The list of 620 agents working for Russia’s FSB security service, who are destined to stay in the shadows, reveals their passports, phone numbers and even their drinking habits. An alleged FSB agent, according to the list, has a Skype address that includes the phrase “jamesbond007” as well as the “DB9” characters, which refer to Bond’s iconic Aston Martin. Another agent is said to have a taste for “high quality cars”, while a third is a heavy drinker who “systematically violates traffic regulations”. The leak could lead to smiles in the Western intelligence services and comparisons to Johnny English, the unfortunate spy played by Rowan Atkinson in the film. But Ukrainian officials have also accused spies of engaging in “criminal” activities in Europe, without elaborating. It raises the prospect that some of the individuals on the list are working as spies in Britain. The entries for each spy contained his date and place of birth, passport number, “registration address” and in some cases license plate numbers and details of their finances. Some listings include the spy’s home address. The Telegraph has not independently verified the list, which, if confirmed, would prove to be a great shame for Moscow, which could endanger many of its spies. Ukrainian officials have not revealed how they obtained the list. However, Arik Toler, a researcher for the Bellingcat research site, said some of the data appeared to be based on previous leaks by sensitive Russian intelligence services. Last week, Russia reportedly launched a “Western spy” hunt on the FSB, implying that Moscow feared the agency had infiltrated. Earlier in March, an FSB informant claimed that its spies had been kept in the dark about plots to invade Ukraine, describing the war as a “total failure” similar to the collapse of Nazi Germany. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has reportedly placed some senior FSB executives under house arrest. The move appeared to be in retaliation for detailed Russian invasion plans obtained and leaked by Western intelligence services. The FSB, the successor to the Soviet-era KGB, operates primarily as a domestic security service but has been linked to assassinations abroad. Earlier Monday, Bellingcat revealed that Boris Nemtsov, a Russian opposition politician, was overshadowed by an agent linked to an FSB strike group before he was assassinated in 2015.
