CIA spy thriller- Russian sleeper spies detonate suitcase nuke inside America

 

Suitcase nuke

Russian sleeper cells, or deep cover agents, are like spies in a James Bond movie. They're secret operatives sent by the Russian government to sneak into American society and gather information or carry out covert activities. They might have been living in the US for years, often under fake identities, and might have even blended in as normal citizens while they wait for their mission to begin.

     It's no secret that the US intelligence agencies have been worried about Russian sleeper cells for a long time. We all remember the chilling TV series “The Americans”. It was based on a true story where, just in 2010, the FBI arrested 10 Russian spies who had been living in the US for over a decade, pretending to be American citizens. They were part of what was known as the "Illegals Program" and their goal was to infiltrate American society and gather information on US policy and politics.

     In recent years, the threat of Russian sleeper cells has become more real. In 2018, a Russian national was charged by the US government for acting as an agent of the Russian government and trying to infiltrate American political organizations. Another example of a Russian sleeper cell was in 2019, when the FBI arrested a Russian national, Maria Butina, who was charged with acting as an agent of a foreign government without prior notification to the attorney general. She was accused of infiltrating the National Rifle Association (NRA) and other organizations to gather intelligence and influence U.S. policy.

     Another example was in 2020, when a Russian national, Evgeniy Mikhailovich Bogachev, was indicted by the US government for his role in a cybercrime ring that conducted a massive computer fraud scheme and caused over $100 million in losses. He was also charged with money laundering, identity theft, and bank fraud and known as one of the most wanted cybercriminals in the world.

     In 2021, the US Justice department announced the charges of several Russian intelligence officers for their role in hacking the 2016 US presidential campaign, revealing a large-scale effort to interfere in the US democratic process. 

    In THE SHADOW WAR spy thriller, a vast network of Russian sleeper cells set up over the years inside the U.S. by a former KGB agent plans a major bioweapons attack in America’s heartland. Here’s a Snippet:

     The captured Russian soldier replied, “Because Putin was planning to blow a suitcase nuclear bomb off inside Ukraine, but he chickened out. He will not use suitcase nukes to restore the original Soviet bloc.

     CIA spymaster Corey Pearson asked, “What did he fear?”

     “Zakharov sends us monthly printouts, hand-delivered by his secret couriers. Nothing is ever sent online. The last one said that your President Biden threatened Putin on the U.S./Russia ‘red phone’ hotline, warning Putin that if he used nukes in Ukraine, the U.S. and NATO would immediately attack Russian troops inside Ukraine and sink every Russian warship in the Black Sea.”

    Corey Pearson shook his head in disbelief. “Then why wouldn’t Putin fear detonating a nuclear suitcase bomb inside the U.S., a nuclear superpower?”

     “Because Vavilova, Zakharov, and Smirnov convinced him to do so long ago, even before the Ukraine invasion. Putin plans to use Vavilova’s extensive sleeper cell network in the U.S. to oversee the details. It will explode outside and away from major population areas and Putin will declare plausible deniability.”

End of Snippet 

     To combat the threat of Russian sleeper cells, U.S. intelligence agencies have increased their efforts to identify and track individuals who may be working as covert operatives. This includes monitoring individuals who have ties to the Russian government, as well as conducting background checks on individuals who are seeking to immigrate to the United States from Russia.

     It's important to remember that most Russian immigrants and expats living in the US are normal, law-abiding citizens and are not a threat to national security. The concern is only about the small group of individuals who might be working as covert operatives for the Russian government. 

Robert Morton is a member of the Association of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and enjoys writing about the U.S. Intelligence Community. He authors the Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster series. Check out his latest spy thrillers: MISSION OF VENGEANCE.