For over 20 years, Elena Vavilova lived under the name Tracy Lee Ann Foley. The real estate seller was a spy, whose identity was only exposed in 2010, and then only as a result of the betrayal of SVR Colonel Alexander Poteyev.

In the podcast "We Need to Figure It Out," you'll learn how encrypted messages were transmitted, how surveillance was conducted, and what gives away a Russian abroad.

0:00 Elena Vavilova — guest of the NEWS.ru studio
1:19 About Rudolf Abel, Gohar, and Gevork Vartanyan
2:54 About Alexey Kozlov
4:44 About necessary qualities
6:17 About Sorge
10:30 About friendliness
12:13 About returning to Russia
15:20 About data transfer and the leadership's reaction
18:06 About "illegals"
19:05 About what is prohibited for intelligence officers
24:30 About the peculiarities of American counterintelligence
26:05 About surveillance
28:14 About stressful situations
31:35 About childbirth in another country
33:00 About details that can give away an intelligence officer
37:25 About what gives away a Russian
40:33 About unusual communication items
44:40 About how to stay relevant in the 21st century Inconspicuous
46:20 On shooting and hand-to-hand combat in reconnaissance
50:25 On mascots and recruitment suits
53:55 On life after a illustrious career

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