Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe • Hacker News Board

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#41

Post by temporarely » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:48 PM UTC

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #9

This is my semi annual plug for all of you to watch the fantastic and somehow forgotten FX network TV show, The Americans, A spy drama set in Washington DC in the 1980s about KGB “illegals” posing as travel agents. It’s way better than any basic cable TV show had any right to be. Plus, all seasons are streaming on Hulu, so you don’t have to worry about whether the story will be completed. https://www.hulu.com/series/…

The most realistic Russian sleeper scenario imo was in Slow Horses. Brits don't insult your intelligence too greatly in their spook shows; the American variety always involves some sort of super-human characters. It's good as entertainment, the Americans, but just over the top.

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#42

Post by Glacia » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:48 PM UTC

acdha wrote: post #36

Klaster_1 wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Insider has been systematically repressed by the Putin's regime: * "Foreign agent" label in 2021. This means massive restrictions on income sources and a target of gradually increasing restrictions as years go by. * "Undesirable organization" in 2022. Donating to such organizations is a criminal offense. * Roman Dobrokhotov - the Insider founder - has been wanted in Russia since 2021.

How does that not translate into the .ru domain name being seized?

Why seize a domain when you can just block it country wide?

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#43

Post by dylan604 » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:48 PM UTC

amarant wrote: post #6

Wow that story is like something straight out of spy-romanticising drama! Crazy that such undercover agents really exist! Also, I wonder what the pay is like? Or how it even works.. probably best to not leave a obvious money trail between state and spy..

Your pay is whatever job you have as a cover pays you. If you were getting additional pay to that, then it would be a red flag when the various agencies investigate you.

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#44

Post by thriftwy » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:49 PM UTC

dralley wrote: post #29

thriftwy wrote: post #20

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How is the motive "not there"? Skripal was seen as a traitor, having acted as a double-agent for British Intelligence. There's a clear pattern of Putin going after "traitors" - Alexander Litvinenko had publicly accused Putin of conducting assassinations and organizing false terrorist attacks before fleeing to the UK and famously being assassinated with Polonium there. Maksim Kuzminov was just assassinated in Spain a…

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Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#45

Post by dylan604 » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:52 PM UTC

fnord77 wrote: post #4

Can't wait for the HBO series

You hope it's an HBO series and not a Netflix one. I'd be very happy if the producers of Chernobyl worked on it

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#46

Post by withinboredom » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:53 PM UTC

amarant wrote: post #6

Wow that story is like something straight out of spy-romanticising drama! Crazy that such undercover agents really exist! Also, I wonder what the pay is like? Or how it even works.. probably best to not leave a obvious money trail between state and spy..

Spies often work for free, based on their ideologies. Agents, on the other hand, usually get paid whatever their normal pay is (aka, rank), plus danger pay and per-diem, where applicable.

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#47

Post by krunck » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:54 PM UTC

amarant wrote: post #6

Wow that story is like something straight out of spy-romanticising drama! Crazy that such undercover agents really exist! Also, I wonder what the pay is like? Or how it even works.. probably best to not leave a obvious money trail between state and spy..

EVERY powerful country has them. Some are just good enough to not get caught.

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#48

Post by walthamstow » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:55 PM UTC

aaronbrethorst wrote: post #9

This is my semi annual plug for all of you to watch the fantastic and somehow forgotten FX network TV show, The Americans, A spy drama set in Washington DC in the 1980s about KGB “illegals” posing as travel agents. It’s way better than any basic cable TV show had any right to be. Plus, all seasons are streaming on Hulu, so you don’t have to worry about whether the story will be completed. https://www.hulu.com/series/…

I dunno. I watched the first few episodes over COVID and I thought it just the same as any US cable show: sex, crash-bangs and manufactured plot twists.

Maybe I'm wrong but IIRC there's a sex scene in the first five minutes of the pilot. Like, don't insult my intelligence.

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#49

Post by dilyevsky » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:56 PM UTC

thriftwy wrote: post #14

tucnak wrote: post #10

> Elena was also deeply involved with her husband’s enterprise and intimately aware of Imex’s operations. In many ways, she seemed to be supervising and directing Nikolay’s activities in direct coordination with Andrey Averyanov, the head of Unit 29155. She communicated with Gen. Andrey Averyanov via email; his Gmail address, registered from a Russian IP address, is vitazi31@gmail.com. (“Vitazi” in Russian means “kni…

Seems implause that a Russian speaker will drop a soft spot in the word витязи. I would definitely search for somebody who is named VITaly and whose last name starts with AZI.

It’s simpler - vitazi is “winners” in Slovakian where this guy was deployed.

Re: Husband and wife outed as GRU spies aiding bombings and poisonings across Europe

#50

Post by baybal2 » Mon, Apr 29, 2024, 4:57 PM UTC

amarant wrote: post #6

Wow that story is like something straight out of spy-romanticising drama! Crazy that such undercover agents really exist! Also, I wonder what the pay is like? Or how it even works.. probably best to not leave a obvious money trail between state and spy..

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