A Russian official is expected to defect to the US over Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to an FBI boss.
The FBI believes high-ranking Russians will decide to speak to them for "the sake of the greater good".
The bureau's New York chief Michael Driscoll said there is "clear disagreement" over the war in Russia, with protests erupting in the streets.
It comes after a top Russian official reportedly approached Western diplomats and intelligence chiefs in a bid to end the war in Ukraine.
According to the Sunday Telegraph, Mr Driscoll said: “In moments like this when you’re dealing with a significant conflict and there is apparently clear disagreement among Russian citizens, and you can see that from protests on the streets of Russia, then the possibility that somebody might be willing to have a conversation with us about that and seek to perhaps to do the right thing for the sake of the greater good I think is very likely.
"History has shown us that that kind of thing happens all of the time."
Mr Driscoll made the comments, which were shared with the Sunday Telegraph, in an interview with the journalist Richard Kerbaj for his new book The Secret History of the Five Eyes.
The FBI has reportedly sent social media ads to mobile phones outside the Russian Embassy in Washington, attempting to turn the individuals into US agents.
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According to the Sunday Telegraph, the advert, which is in Russian, says: “The information provided to the FBI by the public is the most effective means of combating threats. If you have information that could help the FBI, please contact us."
It comes after a highly placed Kremlin official secretly approached the West to help end the Ukraine invasion, it is claimed .
Astonishing claims about the move were made in a report circulated to Western intelligence agencies.
It is believed senior officers and officials close to Putin are alarmed by biting Western sanctions and the failing economy caused by war.
Some Kremlin figures are also concerned about the increasingly alarming risks being taken such as fighting at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine.
The approach is likely to have been made to CIA contacts or Western diplomats, behind Putin’s back.
The Daily Mirror understands the leaked “situation report” is being taken seriously by intelligence agencies.
The document says: “A representative of Putin’s inner-circle sent a signal to the West about the desire to negotiate. The mood of the Kremlin elite is panic.”
The amazing claims goes on to label the unnamed Kremlin insider as “one of the pillars of the regime”.
