Let us examine all this rigmarole about the sleeper Russian spies unearthed in mid-snooze this week by the FBI. First allow me to explain why you should take any notice of my musings. I have been to Russia and its outlying republics numerous times, often on rather edgy assignments. This would include a 1996 commission for a U.S. mag to investigate the Russian flesh trade, which at the time was being run largely by former KGB personnel.
On that occasion and on others down the years, I've been followed, threatened, chased, roughed up, abused, incompetently and opaquely approached by seductive and not very seductive operatives. Luckily I'm normally too slow-witted ever to respond to blandishments, even to recognize them, until the moment has passed. The rest of the time I've bolted.
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