The Shadow War: A Spy Thriller Novel Unveils the Hidden Threat of Russian Sleeper Cells in the U.S.

The Americans TV hit portrayed the real-life U.S. counterintelligence operation of 2013

Russian sleeper spy cells operating inside the U.S. are a very real threat, as evidenced by recent instances of sleeper cells being uncovered. In THE SHADOW WAR spy thriller novel, CIA spymaster Corey Pearson embarks on a perilous mission to track down a mysterious figure known as the "Invisible Killer". The Russian spy has murdered CIA agents and runs sleeper cell spy networks in America, preparing for a coordinated attack that would bring the nation to its knees.

     As Pearson navigates a dangerous web of lies and deceit to stop the Invisible Killer before it is too late, readers will learn the threat that Russian sleeper cells pose to America...in real life.

     Russian espionage operations inside the U.S. have a long and storied history. In the 1940s and 1950s, the Soviet Union infiltrated the U.S. government with spies such as the infamous Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were convicted of passing atomic secrets to the Soviets. During the Cold War, the KGB used sleeper cells to spy on the U.S. and its allies, often embedding agents for years before activating them.

     More recently, in 2010, a group of Russian spies, including sleeper agent Anna Chapman, were arrested by the FBI. The group operated in the U.S. for four years, posing as ordinary citizens while working to gather intelligence and build relationships with powerful figures in American society. Chapman and the other spies were eventually deported back to Russia in a high-profile prisoner exchange.

     I’m sure that U.S. counterintelligence teams were burning the midnight oil as they uncovered Anna Chapman and began tracking more and more Russian sleeper agents lurking among us. After all, Anna Chapman led them to other members of the Russian spy ring who made contact with various individuals and organizations as well.

   One notable contact was an "unidentified Manhattan-based financier", a person who Anna Chapman met with several times during her time in the U.S. She attempted to gather information from this individual, but it is not clear what information she was seeking or what her ultimate goal was.

    Counterintelligence believes the financier was involved in the hedge fund industry, but it is unclear whether or not the financier was aware of Chapman's true identity or the fact that she was a Russian spy. The details of Chapman's interactions with the financier have been kept under wraps, but this individual was one of several contacts that Chapman and other members of the Russian spy ring made in their efforts to gather intelligence and build relationships with influential individuals.

     Cynthia Murphy was another member of the Russian spy ring who made contact with a former high-ranking official in the US government. She was arrested along with Anna Chapman in 2010. Murphy, whose real name is Lydia Guryeva, was posing as a stay-at-home mother in suburban New Jersey at the time of her arrest.

     Murphy was directed by her Russian handlers to establish contact with a former high-ranking official in the US government, who counterintelligence has not publicly identified. Murphy gathered information from and maintained a relationship with him for quite some time. Like the other members of the spy ring, she was eventually deported back to Russia as part of a prisoner exchange. BTW, the Murphy incident was the reason I wrote the article “Russian Spy Sleeper Cells Are Everywhere!” a while back.

     We all remember Carter Page, the American businessman and former foreign policy advisor to the 2016 presidential campaign of Donald Trump. He has been the subject of controversy due to his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign and subsequent investigations into Russian interference in the election. Page denied any wrongdoing and has not been charged with any crimes related to the investigations.

     However, one of the Russian sleeper cell spies in Anna Chapman’s group was Igor Sporyshev. U.S. counterintelligence revealed that Sporyshev attempted to recruit Carter Page as a source. He approached Page at an energy symposium in New York City in 2013 and attempted to establish a relationship with him.

     Over the next two years, Sporyshev and another member of the spy ring, Victor Podobnyy, made several attempts to cultivate Page as a source, offering him favors and gifts in exchange for information about US energy policy and other topics.

     This attempt to recruit Page was part of a broader effort by Russian intelligence to interfere in the 2016 US presidential election, including the use of hacking and propaganda campaigns to influence the outcome.

     The contacts between the Russian sleeper cell and members of the Trump campaign were scrutinized by US counterintelligence and law enforcement. The full extent of the contacts between the Russian spy ring and individuals associated with the Trump campaign, including Carter Page, remains unclear. However, this long-term, concerted effort to recruit Page as a source demonstrates the extent to which the Russian government will go to create and maintain spy sleeper cells inside America and use them to infiltrate US political circles.

     Another lesser-known incident involved a New York City real estate developer and Vicky Pelaez, yet another member of Chapman’s Russian spy ring. Pelaez, whose real name is Mikhaela Kott, posed as a journalist for a Spanish-language newspaper in New York City. She established a close relationship with the developer, and her Russian handlers directed her to use this relationship to gather information about US economic and political issues. The FBI arrested her in 2013 and deported her back to Russia in the high-profile prisoner swap.

     U.S. counterintelligence placed another member under intense surveillance: Juan Lazaro. He was directed by his Russian handlers to seek out contacts at American University in Washington D.C. His mission was to identify potential recruits and sources of information.

     Lazaro and his wife, who were living under false identities, had enrolled in a graduate program at the university in order to establish contacts with students and faculty members who might be of interest to Russian intelligence. However, specific information or intelligence the couple may have gathered during their time at the university has not been released by U.S. authorities.

     These are just a few examples of the very real threat posed by Russian sleeper cells operating inside the U.S. In THE SHADOW WAR, I take readers inside the world of Russian espionage and sleeper cells, exploring the dangers posed by these highly trained and deeply embedded agents. But the reality of Russian sleeper cells operating within America is not confined to the pages of fiction. It is a very real and ongoing threat, one that demands our attention and our action. The potential damage that these agents could inflict upon our nation is immense, and we cannot afford to let our guard down.

     Recent incidents of sleeper cells being uncovered and the historical evidence of Soviet infiltration of the U.S. government show the extent of the threat. The 2010 case involving Anna Chapman and her spy ring, including attempts to recruit individuals such as Carter Page, highlights the lengths to which the Russian government will go to infiltrate U.S. political circles.

     As long as these sleeper cells remain active and undetected, the danger they pose to American national security cannot be underestimated. It is up to U.S. counterintelligence teams to remain vigilant and continue their efforts to identify and neutralize these threats before it is too late. 

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.