“We’re interested in everything”: KGB tried to recruit an Euroradio journalist
He was offered to spy on the democratic forces / Euroradio via Chat GPT
On October 27, Euroradio journalist Taras Tarnalitsky was allegedly offered to cooperate with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) by providing information about Belarusian democratic forces — their future plans and their attitude toward Ukraine.
An account named “Natalia” (username @nata_gork), registered to a Ukrainian SIM card, carried out the correspondence in Ukrainian.
The interlocutor claimed to be “representing the Ukrainian side.”
“Good afternoon. My name is Natalia… I represent the Ukrainian side. I would like to offer you mutually beneficial friendship,” Natalia wrote.
When the journalist asked for clarification, the interlocutor replied that she was involved in “gathering information on the Belarusian direction” and was interested in “events within the Belarusian movement and its attitude toward Ukraine.” According to her, “the Ukrainian side is ready to share information and verify people.”
Tarnalitsky notes that at first he thought it was a mistake.
“You must be mistaken. Yes, I’m from Belarus, but since autumn 2022 I’ve been living in Poland,” he replied.
However, the interlocutor insisted:
“I’m interested in information from your democratic forces — their future plans and attitude toward Ukraine. It’s no secret that Ukraine is considering the possibility of establishing contacts with your representatives.”
After that, the journalist asked whether Natalia represented the SBU. She briefly confirmed: “Yes.”
Zhygar does not rule out that such actions may be part of a provocation aimed at creating propaganda content or discrediting certain individuals.
“The idea that SBU officers could reach out in such a way seems highly unlikely. Unfortunately, however, within the Belarusian diaspora there are still some people inclined to take such situations at face value — and they readily start communicating with these so-called ‘SBU officers,’” the interlocutor says.
He warns that establishing contact in such circumstances poses serious risks.
“By the time a person realizes who they are really talking to, they may have already produced compromising material against themselves through their own actions — effectively putting themselves in potential dependence on the Belarusian security services. This is how recruitment happens: if the person later refuses to continue cooperating, the information they previously shared can be used for blackmail,” Zhygar warns.
The interlocutor advises that upon receiving such messages, one should take screenshots of the correspondence, then delete and block the account that initiated contact.
If possible, people should report such attempts either to the media or through their own social networks.
