CIA Under Pressure: Inside the Collapse of America’s Spy Network and Internal Trust

 

When trust is the only currency, one defector’s fear meets the calm of a CIA operative who knows what’s at stake

Trust is a funny thing. You don’t notice it until it’s gone—and when it breaks, it breaks hard.

     Case in point: Oleg Smolenkov. You might’ve heard his name in passing, maybe in whispers tied to the CIA. Well, it turns out the Kremlin recently admitted he did work inside Russia’s presidential administration. That’s no small thing.

     Now, they’re quick to say he wasn’t close to Putin—just another bureaucrat. But here’s what we know: Smolenkov was no paper-pusher. He was the CIA’s man on the inside. For years, he fed Washington top-shelf secrets—stuff he pulled straight off Putin’s desk. We’re talking classified memos, photos, high-level chatter.

     He was the CIA’s eyes and ears in the heart of enemy territory. And in 2017, when things got too hot—thanks in part to concerns that President Trump might leak something he shouldn’t—Smolenkov vanished. Extracted. Gone. Just like that.

     He was the kind of spy you don’t get twice. And when he disappeared, a big part of America’s window into the Kremlin disappeared with him.

     Oleg Smolenkov’s real-life escape reads like something pulled straight out of Mission of Vengeance, my latest spy thriller. In it, a former KGB officer named Yury Bocharov defects to the U.S. and gets tucked into the CIA’s Witness Protection Program. But there’s a twist—his handler, Corey Pearson, isn’t buying it. Is Bocharov really on our side, or is he a plant, sent by Russian intelligence to play the long con?

     If that sounds familiar, it should. Smolenkov’s extraction set off the same alarm bells. He vanished from Moscow just as foreign interference was ramping up, and his disappearance punched a hole straight through America’s intelligence net. One day we had eyes inside Putin’s inner circle—the next, we were flying blind.

     Here’s the kicker: Smolenkov didn’t just leak gossip. His intel tied Putin personally to the DNC hack and the 2016 election interference—stuff that shifted history. Some sources called him the CIA’s most valuable asset since Cold War legend Adolf Tolkachev. When they yanked him, they lost their window into the Kremlin—right when Russia was ramping up again.

     Now fast-forward to today, and the U.S. intelligence world is shaking on its foundations. The Trump administration recently scrapped a key task force that was pressuring Russia, then swung the axe on over 1,200 CIA jobs. Other agencies like the NSA and DIA didn’t fare much better—thousands more pink slips handed out like flyers.

     And then came “Signalgate.” A private group chat on the Signal app—meant for top-level national security chatter—accidentally included a reporter. Next thing you know, sensitive war plans were out in the open.

     This isn’t just sloppy. It’s dangerous. These aren’t little cracks in the system—they’re full-on fractures. Trust between intel agencies is crumbling. Coordination is slipping. And our foreign allies? They’re watching it all happen and backing away, wondering if the U.S. can still be counted on.

     Remember, intelligence thrives on trust. Allies pool info all the time—Russia’s meddling in Ukraine and elections, cyber‑attacks, nuclear threats. The U.S. is already freezing intel sharing with Ukraine after Trump suspended aid. Now, NATO partners are watching Washington’s every move—furrowing their brows as doors close and the cold shoulder sets in. Trust, once gone, doesn’t snap back overnight.

     What’s even more unsettling? Trump’s attitude toward intelligence itself.

He’s brushed off critical assessments—like Iran’s nuclear threat—with a shrug and a soundbite. When the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, testified on the risk, Trump flat-out said, “I don’t care what she said.” Just like that.

     And the appointments? They’ve brought chaos in their wake. John Ratcliffe took over the CIA, Gabbard stepped in as DNI, and almost immediately, basic security protocols got sloppy. The White House received unclassified emails listing new CIA hires—names that should’ve been protected.

     On top of that, they’ve started gutting diversity and inclusion programs across the intel community. Doesn’t sound like much on its own, but stack it all together and you’ve got a slow, steady dismantling of an already-fragile system.

     It’s death by a thousand cuts. And it’s happening in real time.

     This isn’t some academic argument or a Beltway squabble—it’s a real-world threat with real-world consequences. When intel agencies stop trusting each other, stop sharing what they know, bad guys slip through the cracks. And they’re not just watching—they’re striking.

     Russia’s already in the game, using AI to spread lies, sabotage systems, and launch pinpoint cyberattacks. And they’re not alone.

     According to the latest ODNI Threat Assessment, we’re getting poked and prodded by the full lineup: Russia, China, Iran, North Korea. Sometimes they’re acting solo, sometimes as a tag team. But the goal’s the same—disrupt, destabilize, and damage.

     And if our own house stays divided, they won’t need to do much more. We’ll hand them the opening.

     So yes, Oleg Smolenkov was brave. He took the ultimate risk, traded inside secrets to keep us safe, and then vanished into suburban life in witness protection. His sacrifice deserves more than a cameo—it underscores why close-knit intel bonds matter. In the world of cloak-and-dagger and real-world geopolitics, you can’t outsmart what you can’t see.

     And when the White House chips away at the foundations of trust—with dismissals, leaks, disbanding —they’re not just stirring rumors. They’re risking another blind spot. Another Missed sign. Another crisis cooked up in secret labs of authoritarian rivals.

     So if you dive into Mission of Vengeance, remember: it's more than fiction. It's a reminder—what happens in spy stories matters, because the lines between page and reality are thinner than we think. And unless doubts are restored, until trust is rebuilt—between U.S. agencies, with allies, and across intel-sharing platforms—Americans will keep facing threats they can’t even see coming.

 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes about the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC). He also writes the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster Series, which blends his knowledge of real-life intelligence operations with gripping fictional storytelling. His work offers readers an insider’s glimpse into the world of espionage, inspired by the complexities and high-stakes realities of the intelligence community.