Sign-In
Cart
KGB: Russian Spies, Spetsnaz Special Forces and Covert Operations from Hybrid Warfare to the Cold War to Ukraine
Paperback
Series: Battles & Commanders: The Tudor Finneran Military History Collection
Eastern European HistoryGeneral Military HistoryTrue Crime
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 17 2026
Pages: 78
Weight: 0.23
Height: 0.20 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
I was on a NATO press mission in Baku when a woman with striking green eyes sat down beside the hotel pool, told me her favorite book was The Prince, and invited me up to her room to read it. She said she was a real estate agent on holiday. She wasn't. I found out later she was a professional, working a known method, on a known target: me.
That night is where this book starts, but it's not really about me. It's about the century-long machine behind that woman at the pool - the institutions, doctrines, and people that make up Russia's spies and special forces, from the Cheka's revolutionary terror in 1917 through the KGB, the GRU, and Spetsnaz, to the FSB and SVR running the hybrid war Russia is fighting today.
This book traces that machine in full: the Cold War spy networks and disinformation campaigns that shaped how the West understood the Soviet Union; the birth of Spetsnaz and what it actually takes to train for a mission behind enemy lines; the brutal internal wars in Chechnya that taught Russian forces how to fight an insurgency; the seizure of Crimea and the proxy war in Donbas that became the template for modern hybrid warfare; and the miscalculations, in Georgia and then catastrophically in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, that show this system is dangerous but far from infallible.
Drawing on years spent in and around the Baltics, a background in international law and human rights, and personal encounters with Russian covert power - a family friend convicted of espionage, a beating by off-duty police in Russia, and that evening in Baku - this is narrative nonfiction written to explain how Russia actually uses power in the shadows, and why understanding it matters now more than at any point since the Cold War.
For anyone trying to make sense of the war in Ukraine, the hybrid pressure on NATO's eastern flank, or the machinery of a state that has treated secrecy and force as ordinary tools of governance for over a hundred years, this book is the place to start.
Also from
Finneran, Tudor
Brotherhood of Brutality: Inside the Aryan Brotherhood: America's Deadliest White Supremacist Prison Gang
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
The History of Chongqing: Mountains, Rivers, and the Making of China's Vertical Megacity
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Capture of the Grand Mughal Fleet: The Untold Story of Maritime Power, Treasure, and Betrayal in the Indian Ocean
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
The Cold Case Files: AMERICA'S MOST HAUNTING UNSOLVED MYSTERIES: True Crime Stories of America's Most Famous Unsolved Cases
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Why Men Love the Chase: A Woman's Guide to Male Attraction, Pursuit, and Commitment in the Modern Dating World.
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Money Matters: A guide to modern wealth creation and management for a rich and fulfilling life.
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Olmec Civilization: Mesoamerica's First Empire: Ancient History, Art and Legacy
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Don't waste your coffee or life: "A Book for Coffee Lovers: Tales of Curiosity, Connection, and Living Life to the Fullest"
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
The Art of the Con: A Narrative Nonfiction Exploration of History's Most Brilliant Con Artists
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Age of the Algorithm: Living, Working, and Thinking in the New Era of Machines
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Metaverse Burnout: Escaping Virtual Addiction in the Age of Infinite Reality
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Churchill's Choice: The Hidden Truth Behind World War II's Most Crucial Decision
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
In Chambers: In the courtroom, they're enemies. In chambers, they're everything.
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Southern Judges: A Murder Mystery Where Justice Wears a Mask and Innocence Dies at Midnight
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Under the Hood: The Ku Klux Klan's True Crime History and the Rise of American Racial Terror
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
The Last Human Skill: A How-To Guide for Mastering Communication-The Skill That Controls Everything Else
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
CIA Special Activities Centre: Inside the CIA's Most Classified Special Operations Unit and Its Secret Missions
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
The History of Xi'an: Discover the 3,000-Year Story of China's Most Important Ancient Capital
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Manic: A classified mission. A vanished squad. A descent into unspeakable horror.
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
America's Deadliest, Dirtiest and Downright Best: Most Lethal, Controversial & Unknown Military Units
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
True Crime of New Orleans: Murders, Mysteries and the Dark Side of the Crescent City
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Do You Know China?: 5,000 Years Told Through 88 Facts - The Story of China Like You've Never Heard It
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
America's Secret War in Iran: Operation TPAJAX and the Coup That Changed the Middle East
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
The Irish Republican Army: A Definitive History and Study of the Resistance Movement
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Echoes of Eternity: Ancient Egypt and the Quest for Immortality: Everything You Didn't Learn in School (But Should Have)
Finneran, Tudor
Paperback
Also in
True Crime
Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision for World Peace
Janney, Peter
Hardcover
Will to Murder: The True Story Behind the Crimes & Trials Surrounding the Glensheen Killings
Feichtinger, Gail
Paperback
Dawn of the Code War: America's Battle Against Russia, China, and the Rising Global Cyber Threat
Carlin, John P.
Graff, Garrett M.
Paperback
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Hardcover
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America
Larson, Erik
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright: The True Story of Mass Murder in Paradise
Sherman, Casey
Hardcover
The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers
Barragán, Carlos
Hardcover
Blizzard of Lies: Karen Read, John O'Keefe, and the Shocking Unsolved Murder in Cop Town, USA
Wedge, Dave
Hardcover
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Weaver, Mary Frances
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Paperback
Face to Face with Whitey Bulger: An FBI Agent's Account of Capturing and Debriefing Boston's Most Notorious Gangster
Teahan, Rich
Ward, Bob
Paperback
The Typewriter and the Guillotine: An American Journalist, a German Serial Killer, and Paris on the Eve of WWII
Braude, Mark
Hardcover
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Hardcover
London Falling: A Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth (Large Print Edition)
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
The Vampire's Cult: The Untold Story of Obsession, Control, and a Shocking Small-Town Murder
Hardin, Chet
Paperback
Kingdom of Devils: A Tale of Murder in the Shadow of the American Revolution
Grandjean, Katherine
Hardcover
The Veiled Prophet: Secret Societies, White Supremacy, and the Struggle for St. Louis
O'Shea, Devin Thomas
Hardcover
The Man Who Stole the Gods: A True Story of War, Obsession, and a Global Art Conspiracy
Campbell, Matthew
Hardcover
The Ego Trip: Psychedelic Toads, a Trail of Deaths, and the Guru Who Peddled Transcendence
de Greef, Kimon
Hardcover
Captain's Dinner: A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial That Changed Legal History
Cohen, Adam
Hardcover
Fires in the Night: The Earth Liberation Front, the Fbi, and a Secret History of Eco-Sabotage
Wolfe, Matthew
Hardcover
If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Chasing Evil: Shocking Crimes, Supernatural Forces, and an FBI Agent's Search for Hope and Justice
Edward, John
Hilland, Robert
Hardcover
American Reich: A Murder in Orange County, Neo-Nazis, and a New Age of Hate
Lichtblau, Eric
Hardcover
Plastic Inc.: The Secret History and Shocking Future of Big Oil's Biggest Bet
Gardiner, Beth
Hardcover
White Elephant Gifts for Adult: 500 Serial Killers Encyclopedia Facts and Figures
Murdle, K.
Paperback
The Death of Trotsky: The True Story of the Plot to Kill Stalin's Greatest Enemy
Ireland, Josh
Hardcover
Don't Talk about Joe Mac: The Life, Wars, and Secret History of the Man Behind the Winter Hill Gang
Toledo, Springs
Hardcover
One Nation Under Blackmail - Vol. 1: The Sordid Union Between Intelligence and Crime That Gave Rise to Jeffrey Epstein, Vol.1
Webb, Whitney Alyse
Paperback
Brain Games - Criminal Mind Puzzles: Crime-Themed Brain Teasers Visual, Verbal, Memory & Logic Puzzles Spiral Bound Activity Book for Adults & Teens
Publications International Ltd
Brain Games
Paperback
Clinton Bush and CIA Conspiracies: From The Boys on the Tracks to Jeffrey Epstein
Attwood, Shaun
Paperback
Thirteen Perfect Fugitives: The True Story of the Mob, Murder, and the World's Largest Art Heist
Kelly, Geoffrey
Hardcover
The Pain Brokers: How Con Men, Call Centers, and Rogue Doctors Fuel America's Lawsuit Factory
Chamblee Burch, Elizabeth
Hardcover
The Doctors' Riot of 1788: Body Snatching, Bloodletting, and Anatomy in America
McPhee, Andy
Hardcover
Bone Valley: A True Story of Injustice and Redemption in the Heart of Florida
King, Gilbert
Hardcover
The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time
Rey, Michael
Zill de Granados, Oriana
Hardcover
Without Consent: A Landmark Trial and the Decades-Long Struggle to Make Spousal Rape a Crime
Weinman, Sarah
Hardcover
The Murder of the Century: The Gilded Age Crime That Scandalized a City and Sparked the Tabloid Wars
Collins, Paul
Paperback
The Best Kind of American: A True Story of Murder, War, and America's Undoing in the Middle East
Ghattas, Kim
Hardcover
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast (Large Print Edition)
Colloff, Pamela
Paperback
The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century
Johnson, Kirk Wallace
Paperback
I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer
McNamara, Michelle
Paperback
Trail of the Lost: The Relentless Search to Bring Home the Missing Hikers of the Pacific Crest Trail
Lankford, Andrea
Paperback
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon: Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops & the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
McGowan, David
Paperback
The Assassination of Fred Hampton: How the FBI and the Chicago Police Murdered a Black Panther
Haas, Jeffrey
Paperback
Lucky Devils: The True Story of Three Rebel Gamblers Who Beat the Odds and Changed the Game
Chellel, Kit
Hardcover
Who's Watching Shorty?: Reclaiming Myself from the Shame of R. Kelly's Abuse
Landfair, Reshona
Hardcover
Dig Me a Grave: The Inside Story of the Serial Killer Who Seduced the South
Harpootlian, Richard A.
Assael, Shaun
Hardcover
The Rembrandt Heist: The Story of a Criminal Genius, a Stolen Masterpiece, and an Enigmatic Friendship
Amore, Anthony M.
Hardcover
Starstruck: A Journalist's Pursuit of a Fugitive Pop Star, Her Diabolical Maestro, and Their Teenage Sex Cult
McDougall, Christopher
Paperback
The Assassination of Leon Trotsky: Espionage, Scandal, and the Crime of the Century
Melton, H. Keith
West, Nigel
Hardcover
College Girl, Missing: The True Story of How a Young Woman Disappeared in Plain Sight
Cohen, Shawn
Paperback
Opus: The Cult of Dark Money, Human Trafficking, and Right-Wing Conspiracy Inside the Catholic Church
Gore, Gareth
Paperback
The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling
Corbett, Rachel
Hardcover
Is the Government Legally Killing Us?: Is the Evidence Obvious? How Fear of Death and the Illusion of Freedom Turn Us Into Accomplices to Evil
(Scott Schara), Grace's Dad
Paperback
The Devil at His Elbow: Alex Murdaugh and the Fall of a Southern Dynasty
Bauerlein, Valerie
Paperback
The Snakehead: An Epic Tale of the Chinatown Underworld and the American Dream
Keefe, Patrick Radden
Paperback
Out of the Woods: A Girl, a Killer, and a Lifelong Struggle to Find the Way Home
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Confessions of the Green River Killer: A True Story of Manipulation, Madness, and a Search for Justice
Dilorenzo, Maria
Paperback
Within the House of Murdaugh: Amid a Unique Friendship, Blanca and Maggie
Turrubiate-Simpson, Blanca
Weaver, Mary Frances
Hardcover
Warden Force: The Worst of the Worst and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 101-114
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
People Who Eat Darkness: The True Story of a Young Woman Who Vanished from the Streets of Tokyo--And the Evil That Swallowed Her Up
Parry, Richard Lloyd
Paperback
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War
Tapper, Jake
Hardcover
American Predator: The Hunt for the Most Meticulous Serial Killer of the 21st Century
Callahan, Maureen
Paperback
Ghosts of Honolulu: A Japanese Spy, a Japanese American Spy Hunter, and the Untold Story of Pearl Harbor
Harmon, Mark
Paperback
She Kills: The Murderous Socialite, the Cross-Dressing Bank Robber, and Other True Crime Tales
Hollandsworth, Skip
Hardcover
Zodiac: The Shocking True Story of the Hunt for the Nation's Most Elusive Serial Killer
Graysmith, Robert
Paperback
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America
Larson, Erik
Hardcover
A Murderer's Guide to Cleaning: And Other Stories from My Life as a Probation Officer
Baxter, Elizabeth
Hardcover
The Serial Killer Coloring Book II: An Adult Coloring Book Full of Notorious Serial Killers
Rosewood, Jack
Paperback
El Invencible Verano de Liliana / Liliana's Invincible Summer (Premio Pulitzer)
Rivera Garza, Cristina
Paperback
Compton Street Legend: Notorious Keffe D's Street-Level Accounts of Tupac and Biggie Murders, Death Row Origins, Suge Knight, Puffy Combs, and Crooked
Jah, Yusuf
Davis, Duane 'keffe D'
Paperback
Warden Force: Deadly Intent and Other True Game Warden Adventures: Episodes 76 - 87
Hodges, Terry
Paperback
Wired on Wall Street: The Rise and Fall of Tipper X, One of the Fbi's Most Prolific Informants
Hardin, Tom
Hardcover
What the Dead Know: Learning about Life as a New York City Death Investigator
Butcher, Barbara
Paperback
No Ordinary Bird: Drug Smuggling, a Plane Crash, and a Daughter's Quest for the Truth
Henderson, Artis
Hardcover
Trapped Under the Sea: One Engineering Marvel, Five Men, and a Disaster Ten Miles Into the Darkness
Swidey, Neil
Paperback
Vida Y Muerte del Cartel de Medellín / Life and Death of the Medellin Cartel
Lehder, Carlos
Paperback
The Cases That Haunt Us: From Jack the Ripper to JonBenet Ramsey, the Fbi's Legendary Mindhunter Sheds Light on the Mysteries That Won't Go Away
Douglas, John E.
Olshaker, Mark
Paperback
Swans Don't Swim in a Sewer: Solving the Cold Case of the Flint River Killer's Daughter
McCollum
Paperback
The Carpool Detectives: A True Story of Four Moms, Two Bodies, and One Mysterious Cold Case
Hogan, Chuck
Hardcover
Starvation Heights: A True Story of Murder and Malice in the Woods of the Pacific Northwest
Olsen, Gregg
Paperback
Dog's Day: The True Story of a Bank Robbery, Gay Liberation, and Toxic Love That Inspired a Hollywood Classic
Prigge, Matthew J.
Hardcover
50 True Stories That Will Scare You to Death: True Crime, Hauntings, Aliens, and More
Krahl, Sebastian
Paperback
Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino Capitalism, and the Golden Age of Fraud: The Basis for the Documentary Everyone Is Lying to You for Money
Silverman, Jacob
McKenzie, Ben
Paperback
Beyond the Body Farm: A Legendary Bone Detective Explores Murders, Mysteries, and the Revolution in Forensic Science
Jefferson, Jon
Bass, Bill
Paperback