'Bored' Russian spies caught trying to recruit

Three Russian spies who tried to recruit employees of unnamed ‘major companies’ have been charged with espionage.

The undercover agents were working in New York to gather ‘economic intelligence’ and recruit Americans. The alleged targets included several known and unknown employees of major companies and young women with ties to a major university in the city.

The operation was foiled by phone conversations intercepted by the FBI where the agents were heard complaining that they were bored. One agent was said to draw a comparison to James Bond films saying: “Of course, [I knew] I wouldn’t fly helicopters, but pretend to be someone else at a minimum. Thought that at least I would go abroad with a different passport.”