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submitted 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago) by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

A former FBI agent has alleged that Russia’s GRU intelligence agency targeted tech billionaire Elon Musk for exploitation and offered him direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Former FBI Counterintelligence Special Agent Jonathan Buma stated that Russian intelligence had special operations to influence Silicon Valley tech CEOs such as Musk and venture capitalist Peter Thiel that included gathering damning information that could later be used as blackmail.

“Musk’s susceptibility to promiscuous women and drug use, particularly ketamine… were seen by Russian intelligence as an opportunity for an agent to exploit,” said the former FBI Special Agent in a recently released documentary by the German Television Broadcaster ZDF.

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[-] raltoid@lemmy.world 49 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

This is a great demonstration of how disinformation agents work.

There are multiple sources, a full documentary, interviews with the creators, the agent is named. etc. And most of the top comments on the posts about this, are from troll farms out of Russia talking about how the source is bad, how it's just gossip, no one is named, etc. and generally just lying to discredit the story.

[-] AntelopeRoom@lemm.ee 41 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Our government has been co-opted by foreign agents

[-] MunkysUnkEnz0@lemmy.world 20 points 1 day ago

Makes total sense. It's really the only answer to what's happening.

They are literally destroying the country piece by piece.

[-] Tja@programming.dev 6 points 1 day ago

The president should look into it!

[-] Almacca@aussie.zone 2 points 1 day ago

Oh, he definitely is.

[-] SnarkoPolo@lemm.ee 4 points 1 day ago

And now Pooters has the photographs, eh? Could be taken on holiday? Wink wink, say no more, nudge nudge?

[-] barsoap@lemm.ee 27 points 1 day ago

Here's the ZDF documentary, German only, German subtitles available.

Here's an interview with the makers, also German but as it's on youtube you might have some success with auto-translated subtitles.

[-] Hikuro93@lemmy.world 73 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

What better way to manipulate someone with self-worth issues who must flaunt his "power" and "wealth" to "prove others wrong" than stroking his fragile ego?

Small pp energy. Or rather, botched pp energy in this specific case.

Same for the Trump and co. axis of evil - a bunch of adult children with ego issues wanting revenge on the world that belittled or thwarted their constant schemes, all banded together.

[-] Zerlyna@lemmy.world 25 points 1 day ago

I wonder how many dolls Ivanka had.

[-] not_that_guy05@lemmy.world 24 points 1 day ago

My man, she was the doll... For him.

[-] OsrsNeedsF2P@lemmy.ml 18 points 1 day ago

No evidence offered, and the article spends half the time talking about Elon Musk without relation to the report. I would really love this "news" to present a little bit of investigative journalism so I don't have to validate it myself each and every time something drops

[-] A_norny_mousse@feddit.org 17 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Firstly, the article is as factual as it can be regarding the topic, and there are multiple additional links for the curious ones, like yourself.

No evidence offered, and the article spends half the time talking about Elon Musk without relation to the report.

I wouldn't say "no" evidence but nothing conclusive, as always with Russia because they don't grant access and deny everything.

I would really love this “news” to present a little bit of investigative journalism so I don’t have to validate it myself each and every time something drops

You mean like going into Russia?

I admit it's a bit thin, but ultimately all articles about the GRU's activities are going to be. Russia is closed for any flow of objective information.

Yet we need to talk about it and spread out and combine what we have.

And what we have paints a very likely and very damning scenario.

[-] SufferingSteve@feddit.nu 4 points 1 day ago

Imagine if this was the norm for news, what an utopia.

Instead history and facts are whatever the AI tells us

[-] thedruid@lemmy.world 3 points 1 day ago

When I was a kid, investigative journalists were admired and revered.

Now they are hacks with chatgpt and 0 courage

[-] Kurious84@eviltoast.org 34 points 1 day ago

Another bleeding obvious. It's too late now. He already let them in and I'm sure big balls and those other punks are on the Russian payroll or their influence.

[-] bungalowtill@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

Are we trying this narrative again? Fascism, nationalism, corruption all these traits clearly non existent in western societies had to be hatched up and exported by the evil empire. And immediately everybody’s falling for it. Ok, makes sense

As others were stating, nothing in this article is the result of investigative journalism.

[-] altkey@lemmy.dbzer0.com 12 points 1 day ago* (last edited 1 day ago)

My diagonal reading led me to believe they bribed him with a sex with Vlad. This confusion lasted only a second. But let me tell ya, that was one unnaturally long and scary second.

[-] MonkeMischief@lemmy.today 1 points 1 day ago

Lol yeah, there's no way!

...They already know Agent Krasnov throws a huge fit if he's told he has to share.

[-] MunkysUnkEnz0@lemmy.world 11 points 1 day ago

Funny, I just searched Google and no major news organizations are covering this.

Why is that? Are they in on it? Complacent? Waiting till tomorrow?

[-] tauren@lemm.ee 11 points 1 day ago

Not following German media.

said the former FBI Special Agent in a recently released documentary by the German Television Broadcaster ZDF

[-] magnetosphere@fedia.io 16 points 1 day ago

To be fair, I could probably be bribed with sex and drugs, too. Not ketamine, though. I’m more of a Netflix and chill kind of guy.

[-] rxbudian@lemmy.ca 12 points 1 day ago

There's probably a Russian agent that got pregnant from him

[-] optimistic@lemm.ee 1 points 1 day ago

And still we fall

this post was submitted on 18 May 2025
416 points (100.0% liked)

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