A former Russian intelligence operative, Aliia Roza, has revealed details of alleged Russian espionage tactics targeting Silicon Valley. In an interview with the New York Post, Roza described how female spies are strategically deployed to seduce tech employees, exploiting perceived vulnerabilities in their personal lives to extract sensitive information. These operations can reportedly involve long-term commitments like marriage and raising families, according to a Times report, enabling continuous intelligence gathering. Roza herself defected after developing feelings for an intelligence target, offering a unique perspective on the motivations and methods employed in these operations.
According to a former counterintelligence official cited by The Times, the situation is considered a “Wild West,” highlighting the difficulty in countering these sophisticated espionage efforts. One example cited involves a Russian spy who infiltrated an aerospace company, married an American colleague, and is allegedly working to access high-level military-space innovation secrets unbeknownst to her spouse. The Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property estimates that trade secret theft costs American taxpayers $600 billion annually, emphasizing the significant economic impact of such espionage activities, though a precise breakdown of the sources of these losses remains a challenge to accurately assess.
