New book explores the real-life KGB spy program that inspired 'The Americans' (Dave Davies; Fresh Air podcast)

In The Illegals: Russia's Most Audacious Spies and Their Century-Long Mission to Infiltrate the West, Shaun Walker shares how agents were trained to blend into a target country and pose as citizens.

Interview: 

https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/g-s1-60586/new-book-explores-the-real-life-kgb-spy-program-that-inspired-the-americans