Mitrokhin Archive
The KGB archive notes smuggled to Britain by Vasili Mitrokhin in 1992
Overview
Vasili Mitrokhin, a KGB archivist, spent years secretly copying foreign intelligence files before defecting to Britain in 1992, when MI6 exfiltrated him and his six trunks of handwritten notes. The archive exposed illegals, safe houses, and operations across Europe, feeding investigations and some prosecutions. Published in volumes by the historian Christopher Andrew, it offered a singular inside view of global KGB operations, though scholars note it reflects the files he could reach. It remains the richest single window into Soviet foreign intelligence.
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