Are there spies in the us

When the internet arrived, the excuse became that for privacy reasons linked to their jobs they could not use it to chat. Their parents, like good Soviets, agreed without asking too many questions. We did something important and very rewarding. They witnessed the collapse of the USSR on television.

But we stayed true to the promise of it because we never worked for a specific regime or a specific president; we worked for our homeland and the people who lived there.

We understood that our homeland was sick and that it needed us. Vavilova is convinced that illegal spy work is still essential today, though she recognizes that it is becoming increasingly difficult, in an age of social media, facial recognition software, video surveillance and biometric identification. Now many people say we are facing a second Cold War , because the world is divided, even the West.

Even today: you have to know your adversaries to be well protected and to put countries on an equal footing. That is not only a mission for Russian spy agencies, but for all the spy agencies in the world. Moscow - 23 Jun UTC. Copy link. Former spy Elena Vavilova in Moscow on June Yet September 11 was also something else: our worst intelligence failure in more than half a century.

It was a surprise attack that should not have been a surprise. The agonizing truth is that American intelligence agencies saw the danger coming but failed to stop it because they were hardwired to fight a different enemy from a bygone era. Today, we face a similar challenge. The global threat landscape has become much more crowded and complex, encompassing escalating cyberattacks , a rising China, Russian aggression, nuclear proliferation in Iran and North Korea, the fallout from climate change, and more.

And once again, spy agencies are struggling to keep up. Like generals, intelligence officials are often left fighting the last war even when new dangers are evident. Because no matter what politicians and agency leaders say, no matter how clearly they see new adversaries looming over the horizon, government agencies are tailored to fight the enemy they already know. Bureaucracies are designed to last, not adapt. Businesses go under if they fail, but government agencies almost never die. Instead, over time, organizations harden, budgets balloon, capabilities and cultures become ingrained.

Early innovations grow obsolete. Even when reports are issued, warnings are raised, and courageous champions press for action, change comes slowly. The old ways endure. Meanwhile adversaries grow stronger, and the nation is left vulnerable once again. And untold numbers of business people with links to foreign intelligence services flow in and out every day.

The training of highly skilled spies, especially those who work in Washington, makes them virtually invisible to ordinary, unsuspecting people. Washington, according to current and former U. Sergei Tretyakov, perhaps the most celebrated Russian agent to defect to the U.

John Sipher, a retired CIA official who worked on its worldwide Russia program, said that the Russian government is believed to have hundreds of spies on American soil. Intelligence sources who spoke to WTOP on the condition of anonymity, said there are dozens if not hundreds of Russians who are not spies in the U. Maria Butina, a year-old Russian woman, who lived in D. I never lied or held any secrets. Ignorance of law, however, is not an excuse, in the U. And so I humbly request forgiveness.

The source, who has close ties to U. They see us as their main adversary, the main enemy. Buried in the questionnaire Evanina filled out for his Senate confirmation is a question asking whether he had any plans for a career after government. When I asked him about this, he admitted that this is becoming less common among intelligence officials his age.

If a former intelligence officer lands a job at a prominent government contractor, such as Booz Allen Hamilton or DynCorp International, he or she can expect to be well compensated.

But others find themselves in less lucrative posts, or try to strike out on their own. Evanina told me that Chinese intelligence operatives pose online as Chinese professors, think-tank experts, or executives. They usually propose a trip to China as a business opportunity.

And they get compromised. Once a target is in China, Chinese operatives might try to get the person to start passing over sensitive information in degrees.

But by then the trap is set. And then they can blackmail you. It was money. Money was also the lure in two similar cases, in which suspects were convicted of lesser charges than espionage.

Both apparently began their relationship with Chinese intelligence officers while still employed in sensitive U. In , Kun Shan Chun , a veteran FBI employee who had a top-secret security clearance, pleaded guilty to acting as an agent of China.

In exchange, Claiborne provided copies of State Department documents and analysis, prosecutors said. Larry Chin, a CIA translator, was arrested in on charges of selling classified information to China over the course of three decades.

Whenever a current or former U. Two decades ago, Chinese intelligence officers were largely seen as relatively amateurish, even sloppy, a former U. Usually, their English was poor. They were clumsy. They used predictable covers. Chinese military intelligence officers masquerading as civilians often failed to hide a military bearing and could come across as almost laughably uptight. Typically their main targets tended to be of Chinese descent.

In recent years, however, Chinese intelligence officers have become more sophisticated—they can come across as suave, personable, even genteel. Their manners can be fluid. Their English is usually good. The Ministry of Public Security focuses on domestic intelligence, but also has agents abroad.

They aggressively use Chinese travelers to the US, especially business representatives, academics, scientists, students, and tourists, to supplement their intelligence collection. US intelligence experts have been amazed at how voracious the Chinese have been in their collection activity. If veteran American spies are vulnerable to Chinese espionage, U. In some cases, targeting the private sector and targeting U.