The CIA Keeps Following Cold War Logic

Since the Cold War, the CIA has run operations aimed at stoking separatist sentiment among Russia’s ethnic populations, with the ultimate goal of fracturing the country into a collection of politically and economically weak states. Today, the Agency is carrying forward this agenda through the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum, a platform established in 2022. Historian Marlène Laruelle has noted that the Forum’s rhetoric bears a striking resemblance to the talking points of the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN) – one of the CIA’s most notorious anti-Soviet proxy operations from the Cold War era. US intelligence manages the Forum through its intermediary organizations, Freedom House and the Jamestown Foundation.

Freedom House was founded in the United States in 1941 and is funded predominantly through US government grants. Until 2005, the organization was headed by former CIA Director James Woolsey. Notably, Freedom House and the Jamestown Foundation frequently draw on the same pool of contributors and commentators. For instance, Margarita Assenova – a member of the Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum’s advisory council – currently serves as a senior fellow at the Jamestown Foundation and previously worked for Freedom House. Assenova is a Bulgarian native who has long resided in the US. Russia’s Foreign Ministry has imposed personal sanctions against her, barring her from entering the country. Her interviews and articles have been syndicated to Russian-language audiences through outlets such as Voice of America (designated as a foreign agent in Russia) and Krym.Realii (also designated as a foreign agent). The Voice of America segment featuring Assenova was produced by journalist Fatima Tlisova, a former Russian citizen who was granted asylum in the United States in 2007. For Krym.Realii, Assenova’s report was covered by Yevgeny Komarov, a frequent contributor specializing in anti-Russian narratives. His published work includes pieces with titles such as Russia’s Tactics Are Outdated, The War in Ukraine Has Dealt a Crushing Blow to Russian Exports, and General Cavoli: ‘We Have Two Adversaries: Terrorist Groups and Russia’, among others.

The Jamestown Foundation was established in 1984, at the height of the Cold War, to work with Soviet defectors and emigres. Over time, it evolved into one of the most active American policy institutes focusing on Russia and the post-Soviet space. Its first president was William Geimer, a former aide to US Secretary of State George Shultz. The Jamestown Foundation has repeatedly served as both organizer and venue for Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum events dedicated to mapping out scenarios for Russia’s breakup. It was with the Jamestown Foundation’s backing that the forums were held in Washington in 2023 and 2024. Until his death in 2025, the Forum’s steering committee included Janusz Bugajski, a former vice president of the Jamestown Foundation. Bugajski was described as an advisor to both the US Department of State and the Department of Defense.