The Illegals

Russia's Most Audacious Spies and the Plot to Infiltrate the West

By: Shaun Walker

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Hardcover | 17 April 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
448 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.4 x 15.5 x 4.1

Hardcover

$51.75

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''Absolutely fascinating'' Andrew Marr''A brilliant historical investigation that''s as gripping as a Le Carr© novel'' Tom Burgis''Shaun Walker skilfully shows how Russia''s modern-day election meddling is rooted in the subterfuge and trickery of the bad old days. This is a fascinating read.'' Oliver Bullough''A gripping history critical to understanding many of Russia''s influence operations today.'' Catherine Belton''Sinister, clandestine and deadly - this is essential history, and it is happening now.'' Simon Sebag Montefiore''A riveting spy thriller, which doubles as a secret history of Russia.'' Peter PomerantsevIn 2010, two decades after the Cold War had ended, ten Russian spies were arrested in America, having hidden their true identities from their friends, neighbours and even their children. They were part of a spy programme that had begun nearly a century earlier, when the revolutionary Bolshevik government began sending Soviet citizens abroad to pose as foreign aristocrats, merchants and students. These deep-cover missions - some remarkable feats of espionage, others high-profile failures - could last for decades.Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, as well as newly discovered archival material, Shaun Walker brings this history to life in a page-turning tour de force that goes to the heart of what became the most ambitious espionage programme in history. As Moscow continues to infiltrate illegals across the globe, The Illegals shines new light on the long arc of the Soviet experiment and its messy aftermath - and on how that hidden history shaped Russia and the West.

Industry Reviews

'The author must be a great listener and a careful interviewer to win the trust and confidence of all these individuals.' - Svetlana Savranskaya

'Shaun Walker has not only done the hard and necessary work of reporting from Russia and Ukraine, he has also reflected, with remarkable historical and literary sensibility, on what it means when a great power gives up on its own future and decides instead to market its past.' - Timothy Snyder, Yale University

'The best history of the ideologies and politics behind the headlines ... Walker's meticulous documentation of the annexation of Crimea and the subsequent occupation of Ukraine makes this exemplary political history, but The Long Hangover will be remembered, and re-read, as a history of memory.' - Linda Kinstler

'Some of the finest journalism of the post-Soviet era. Highly recommended.' - Library Journal, starred review

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