Witting or unwitting doesn’t always matter. In many cases, the Russian services prefer it if you *don’t* know you’re working for them. The least trustworthy assets, historically, are those who do it for the money—if they’re your targets, it is best to hide who you are precisely because of their mercenary (i.e. duplicitous) nature.

There was a time when the thought of working for Moscow for money was anathema to those who happily volunteered to do so. Idealistic Communists or anti-fascists in the 20s and 30s. The cynicism of Stalinism led to a decline in the species of agent (among other degenerative

Another type is the eccentric egomaniac who thinks he possesses a special talent for discovery or some secret knowledge, which his handler is all too eager to encourage him to keep on thinking he possesses. The man spoon-fed falsehoods cooked up in Russia who passes them off as