NEWSLINK: “‘THE AMERICANS’ TRUE GIFT? LOOKING INSIDE THE MIND OF VLADIMIR PUTIN” – Wired/Emily Dreyfuss

Stylized Artist's Depiction of Shadowy Figures in Dark Coats and Dark Hats, One Carrying a Briefcase

“Before he was president of Russia, Vladimir Putin was an intelligence officer in Dresden, East Germany. His job there was to recruit ‘illegals,’ USSR spies who would embed in everyday life and report back to the KGB. If you’ve ever watched the FX show The Americans, then you’re familiar with how this all worked: The focal characters of that show are KGB illegals in the United States, working during the same time period Putin was running operations in East Germany. And while the show has no interest in Putin’s early political career, The Americans’ verisimilitude and unintentional prescience has proven to be a powerful educational tool for viewers-and one that gives crucial insight into the political ideology underpinning modern-day Russia. …”

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