Resident Spies
Encyclopedia
In espionage operational techniques
, a chief of station may be known as a resident. There may also be multiple chiefs; for instance, Russia probably still operates GRU
military and SVR
civilian. There are two types of resident spies: legals and illegals. In Soviet usage, the operation controlled by the rezident was a rezidentura.
who operates in a foreign country under diplomatic cover
(e.g. from his country's embassy). He is an official member of the consular staff, such as a commercial, cultural or military attaché. Thus he has diplomatic immunity
from prosecution and cannot be arrested by the host country if suspected of espionage
. The most the host country can do is send him back to his home country.
; and Gordon Lonsdale who was born in Russia
, claimed to be Canadian and operated in Britain. Famous Soviet "illegals" include Richard Sorge
, Walter Krivitsky
, and Alexander Ulanovsky
.
Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques
The Clandestine HUMINT page deals with the functions of that discipline, including espionage and active counterintelligence. This page deals with Clandestine HUMINT operational techniques, also called "tradecraft". It applies to clandestine operations for espionage, and for a clandestine phase...
, a chief of station may be known as a resident. There may also be multiple chiefs; for instance, Russia probably still operates GRU
GRU
GRU or Glavnoye Razvedyvatel'noye Upravleniye is the foreign military intelligence directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation...
military and SVR
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
civilian. There are two types of resident spies: legals and illegals. In Soviet usage, the operation controlled by the rezident was a rezidentura.
Legal resident
A legal resident is a spySPY
SPY is a three-letter acronym that may refer to:* SPY , ticker symbol for Standard & Poor's Depositary Receipts* SPY , a satirical monthly, trademarked all-caps* SPY , airport code for San Pédro, Côte d'Ivoire...
who operates in a foreign country under diplomatic cover
Official cover
Official cover is a term used in espionage to refer to operatives who assume positions in organizations with diplomatic ties to the government for which they work....
(e.g. from his country's embassy). He is an official member of the consular staff, such as a commercial, cultural or military attaché. Thus he has diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity
Diplomatic immunity is a form of legal immunity and a policy held between governments that ensures that diplomats are given safe passage and are considered not susceptible to lawsuit or prosecution under the host country's laws...
from prosecution and cannot be arrested by the host country if suspected of espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
. The most the host country can do is send him back to his home country.
Illegal resident
An illegal resident is a spy who operates in a foreign country but without the cover of his embassy. Thus he cannot claim immunity from prosecution when arrested. He usually operates under a false name and has documents making him out to be an actual national or from a friendly country. Examples of such illegals include Rudolf Abel who operated in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
; and Gordon Lonsdale who was born in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, claimed to be Canadian and operated in Britain. Famous Soviet "illegals" include Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge
Richard Sorge was a German communist and spy who worked for the Soviet Union. He has gained great fame among espionage enthusiasts for his intelligence gathering during World War II. He worked as a journalist in both Germany and Japan, where he was imprisoned for spying and eventually hanged....
, Walter Krivitsky
Walter Krivitsky
Walter Germanovich Krivitsky was a Soviet intelligence officer who revealed plans of signing Nazi-Soviet non-aggression pact before defecting weeks before the outbreak of World War II....
, and Alexander Ulanovsky
Alexander Ulanovsky
Alexander Petrovich Ulanovsky was the chief illegal "rezident" for Soviet Military Intelligence , who was rezident the United States from 1931 until 1934 and later, with his family, prisoner in the Soviet gulag.-Background:Born into a Jewish family in Kishinev, , as Izrail...
.