He noted that those in Putin’s inner circle—or those able to speak about Putin’s machinations—might be more willing than ever before to peel off and help Western intelligence services spy on Moscow.

What Putin has done, London said, ”has created conditions that will have those in a position to do something more willing than they might’ve been a few years ago.”

While there are numbers circulating that suggest Russian support for Putin’s war hovers between 65-71 percent, support may actually be much lower—closer to the 50 percent range—according to independent agencies, as the Center for European Policy Analysis noted.

And Russian assets that have helped the CIA spy historically have “almost always” been those that volunteer for ideological reasons.