Dave Davies

Tell us what their training was like. This is really interesting. When they decided they are going to be sent to a foreign country to embed as in so-called illegal.

Tell us what their training was like. This is really interesting. When they decided they are going to be sent to a foreign country to embed as in so-called illegal.

Tell us what their training was like. This is really interesting. When they decided they are going to be sent to a foreign country to embed as in so-called illegal.

We need to take another break here. Let me reintroduce you. We are speaking with Sean Walker. He is an international correspondent for The Guardian. His new book is The Illegals, Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

We need to take another break here. Let me reintroduce you. We are speaking with Sean Walker. He is an international correspondent for The Guardian. His new book is The Illegals, Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

We need to take another break here. Let me reintroduce you. We are speaking with Sean Walker. He is an international correspondent for The Guardian. His new book is The Illegals, Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West. He'll be back to talk more after this short break. I'm Dave Davies, and this is Fresh Air.

We're speaking with Sean Walker, international correspondent for The Guardian. When we left off, Walker was talking about Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, a married couple recruited from their college in Siberia and trained for years to be sent on a mission to embed in the United States. So they had two sons, Timothy and Alexander, who as far as they knew were Canadian, right?

We're speaking with Sean Walker, international correspondent for The Guardian. When we left off, Walker was talking about Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, a married couple recruited from their college in Siberia and trained for years to be sent on a mission to embed in the United States. So they had two sons, Timothy and Alexander, who as far as they knew were Canadian, right?

We're speaking with Sean Walker, international correspondent for The Guardian. When we left off, Walker was talking about Andrei Bezrukov and Elena Vavilova, a married couple recruited from their college in Siberia and trained for years to be sent on a mission to embed in the United States. So they had two sons, Timothy and Alexander, who as far as they knew were Canadian, right?

And the couple were making their way to the United States when to their shock, the Soviet Union was changing rapidly. Gorbachev was opening up the society and in 1989, the Berlin Wall falls and the satellite states around the Soviet Union are demanding independence. And this couple, who are known as Don Heathfield and Ann Foley, are in a motel room in Buffalo in 1991. And what do they see on CNN?

And the couple were making their way to the United States when to their shock, the Soviet Union was changing rapidly. Gorbachev was opening up the society and in 1989, the Berlin Wall falls and the satellite states around the Soviet Union are demanding independence. And this couple, who are known as Don Heathfield and Ann Foley, are in a motel room in Buffalo in 1991. And what do they see on CNN?

And the couple were making their way to the United States when to their shock, the Soviet Union was changing rapidly. Gorbachev was opening up the society and in 1989, the Berlin Wall falls and the satellite states around the Soviet Union are demanding independence. And this couple, who are known as Don Heathfield and Ann Foley, are in a motel room in Buffalo in 1991. And what do they see on CNN?

Right. So all of these agents that are all around – in 1991, I guess the KGB is disbanded, right? So the instructions stop coming. The money stops coming and they have to decide what they're going to do. What do all these agents that are around or the so-called illegals do? I guess they took different courses.

Right. So all of these agents that are all around – in 1991, I guess the KGB is disbanded, right? So the instructions stop coming. The money stops coming and they have to decide what they're going to do. What do all these agents that are around or the so-called illegals do? I guess they took different courses.

Right. So all of these agents that are all around – in 1991, I guess the KGB is disbanded, right? So the instructions stop coming. The money stops coming and they have to decide what they're going to do. What do all these agents that are around or the so-called illegals do? I guess they took different courses.

All right. Well, we'll see what happens to this couple after we take a break here. Let me reintroduce you. We're speaking to Sean Walker. He's an international correspondent for The Guardian. His new book is The Illegals, Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West. We'll continue our conversation after this break. This is Fresh Air.

All right. Well, we'll see what happens to this couple after we take a break here. Let me reintroduce you. We're speaking to Sean Walker. He's an international correspondent for The Guardian. His new book is The Illegals, Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West. We'll continue our conversation after this break. This is Fresh Air.

All right. Well, we'll see what happens to this couple after we take a break here. Let me reintroduce you. We're speaking to Sean Walker. He's an international correspondent for The Guardian. His new book is The Illegals, Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West. We'll continue our conversation after this break. This is Fresh Air.

So the Russian government begins to revive the program under Vladimir Putin. And so once again, they are now filing reports on things they're observing in the United States. Unfortunately for them, the FBI got onto them in part because a Russian agent who knew all about this, who was right in the middle of this program, flipped and started providing information.

So the Russian government begins to revive the program under Vladimir Putin. And so once again, they are now filing reports on things they're observing in the United States. Unfortunately for them, the FBI got onto them in part because a Russian agent who knew all about this, who was right in the middle of this program, flipped and started providing information.