The President's Daily Brief PDB Afternoon Bulletin | Devember 9th, 2025: How Russia Built a Spy Base Next Door to the U.S. & Ukraine’s New Peace Plan
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Dec 9, 2025 A deep dive into how Russia has reestablished a major spy base in Mexico, exploiting its geographical advantage and minimal resistance from local authorities. The discussion reveals the implications of this espionage on U.S. security. On another front, Ukraine is drafting a new peace plan, with President Zelensky standing firm against territorial concessions to Russia. Amid this, he seeks support from European allies, creating a dynamic backdrop in the ongoing conflict.
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Russia's Mexico Hub Gives Direct U.S. Access
- Russia has rebuilt a major intelligence hub in Mexico, using diplomats as cover to run operations near the U.S. border.
- Proximity gives Moscow convenient, low-visibility access to U.S.-facing targets that other regions can't match.
CIA List Of Russian Spies Was Largely Ignored
- The CIA handed Mexican officials a list of more than a dozen suspected Russian spies posing as diplomats.
- Mexican authorities reportedly ignored, denied, or 'lost' the list inside bureaucracy instead of expelling them.
Internal Security Gaps Aid Foreign Spies
- Mexico's counterintelligence is stretched by cartel and internal security priorities, lowering focus on foreign espionage.
- That gap enabled Moscow to place capable operatives in Mexico City and run disinformation campaigns.