#32 Shaun Walker: Inside the Brutal Life of Russia's Elite Spies

How do elite Russian spies operate? How are they recruited and trained, and what makes the life of these "Illegals" so miserable?Support the podcast on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/DrMarcelDirsus In this episode of The Next Best, host Marcel Dirsus sits down with Shaun Walker, foreign correspondent for The Guardian and author of "The Illegals". They dive deep into the brutal psychological reality, extreme recruitment methods, and history of Russia’s deep-cover intelligence network—from the Soviet era to Putin’s modern-day spy ring. They also discuss the sacrifices made by spy families, the recent DHL parcel plots and sabotage ops in Europe, and how Western intelligence successfully uncovered Putin’s invasion plans for Ukraine. Get Shaun Walker’s book "The Illegals": https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671708/the-illegals-by-shaun-walker/ Read Shaun's Guardian Article: https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2026/feb/20/a-war-foretold-cia-mi6-putin-ukraine-plans-russia The Next Best with Marcel Dirsus offers deep dives into geopolitics and international relations. We provide serious political commentary on foreign policy challenges, modern warfare, and global security.