Russia's Secret Spies

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Have you ever wondered about the real-life inspiration behind shows like "The Americans"? Shaun Walker pulls back the curtain on one of history's most audacious espionage operations in this riveting conversation about his meticulously researched book, "The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West."

Walker reveals the extraordinary world of Russian "illegals" – spies who spend years, sometimes decades, living under completely fabricated foreign identities with absolutely no official connection to Moscow. Unlike traditional diplomatic spies, these deep-cover agents immerse themselves so thoroughly in their adopted countries that even their spouses and children may have no idea of their true identities. The training process alone is mind-boggling – five years of intensive preparation where recruits study everything from a country's school textbooks to its cultural nuances.

The origins of this program stretch back to the Bolshevik revolutionary movement itself, when Lenin's underground party used false documents and code names to evade Tsarist authorities. After the 1917 revolution, these same techniques were repurposed for intelligence gathering, creating a tradition that continues to this day under Vladimir Putin – himself a former KGB officer who once worked in illegals recruitment.

Most surprising is the program's continued relevance in our digital age. Despite biometric passports and advanced verification systems, Russia continues deploying illegals alongside newer tactics like social media manipulation. Walker's nine years of research, including access to the remarkable Mitrokhin Archive of smuggled KGB documents, provides unprecedented insight into this shadowy world where truth is stranger – and often more fascinating – than fiction.