What is a Russian Spy Called?

Russia has a long history of espionage and intelligence gathering operations dating back centuries. The modern Russian spy agencies evolved from the feared Soviet-era KGB and GRU into the multifaceted organizations they are today. So what exactly are Russian spies called and who do they work for?

Overview of Main Russian Intelligence Agencies

Several key intelligence agencies operate in Russia today:

• SVR – The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki) is the main successor of the Soviet-era KGB‘s foreign intelligence functions. It gathers intelligence globally through a network of spies and conducts covert operations overseas.

• FSB – The Federal Security Service (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopasnosti) handles domestic intelligence and security, including counterintelligence. It took over the KGB‘s domestic functions.

• GRU – The Main Intelligence Directorate (Glavnoye Razvedyvatelnoye Upravlenie) is Russia‘s military intelligence agency tasked with providing intelligence to the armed forces.

• FSO – The Federal Protective Service (Federalnaya Sluzhba Okhrany) protects high-ranking Russian officials and facilities.

The Extensive KGB Legacy

The KGB or Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti (Committee for State Security) was the formidable Soviet-era spy agency, handling foreign intelligence, domestic security, secret police functions and more. It built an extensive global network of spies and conducted infamous operations like stealing nuclear secrets from the Manhattan Project.

When the USSR collapsed in 1991, the KGB was dismantled and its capabilities distributed. Its First Chief Directorate responsible for foreign intelligence became the SVR. The FSB took on its domestic security role. But the KGB‘s legacy endures, especially in Russian president Vladimir Putin‘s worldview. Putin is an ex-KGB officer who wants to restore Russia‘s superpower status.

Rivalry With the CIA

During the Cold War, the CIA and KGB were intense rivals constantly trying to one-up each other in the espionage game. Their bitter rivalry shaped 20th century geopolitics. Even today, the CIA and SVR spy on each other while competing for influence globally.

According to ColdWarSpyMuseum.com, some of the CIA‘s big successes against the KGB included:

• Recruiting KGB officers like Oleg Penkovsky as double agents
• Digitally intercepting and decrypting KGB communications
• Installing secret listening devices in the US Embassy in Moscow unknown to the KGB
• Carrying out operations like the Berlin Tunnel to tap Soviet phone lines

Whereas the KGB had its share of victories too:

• Turning CIA officers like Aldrich Ames into Soviet moles
• Acquiring classified details on the Manhattan Project from atomic spies
• Penetrating Western intelligence with "illegals" spies who assumed fake identities

This "spy vs spy" dynamic persists between American and Russian intelligence agencies, although the Cold War enmity has cooled. Russian intelligence ops from election meddling to cyber attacks still threaten US interests however.

Categories of Russian Spies

Russian intelligence classifies its operatives into several categories:

1. Agents

Agents are the spies recruited by Russian agencies to leak sensitive information or carry out influence operations. Agents can be Russian citizens spying abroad or foreign nationals recruited through bribery, blackmail, ideology, etc. The SVR has the most extensive human intelligence network.

Famous example: Oleg Penkovsky, a Russian military officer who spied for the CIA and MI6 in the 1960s, providing crucial intel on the Soviet nuclear program and Cuban missile crisis.

2. Controllers

Controllers are intelligence officers who manage agents in the field. They relay instructions from HQ to their agents while procuring intelligence. Controllers may operate under diplomatic cover when posted abroad.

Famous example: Rudolf Abel, a KGB controller who was arrested in the US and later part of a spy swap with Soviet dissident Gary Powers.

3. Informers

Informers are essentially tipsters, not full-blown spies, who provide bits of intel to Russian agencies, often for money. Businessmen, students, tourists could informally collaborate. The FSB recruits informers within Russia to keep tabs on government critics, journalists, foreign diplomats, etc.

4. Illegals

Illegals are the undercover spies deployed abroad by Russia to blend into foreign societies. They establish fake "legends" like identity documents and occupation covers. Illegals patiently build themselves into community pillars before spying. If exposed, Russia denies links.

Famous example: Anna Chapman was one of 10 "illegals" arrested in the US in 2010. She became a celebrity before being swapped.

Notable Russian Spies & Defectors

Here are some of the most infamous Russian spies, both defectors who spied for the West and double agents who deceived it:

There are numerous more shadowy figures, fictional and real, who populate the history of Russian espionage from the Bolshevik revolution onwards. Their activities thrill spy buffs but endanger lives.

Modern Russian Intel Operations

Though the Cold War is over, Russia‘s intelligence agencies remain active across the world. Some of their priorities include:

• Hybrid warfare – Combine covert ops, propaganda, cyber attacks to weaken opponents
• Assassinations – Target Russian dissidents and defectors abroad seen as traitors
• Hacking/disinformation – Launch online influence and disruption campaigns to sway foreign elections, spread pro-Russia narratives
• Counter-intel – Aggressively spy on Western intel agencies
• Military intelligence – GRU gathers tactical intel to aid Russian military operations
• Protecting VIPs – FSO defends Russian leaders, critical infrastructure from attack

These aggressive intelligence operations have strained Russia‘s relations with the West. But Putin considers reconstituting the aura of Soviet intelligence strength as crucial to restoring national power.

Chart showing hierarchy and responsibilities of main Russian spy agencies. The SVR conducts foreign espionage, FSB handles domestic security, GRU deals with military intel, etc. They all report to Russia‘s president.

Recruiting and Training Spies

To build up their ranks of spies, Russian agencies utilize:

• Identifying promising candidates – Spotting talent in universities, the military, corporations based on intelligence, language skills and motivations

• Monetary inducements – Paying recruits substantially with regular bonuses and Swiss bank accounts

• Ideological persuasion – Appealing to patriotism and loyalty to the Motherland

• Coercion – Blackmailing targets by threatening to expose secrets

• Slow cultivation – Carefully vetting candidates over years before finally recruiting them

Once recruited, aspiring Russian agents undergo extensive training programs covering:

• Legends and covers – Creating fake identities and backstories that can withstand background checks
• Surveillance and countersurveillance – Techniques like dead drops, brush passes, detecting tails
• Interrogation resistance – Withstanding questioning if captured
• Offensive tradecraft – Offensive skills like recruiting sources, covert photography, hacking
• Weapons and self-defense – Firearms use, hand-to-hand combat

Russian intelligence schools like the SVR Academy (nicknamed The Conservatory) churn out generations of highly skilled operatives.

Conclusion

To summarize, Russian spies go by titles like agents, controllers, or illegals. They are recruited by agencies like the SVR, GRU or FSB – successors of the infamous KGB. Moscow‘s spies are still active around the world, especially against Western rivals. But now technology like hacking and social media manipulation complement their Cold War era tradecraft. While the spy vs spy games continue, the US and allies must remain vigilant against Russian intelligence operations that undermine national interests.