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🎧 Spymasters — The Spy Who Knew Too Much: Vasily Mitrokin and the KGB's Secret History
What happens when the keeper of secrets decides to tell the truth?
We explore:
Mitrokin’s quiet rebellion inside the KGB archive
How the Prague Spring shattered his faith in the Soviet system
The years-long process of secretly copying and hiding thousands of classified documents
His dramatic defection — and the West’s initial skepticism
The long-term impact of the Mitrokin Archive on our understanding of Cold War espionage
🔍 Based on A Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera
Vasily Mitrokin was a senior KGB archivist who became deeply disillusioned with Soviet ideology.
Over more than a decade, he secretly copied thousands of classified files detailing Soviet espionage around the world.
His work offers unparalleled insights into KGB operations, agent networks, and Cold War strategies.
The defection was logistically and emotionally complex, hampered by the sheer volume of documents.
Western intelligence agencies were at first hesitant to believe him.
The Mitrokin Archive has transformed the study of Cold War intelligence.
00:00 — Introduction to The Spy in the Archive
Vasily Mitrokin, KGB, Cold War, espionage, intelligence, defection, Soviet Union, Prague Spring, archives, whistleblower, Gordon Corera, MI6, CIA, Western intelligence, Mitrokin Archive, communism, secrets, spycraft
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
5
33 ratings
🎧 Spymasters — The Spy Who Knew Too Much: Vasily Mitrokin and the KGB's Secret History
What happens when the keeper of secrets decides to tell the truth?
We explore:
Mitrokin’s quiet rebellion inside the KGB archive
How the Prague Spring shattered his faith in the Soviet system
The years-long process of secretly copying and hiding thousands of classified documents
His dramatic defection — and the West’s initial skepticism
The long-term impact of the Mitrokin Archive on our understanding of Cold War espionage
🔍 Based on A Spy in the Archive by Gordon Corera
Vasily Mitrokin was a senior KGB archivist who became deeply disillusioned with Soviet ideology.
Over more than a decade, he secretly copied thousands of classified files detailing Soviet espionage around the world.
His work offers unparalleled insights into KGB operations, agent networks, and Cold War strategies.
The defection was logistically and emotionally complex, hampered by the sheer volume of documents.
Western intelligence agencies were at first hesitant to believe him.
The Mitrokin Archive has transformed the study of Cold War intelligence.
00:00 — Introduction to The Spy in the Archive
Vasily Mitrokin, KGB, Cold War, espionage, intelligence, defection, Soviet Union, Prague Spring, archives, whistleblower, Gordon Corera, MI6, CIA, Western intelligence, Mitrokin Archive, communism, secrets, spycraft
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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