 1957 book: A world restored; Metternich, Castlereagh and the problems of peace, 1812-22, Houghton Mifflin, Boston, which you can read here: http://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/000396862TY - BOOK
One of his themes was that it is important for America to every so often, just attack some (smaller) nation (Panama, Grenada, etc.) just to show the world who's in charge. In this book, page 2, he writes "Only absolute security, the neutralization of the opponent - is considered a sufficient guarantee, and thus the desire of one power for absolute security means absolute insecurity for all the others." and "Diplomacy, the art of restraining the exercise of power, cannot function in such an environment." Thus we see the roots of American Exceptionalism, carried on through every administration since the late '50s. And even into the geopolitical positioning of one of his last acolytes, Hilary Clinton who via Under-Secretary Victoria Nuland, enacted the regime-change in Ukraine with the ongoing result, as well as setting up the Arab Spring resulting from the actions in Libya, turning that into yet another failed state.
With the demise of USAID, the CIA has lost "legitimate" cover for its activities, so the activities of this true power of Exceptionalism can more easily come to light (except few media will cover the stories). Thus we see the CIA involvement in Ukraine (story above), the averted false-flag op that almost happened in Trinidad-Tobago, and the CIA infiltration of Venezuela to cause yet another regime change. The U.S. predilection to "go in there and..." anywhere in the world, must cease. Like I said, voluntarily, or otherwise.
Contrast this bullying with the evolving new nodal world order under BRICS+, where individual nation's sovereignty, cooperation and advancement of civilization are primary goals. But as these goals fly against Kissinger's "absolute security" notion, the Bully Empire will try every means of defeating these efforts. Therein lies the fallacy in Kissinger's definition of Diplomacy - "the art of restraining the exercise of power." To him, the exercise of power was the only path to peace. Contrast that with initiatives such as China's Belt & Road (Wikipedia link) program (BRI Official site), actually assisting developing nations with infrastructure projects with financing and engineering support, all across the Global South - meanwhile, the American system operates through, for example, USAFRICOM, based in Stuttgart, Germany, with the intent of keeping Africa under U.S. military control.
Due to the deeply-ingrained theme of Exceptionalism in the
U.S. population, it is automatically assumed that any upcoming
developing country, naturally following the over-indulgence
development path of the U.S., would of course (in U.S. minds)
naturally also seek world-dominance to be the unipolar hegemon,
just as the U.S. has done. Thus, the U.S. sees ANY upcoming world
power as an existential threat. Therefore, Russia and China are
treated as threats and MUST be de-stabilized. However, that
assumes that all other nations have embraced Kissinger's notions
of power dynamics in geopolitics. Sorry, that's a fallacy, no
other nation wishes to control the whole world, no nation has a
desire to set up and fund a world-reserve currency so that the
savings of all other nations pour into their coffers to fund
their self-proclaimed position of World's Policeman. Not going to
happen. Yes, Russia and China have developed nuclear weapons, but
these efforts are to FEND OFF the Hegemon and its attempted total
control of the world through about 800 military bases. Do read
Gromyko's Memoirs.
Enough, already!
Leave a comment! This is a re-direct to my Substack page.
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