[Russia's Spies Still Using "Gifts" from KGB of the Late Soviet Era]

On May 22, The New York Times published an article stating that after exposing Russia's spy network in the country, Brazil's counterintelligence agencies speculated that the Brazilian birth certificates used by the exposed Russian spies might have been made by KGB agents in the last few years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, hoping that future generations of spies could use these documents.

The investigation found that members of the Russian spy network used real Brazilian birth certificates issued by official authorities, and no signs of forgery were discovered during forensic analysis. An anonymous senior investigator said, "The ink is ordinary, and the paper is normal." However, the information on the documents was false. Brazilian authorities found that the parents listed on the certificates either did not exist or had never given birth to children with the same names.

Brazilian counterintelligence agencies speculated that KGB spies from the Soviet era obtained birth certificates under the fictitious names of infants, "hoping that future generations of spies could take the documents and continue to confront the West."

In one birth certificate, the father's name matched the Brazilianized alias of a Russian who had once operated in South America and Europe (belonging to an earlier generation of spies). A person from a Western intelligence agency said this might be "a hint from one generation of spies to another."

This long-term planning aligns with the style of Russia's intelligence agencies - unlike Western agencies' focus on short-term operational benefits, Russian intelligence culture often emphasizes creative long-term strategies. This approach "fits the patient and intergenerational thinking of Russian intelligence agencies when constructing the legends of their spies."

The New York Times previously revealed that at least nine Russian spies were uncovered in Brazil, and for the first time disclosed the names of six of them. One female spy, Olga Tsetereva, has returned to Russia and lives openly under her real surname in Magadan as a teacher, member of a mountaineering association, instructor of master classes, and media interviewee.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832889933608016/

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