Inside Russia’s Spy Unit Targeting Americans

The Journal.

The Wall Street Journal

Business News, Daily News, News

4.2 • 5.8K Ratings

🗓️ 17 July 2023

⏱️ 16 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Slashed tires, moved bookcases, a dead dog. For years, U.S. diplomats posted to Russia have experienced some strange things. WSJ’s Joe Parkinson and Drew Hinshaw report on the little-known spy unit, which U.S. officials believe is responsible for the surveillance and harassment of Americans in Russia, including WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich. Further Reading: - Inside the Secretive Russian Security Force That Targets Americans - Putin, Isolated and Distrustful, Leans on Handful of Hard-Line Advisers Further Listening: - A WSJ Reporter Arrested in Russia - Russian Court Upholds WSJ Reporter’s Detention Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	My name is Peter Zouac, retired U.S. Army Brigadier General.
0:12.6	I was in Moscow serving as our senior U.S. defense attaché.
0:21.0	Peter served in Moscow from 2012 to 2014.
0:24.8	And during that time, he noticed some strange things.
0:29.7	At the time, he was driving and saw someone tailing his car from above.
0:35.7	We had a helicopter just there hovering for a while as we were driving along.
0:42.4	Sometimes his family would come home and just sense that something was off.
0:48.8	There would just be strange signs that somebody had been in your apartment.
0:56.7	My son lost his watch or thought his watch was moving and then one day,
1:01.0	a week or two later, the watch was sitting there on the floor.
1:05.3	Just just just odd and clothing moves and it's kind of a tap on the shoulder that we know you're here.
1:14.8	A tap on the shoulder from Russia's spy network.
1:19.4	You have to make the assumption when you're in Moscow that you were under surveillance.
1:23.9	You're being followed one way or the other.
1:28.5	Peter is one of many Americans who said they've experienced unsettling things in Russia.
1:34.5	Americans, including our colleague Evan Gershkovich, who was followed by several Russian security officers.
1:42.5	Earlier this year, Evan was arrested on espionage charges.
1:46.4	Charges that he and the Wall Street Journal vehemently deny.
1:51.2	Now, after months of reporting, the journal has uncovered that one secret unit in Russia's powerful spy agency is behind it all.
2:03.8	Welcome to the journal, our show about money, business and power.
2:08.7	I'm Kate Leinbach. It's Monday, July 17th.
2:17.3	Coming up on the show, this secretive Russian security force targeting Americans.
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