"Every job and every individual has their own specific character," he told The Moscow Times in a phone interview. Viktor Cherkashin, Lyubimov's colleague, who famously recruited CIA officer Aldrich Ames and FBI agent Robert Hanssen in the 1980s, said the hiring process is extremely detailed. "This requires both systemic work and an individualized approach at the same time," he said in a phone interview with The Moscow Times. "Usually we don't like those who apply by themselves," said Mikhail Lyubimov, a former Soviet spy, referring to such applicants as "initsiativniki" (those who initiate by themselves).Īccording to Lyubimov, far superior is the method of active recruitment, whereby security officials approach promising potential candidates and lure them over. A candidate must make it through a long and difficult selection process," it says.Īnd even if an aspiring spy endures the process admirably - fulfilling all requirements, submitting all documentation, complying with all requests - he or she is highly unlikely to ever receive an actual job offer. Perhaps unsurprisingly, foreigners need not apply. "The SVR is interested in filling its ranks with talented, well-educated, physically fit, brave and active young patriots, who are fluent in foreign languages," boasts an announcement posted on the agency's website. Another offshoot of the KGB - the Federal Security Service, or FSB - also conducts limited activities in the former Soviet republics. The SVR is a successor to the KGB's First Chief Directorate, which was in charge of foreign operations and intelligence-gathering. Petersburg City Hall under the leadership of Anatoly Sobchak and ultimately to the Kremlin.ĭuring his fourth year of legal studies, Putin was approached by a KGB representative to arrange his post-graduation employment, he says in his autobiography "First Person: An Astonishingly Frank Self-Portrait by Russia's President."įast-forward nearly five decades, and Putin would have only had to visit the website of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) to familiarize himself with the requirements and obtain an application.īut what appears on the surface to be an exceedingly simple procedure is in fact a hotbed of nepotism, replete with hurdles only a select few individuals can expect to overcome, according to security experts. Putin went on to apply to the law faculty at Leningrad State University, a path that would ultimately lead him up the ranks of the KGB, then on to St. The current president was only in high school at the time. Wary of unsolicited applicants, the KGB officers turned Putin away, but not without some valuable advice: Go get an education, preferably in law. Having a younger sibling is always helpful too, because they can usually out cute any foe you might come across- or to infiltrate the enemy's hideout, because they are smaller and a lot more trustworthy because of their age.When a young Vladimir Putin decided to fulfill his childhood dream of becoming a spy, he headed to the local branch of the KGB in Soviet Leningrad.But don't let just anyone into your team you need skilled spies, not grunt men. Sometimes it's good to have a teammate that's strong, like for heavy lifting or hard tasks that involve strength.If you have a friend that’s great at thinking outside of the box and is quick on his or her feet, add them to the mix. The tech member can also make maps, plans, charts, and notes about the secret mission. If you do decide to form a team, you should have one teammate who knows a lot about technology, such as computer shortcuts and knowledge of gadgets.Secrets can definitely be kept a lot easier when it’s just you. If you decide to be alone, that’s okay, too. Your teammates can back you up and can help complete your mission faster (with the right group, of course!). Spying is safer and more fun with two or more people.