Soviet 'Illegals' - Apprehension
Many of the spies who were part of the Soviet illegals program either completed their careers undetected and moved back home to the Soviet Union or escaped back to the Soviet Union before the FBI or other government agencies were able to capture them. However, other spies were not as fortunate and ended up being apprehended. There were two main ways that spies would typically be apprehended. First, spies who had already been captured and interrogated would turn on their former colleagues, betraying them and leading the FBI to their location. This was typically done in exchange for a lighter prison sentence, diplomatic immunity, or some other incentive. Other spies however, remained loyal and never gave up their cohorts.
Another way spies have been apprehended is through specialized government operations that targeted them. One of these operations was knows as operation Ghost Stories. Operation Ghost Stories, led by the FBI, lasted for more than a decade and culminated in October 2010 with the arrest of 10 Russian spies. Operatives from the FBI's counterintelligence division spent years painstakingly observing and gathering evidence against these Russian sleeper agents before they finally moved in and made arrests. Although this particular ring of spies never got their hands on any classified documents or information, it served as a chilling reminder that there are those who are willing to risk everything in order to obtain what the United States has.
One thing to keep in mind about these spies who were apprehended is that many of them had families including children. The majority of the time these children had no idea that their parents were spies, let alone the fact that they were actually from Russia. What typically happened to these children after their parents were arrested is that they'd be stripped of their U.S. citizenship and immediately deported to Russia. The children who were lucky would be taken in and cared for by their parents KGB colleagues in Moscow. Those who weren't so lucky found themselves going from a normal American kid to a Russian kid on their own overnight. Either way, the children were in for a massive culture shock.
Another way spies have been apprehended is through specialized government operations that targeted them. One of these operations was knows as operation Ghost Stories. Operation Ghost Stories, led by the FBI, lasted for more than a decade and culminated in October 2010 with the arrest of 10 Russian spies. Operatives from the FBI's counterintelligence division spent years painstakingly observing and gathering evidence against these Russian sleeper agents before they finally moved in and made arrests. Although this particular ring of spies never got their hands on any classified documents or information, it served as a chilling reminder that there are those who are willing to risk everything in order to obtain what the United States has.
One thing to keep in mind about these spies who were apprehended is that many of them had families including children. The majority of the time these children had no idea that their parents were spies, let alone the fact that they were actually from Russia. What typically happened to these children after their parents were arrested is that they'd be stripped of their U.S. citizenship and immediately deported to Russia. The children who were lucky would be taken in and cared for by their parents KGB colleagues in Moscow. Those who weren't so lucky found themselves going from a normal American kid to a Russian kid on their own overnight. Either way, the children were in for a massive culture shock.
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