‘Renaissance of illegals’: Since its war in Ukraine, Russia is relying more on bargain basement spies

FILE - Pablo Gonzalez, a freelance journalist from Spain who had been based in Poland since 2019, second from left with shaved head, listens to Russian President Vladimir Putin, back to camera, speaking to "swapped" Russian prisoners upon their arrival in Moscow on Aug. 1, 2024. FILE - Oihana Goiriena, wife of journalist Pablo Gonzalez, shows a picture of her husband on her phone, after he was detained by Polish authorities on espionage charges, in Nabarniz, Spain, March 5, 2022.

They are known as “illegals” — spies who operate under the guise of normal jobs.