Russians offering spies an escape

British-trained Afghanis feel let down and forced to turn to the Kremlin for survival

British-trained former Afghan spies are being recruited by Russia for the war in Ukraine, the Sunday Telegraph has revealed. Former intelligence officers, who failed to secure relocation to the UK when the Taliban took over last year, are being offered cash bounties for joining Vladimir Putin’s war effort, with their families offered homes and security in Russia.

Many former members of the Afghan national directorate of security (NDS) are taking up the offer as they feel they have been left behind by Britain and other Western countries that employed them in Afghanistan.

Hamid (not his real name), a former NDS officer, worked with British special forces on counter-terrorism operations. He said: “The ex-Afghan military officials are being recruited for the conflict in Ukraine. These military officials were some of the most well-trained officials in the world.”

Hamid said that in September about 270 former NDS officers and their families left Afghanistan having been offered a salary of up to $2000 a month, a payment of $3000 for every child below the age of 18 and citizenship of Russia.

The British government’s Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (Arap) is intended to help Afghan citizens who worked with British forces in “exposed or meaningful roles”. It can include an offer of relocation.

More than 20,000 people have relocated to the UK under Arap and the associated Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme. However, many Afghans were left behind and have complained of delays in getting their applications dealt with.

In a letter supporting his application, a former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, Nato’s second highest military position, said Hamid worked with a secret NDS unit called D011 which provided secret surveillance on specific targets.

Hamid said many NDS officers have taken advantage of the deal between the Taliban and Moscow, allowing them to escape with their lives even if it means they can never return to Afghanistan.

“When you’re in need and your families are in need and you have the required skills, definitely you will just opt for the opportunity. I think this is a very dangerous thing.”

Officials from Moscow conduct assessments of each applicant from the Russian embassy in Kabul.

“They will see which kind of training an individual has received and in which area he can serve best,” Hamid said. “Based on that assessment they will be offered different positions. The special forces would be offered one position and the intelligence guys would be offered different jobs.

“I would request the British government to expedite the acceptance of ex-military officials. I would also tell them, don’t give this chance to Russia to make use of the opportunity to take the training and techniques which was transferred from the UK.”

Meanwhile, Russian authorities have rejected a price cap on the country’s oil set by Ukraine’s Western supporters and threatened to stop supplying nations that endorsed it.

Australia, Britain, Canada, Japan, the United States and the 27-nation European Union agreed to cap what they would pay for Russian oil at US$60-per-barrel. The limit is set to take effect tomorrow, along with an EU embargo on Russian oil shipped by sea. people have been jailed since a state of emergency was declared following a wave of homicides in late March.