Russia says there are more than 12 CIA spy bases in Ukraine

Russia said Thursday that there are more bases of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Ukraine than recent media reports claim.

Commenting in an interview with Russia's Pervy TV channel on media reports claiming the CIA has built 12 "secret spy bases" along the Russian border in Ukraine that act as the "nerve center" of Kyiv's military, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said "it is not a secret."

"There are for sure not 12 CIA bases, but many more. It's not a secret, and we all know it perfectly well. We are the enemy for the CIA… We are opponents for them. They are working against us," he said.

Peskov noted that Russia's intelligence services are taking the necessary counter-actions.

Separately, the head of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB), Aleksandr Bortnikov, said there are "many" CIA bases in Ukraine, noting that work is underway to mitigate arising risks.

The New York Times said Tuesday that over the past eight years, the CIA has trained and equipped Kyiv's intelligence officers in underground bunkers, some of which are buried deep in Ukraine's forests.