The arrest of a former Army Special Forces (SF) ‘Green Beret’ officer living in Northern Virginia, charged with spying for his Russian ‘motherland’ highlights the danger of “ethnic” spies in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) and even American special forces. Recently, a Chinese-American serving with both the CIA and FBI was arrested for spying for China (RELATED: The Threat of Chinese American Spies at CIA).
It also appears to show weakness in U.S. counterintelligence capabilities to identify these obvious threats.
According to the LA Times, Peter Rafael Dzibinski Debbins, 45, was “charged with divulging military secrets about his unit’s activities in former Soviet republics during more than a decade of contacts with Russian intelligence.”
The indictment notes he told Russian intelligence he considered himself a “son of Russia,” and “Debbins thought that the United States was too dominant in the world and needed to be cut down to size.” The LA Times adds that” the indictment also states that Debbins was motivated in part because of bitterness over his Army career and a desire to establish business contacts in Russia.”
Debbins’ mother was reportedly born in the old Soviet Union, and Debbins met his wife in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk, where they were married in 1997.
Debbins appears to have volunteered to serve ‘Mother Russia’ early on, meeting with Russian intelligence in 1996 as an Army ROTC cadet at the University of Minnesota. His espionage continued through 2011, according to the indictment as reported by the LA Times. He was given a code name by Russian intelligence agents — Ikar Lesnikov — after pledging loyalty to Russia in 1997.
In one meeting with Russian intelligence, the indictment states, according to the LA Times, Debbins accepted a bottle of Cognac and a Russian military uniform as payment for his services to Russia.
As an SF officer, Debbins held Secret and Top Secret clearances. He lost his security clearance and command of his SF unit for an unspecified security violation in 2004 or 2005, and then was honorably discharged in 2005, reported the LA Times.
Oddly, Debbins’ security clearance was restored in 2010 by an Army adjudicator with the obvious warning that his family and business connections to Russia might make him “the target of a foreign intelligence service.”
Apparently, initially an infantry officer, his Russian handlers reportedly urged him to join Special Forces to be of real value to Moscow. Debbins provided his Russian handlers information about his deployment to South Korea with a chemical warfare unit, and later about deployments with his Special Forces unit to former Soviet Russian colonies, Azerbaijan, and Georgia.
Debbins also allegedly provided Russian intelligence personal and other information on his fellow Special Forces members. He faces life in prison for “providing national defense information to those not entitled to receive it” under the Espionage Act.
The LA Times quotes a statement from Assistant Attorney General John Demers, the Justice Department’s top national security official, as saying the two recent prosecutions of both a Russian and Chinese spy, “demonstrate that we must remain vigilant against espionage from our two most malicious adversaries — Russia and China.”
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Hanging or Fort Leavenworth?
Just shoot him!!!!!!!!
So no due process or anything?
NOPE!
Oh by all means due process. Sent to GITMO for military tribunal. Then a firing squad on live TV.
Waste of a good bullet hanging allows for the rope to be used more than once thus Democraps won’t whine about non-green method of execution.
Hanging at Fort Leavenworth…
For those arrested or those MOLES still inside the US Government that approved hiring them?
Isn’t that exactly what Pelosi, Schumer, Schiff, Waters, the squad and the far left are doing to our nation = cutting it down to size, destroying our safety and supporting terrorist organizations who are waging war against American cities????
Who is his American connection? Did Diane Fienstein hire him? There should be a rule that NO service members can have foreign connections. This is getting to be ridiculous.
Better put him on “suicide” watch. He might have dirt on the Clintons.
Uhh, The problem lies with who is hiring them.
Obviously a MOLE is doing the approvals.
Most likely an Obozo hire.
If the Libatards win office, they’ll pardon him!!
Or maybe the Libatard hollywood idiots will take up donations for him for his release?!
ty might try paying the troops a living wage, have no more than three tours of duty in the M.E. during a 4 year enlistment, and restore all of the benefits that Republicans have taken away in the past 20 years.I don’t know how it is under the FSB, but the KGB used to pay a hell of a lot better than the U.S.
Sorry but it is the Democraps who have been stealing from the Military and Veterans since at least 1960. Except when Carter tried to buy the Military vote when he faced Reagan.
The two vindman’s should be next!!!
The indictment notes he told Russian intelligence he considered himself a “son of Russia,” and “Debbins thought that the United States was too dominant in the world and needed to be cut down to size.”
Gee, I remember Bill Clinton’s Secretary of State, Madelyn Albright, saying essentially the same thing when she said she was “uncomfortable” with the United States being the only super power after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Maybe that’s why Clinton worked feverously to enable China to build up.
The military has enough problems now that transgenders and gays are making themselves become more prominent. I wonder how many muslims and BLM supporters wear the uniform. It seems a lot of personnel would put their own agenda and beliefs above their sworn duty.
Anyone else thinking of Lt. Col. Vindman?
Didn’t I hear they are suing the GOVT over something STUPID?
He was given his clearance back in 2010. That would be at the instructions of OBAMA. You see, Just about anything that Obama could do to hurt America, HE DID.
And that is why he is hanging around. He can lead biden by the nose. Then the K witch when joe goes. PLEAS folks ignore him he was and is BAD for OUR country!
Hillary Clinton divulged top secret information through her illegal server system. Where is her prosecution? Debbie Wasserman-Schultz divulged top secret information through hiring a Pakistani spy for her House computer system. Where is her prosecution? Do we really have equal justice under the law? Not really !!!
He had access to all the rats computers and was paid by us! Wife got a way with big bucks, he got caught at the airport with even more. Slap on the wrist! Shame on her and all the rats who let this all happen!
Hang him
Hmm… another Trump victory.
Make his death a public event, this should not be tolerated and his deeds rightly should be a death penalty.
The Constitution says that TRAITORS are to be hanged. It should also happen to Obozo, Hitlery and all those in the FBI who were in on the RUSSIA FARCE. Starting with Mueller then McCabe, Page, Strzok and Comey. Those are some of well known names. Let us not forget Bergdahl the DESERTER and TRAITOR Obozo freed TERRORISTS for.
That OLE double standard is a REAL B, and needs a real ADJUSTMENT! Whats good for one is good for all! OR as piggy says, NO ONE IS ABOVE the LAW, seems to have left except if a rat!