It was August 1st, 1985, a year so full of espionage drama that it has since become known as "The Year of the Spy." The CIA had been suspiciously losing Soviet assets one after another. Just as the Agency was beginning to suspect a leak, around the world in Italy, a KGB Colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko made his way to the American Embassy in Rome, ready to trade Soviet intelligence in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the U.S. The first secret he revealed: The CIA had a mole in its midst. Two secrets he doesn't mention: Yurchenko believes he's dying, and wants to spend his last months reunited with a woman he met while stationed in America.

It was August 1st, 1985, a year so full of espionage drama that it has since become known as "The Year of the Spy." The CIA had been suspiciously losing Soviet assets one after another. Just as the Agency was beginning to suspect a leak, around the world in Italy, a KGB Colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko made his way to the American Embassy in Rome, ready to trade Soviet intelligence in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the U.S. The first secret he revealed: The CIA had a mole in its midst. Two secrets he doesn't mention: Yurchenko believes he's dying, and wants to spend his last months reunited with a woman he met while stationed in America.

It was August 1st, 1985, a year so full of espionage drama that it has since become known as "The Year of the Spy." The CIA had been suspiciously losing Soviet assets one after another. Just as the Agency was beginning to suspect a leak, around the world in Italy, a KGB Colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko made his way to the American Embassy in Rome, ready to trade Soviet intelligence in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the U.S. The first secret he revealed: The CIA had a mole in its midst. Two secrets he doesn't mention: Yurchenko believes he's dying, and wants to spend his last months reunited with a woman he met while stationed in America.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Walk-in | Chapter 1

It was 1985, the so-called “Year of the Spy”. The CIA had been losing Soviet assets left and right; the first loss seemed like bad luck, but four in a row? That wasn't coincidence — it was a deadly leak. And just as the Agency was scrambling to find answers, across the world, a KGB colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko walked into the American embassy in Rome and volunteered his services in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the United States.

At the time, Yurchenko was the highest ranked KGB officer ever to defect to America, and the Agency felt it had hit the jackpot. Instead, his defection would go on to become one of the most dizzying, high stakes espionage debacles of the last century. Although many of his bombshell revelations were bonafide, a doubt soon began haunting the intelligence community: Was Vitaly Yurchenko telling the whole truth? And if not... What had he been sent to hide? 

Join host Julie Cohn in this ten-part series featuring interviews with CIA officers, bodyguards, FBI Special Agents, reporters and even a former KGB general as she uncovers the truth behind the decades-long Vitaly Yurchenko mystery.

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It was 1985, the so-called “Year of the Spy”. The CIA had been losing Soviet assets left and right; the first loss seemed like bad luck, but four in a row? That wasn't coincidence — it was a deadly leak. And just as the Agency was scrambling to find answers, across the world, a KGB colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko walked into the American embassy in Rome and volunteered his services in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the United States. At the time, Yurchenko was the highest ranked KGB officer ever to defect to America, and the Agency felt it had hit the jackpot. Instead, his defection would go on to become one of the most dizzying, high stakes espionage debacles of the last century. Although many of his bombshell revelations were bonafide, a doubt soon began haunting the intelligence community: Was Vitaly Yurchenko telling the whole truth? And if not... What had he been sent to hide? Join host Julie Cohn in this ten-part series featuring interviews with CIA officers, bodyguards, FBI Special Agents, reporters and even a former KGB general as she uncovers the truth behind the decades-long Vitaly Yurchenko mystery.

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The Walk-in | Chapter 1

The Walk-in | Chapter 1

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