Inside Russia’s Spy Factory in Brazil: Deep-Cover Operatives Targeting the U.S. episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 13, 2025 · 59 MIN

Inside Russia’s Spy Factory in Brazil: Deep-Cover Operatives Targeting the U.S.

from Change Agents with Andy Stumpf · host IRONCLAD

On today’s episode, Andy sits down with Michael Schwirtz, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and national security reporter for The New York Times. They discuss a recent investigation that uncovered a Russian “spy factory” in Brazil, where spies created credible long-term identities under the Illegals program. These operatives are trained to conduct deep-cover missions targeting countries including the U.S. Schwirtz also explains the challenges intelligence agencies face with modern technology, the role of Brazilian authorities in uncovering these spies, and the complexities of international spy swaps. Change Agents is an IRONCLAD Original Sponsors  Firecracker Farm Use code IRONCLAD to get 15% off your first order at https://firecracker.farm/ AmmoSquared  Visit https://ammosquared.com/ today for a special offer and keep yourself fully stocked. With over 100,000 members and thousands of 5-star ratings, Your readiness is their mission. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 13, 2025

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Inside Russia’s Spy Factory in Brazil: Deep-Cover Operatives Targeting the U.S.

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