Latest news with #SovietUnion
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Mom sparks backlash for accidentally naming her daughter after catastrophic disaster
A new mom has sparked backlash for accidentally naming her daughter after a catastrophic disaster. In a recent Reddit post, one user shared a snapshot of a baby shower invite which featured one very shocking detail. 'I'm speechless…' the user wrote, 'Welp... I just got invited to a baby shower…' The invitation was a shade of pale pink and adorned with cartoon imagery of an elephant and balloons as well as a moon and sun. It read: 'Please join us for a baby shower! Join us to celebrate the arrival of our little bundle of joy. We can't wait to celebrate together.' But it was the new baby's name that stunned readers after it was revealed to be Chernobyl Hope. The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that happened on April 26, 1986, at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine, which was then part of the Soviet Union. It resulted in a steam explosion and fire that released large amounts of radioactive material into the atmosphere causing numerous casualties, including plant workers and those who died from acute radiation syndrome. And it did not take long for dozens of other users to comment on the bizarre choice of baby name. 'I refuse to believe this is real lol,' someone said. 'I have a feeling they don't know what Chernobyl meant. I asked them where they got the idea from and said it just sounded nice????' a user asked. 'They didn't even look it up?! Maybe send them some links?' a person responded, including a few links to the tragedy. Someone else commented: 'It's not too late to tell them!' 'Did you tell them? Also how stupid are they that they don't know what Chernobyl is...' a user shared. 'PLEASE let us know how the baby shower went!! I can't imagine anyone there being able to have a straight face,' someone insisted. 'This has to be fake. There's no way this is real,' a comment read. 'This... this is the worst I've seen in a while... good Lord above... and of all the middle names they picked HOPE??' an outraged user expressed. 'This is so, so bad. They have to be told. Give them a book about Chernobyl as a gift for the baby shower. Because no,' someone suggested. Others argued it was the name of the plant before the 1986 nuclear accident. 'I mean, the word Chernobyl was originally the name of a common mugwort plant, a medicinal herb,' a user shared in part. Many people also made cruel jokes about the name choice. 'If I were a guest at that shower and heard that name I'd have a total meltdown,' a person wrote. 'I'm excited for this party at an atomic level,' another shared. 'Sure, but we need to cool down first, the exposure to jokes are off the readings,' a comment read. 'That is going to be one happy nuclear family,' a person joked.
Russia Today
2 days ago
- Science
- Russia Today
Something is going terribly wrong in the Baltic Sea
Beneath the waves of the Baltic Sea lies a silent but growing threat – the decaying remains of chemical munitions dumped after World War II. For years, these weapons have sat largely untouched, posing a known danger to marine life and coastal issue gained serious attention in the 21st century as scientists began to sound the alarm about growing environmental risks. Decades-old shells are corroding, raising the specter of toxic leaks that could trigger a full-blown environmental disaster. Now, Germany is moving to recover and destroy these submerged stockpiles. But framed as an environmental cleanup, Berlin's project may in fact worsen the environmental balance in the Baltic. Russia has repeatedly emphasized the importance of its involvement in this process, citing its status as a directly affected nation with relevant expertise. Yet with international relations strained, meaningful cooperation remains elusive. So what happens if this mission is carried out without Russian input? RT takes a closer look. An estimated 1.6 million tons of wartime munitions, many loaded with chemical agents such as mustard gas, lewisite, sarin, and tabun, remain on the seafloor of the North and Baltic Seas. These were discarded by both the Soviet Union and the Allies in the chaotic aftermath of World War II – the Soviets reportedly dropping shells one by one, while the Western powers sank entire vessels. Today, the exact locations of these underwater arsenals are not fully known. Many lie near Bornholm Island and off the Latvian coast near Liepaja. But the threat is far from contained. Damaged shells are occasionally hauled up in fishing nets. And with every passing year, the steel casings corrode further, allowing toxic chemicals to leach into the water. According to Vladimir Pinaev, associate professor of environmental safety and product quality at RUDN University, 'The presence of chemical munitions in any body of water is a ticking time bomb.' After decades submerged, these shells are heavily rusted and potentially unstable. 'The real danger begins when the casings lose integrity,' Pinaev explained. 'At that point, we don't fully understand how the toxic agents will behave in the marine environment — how potent they remain, how far they'll spread, or how severely they'll impact the ecosystem.' The list of organisms at risk is long. 'It's not just the water that's affected,' he said. 'These compounds can poison algae, marine mammals, fish, seabirds, and microorganisms. And ultimately, people. We're the final consumers in the food chain.' The long-term risk? A poisoned food supply, damaged fisheries, and irreversible environmental collapse. Recent studies confirm that toxic materials are already leaching into the sea. According to research from the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research, about 3,000kg of dissolved chemicals have been detected in the southwestern Baltic, especially around Kiel Bay and Lübeck Bay. Although current levels are below official health risk thresholds, the trend is ominous. Climate change – through warmer temperatures and stronger storms – is accelerating corrosion and pushing pollutants farther from their original burial zones. A Polish Academy of Sciences study found that mustard gas alone can sterilize marine ecosystems within a 70-meter radius. Germany's Environment Ministry launched a pilot recovery project in 2023, starting in Lübeck Bay. Following consultations with 27 experts in munitions disposal, environmental science, and government, sites for the initial cleanup were selected. The pilot phase concluded in April 2025. Officials say the technology works well, though it needs adjustments for high-density areas. Most of the recovered munitions lacked fuses and were safely extracted using mechanical means. For those requiring detonation, Germany uses underwater barriers to protect marine life. Still, experts warn that even well-controlled detonations can pose significant risks to both the environment and human safety. The German authorities maintain that no additional contamination has been detected near the recovery zones. But critics urge caution. As Pinaev emphasized, 'Before any munitions are raised or destroyed in place, it's critical to ensure the safety of fish, marine mammals, and navigation. These operations are inherently dangerous.' He believes the cleanup work should be entrusted to international organizations with relevant expertise – notably, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). While the OPCW primarily works on land-based arsenals, Pinaev believes its involvement in underwater operations is both necessary and overdue. He also stressed the need for comprehensive environmental monitoring. 'We need ongoing research in burial zones – using remote sensing and other methods – and a full assessment of the long-term impact these chemicals have on marine ecosystems,' he said. The safety of personnel working on these operations is also a concern. 'They'll need more than just standard protective gear,' he warned. 'We're talking full chemical protection suits – at minimum, full military-grade chemical defense.' Russia has long advocated for a multilateral approach to dealing with the Baltic's toxic legacy. In 2023, Sergey Belyaev, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry's Second European Department, warned that involving NATO in the cleanup could destabilize the entire region. 'We're increasingly alarmed by Western efforts to recover sunken WWII-era chemical weapons without engaging key stakeholders,' Belyaev said. 'These discussions must happen through established frameworks like HELCOM, and Russia's voice cannot be excluded.' He also pointed to a political deadlock: HELCOM's activities have been effectively paralyzed due to tensions with Western nations. Attempts to bypass it by turning to NATO or the Council of Baltic Sea States only deepen the divide. Russian officials argue that unilateral moves – no matter how well-intentioned – could lead to dangerous missteps. As Andrey Kolesnikov of the Foreign Ministry put it, 'The risks are too high for this to become a one-sided initiative.' Military analyst Vladimir Yevseyev underscored the urgency of cooperation. 'Russia must be part of this process,' he said. 'Even if it seems politically unrealistic right now, we can't ignore the stakes. Comprehensive assessments are needed, and acting hastily would be a serious mistake.' In another time, perhaps, this issue might have united rather than divided. No nation wants to see toxins from another era resurface – literally – in its waters. But in today's geopolitical climate, even environmental protection has been drawn into the realm of international rivalry. Sergey Oznobishchev, Director of the Institute of Strategic Assessments, expressed doubt that joint efforts with Germany are feasible under current conditions: 'Germany's hostility makes coordination extremely difficult. Still, the stakes are too high to ignore. One way or another, dialogue must happen' 'Establishing contacts won't be easy, and there's little political will on either side,' he said. 'Still, the importance of this issue can't be overstated. Dialogue, however difficult, will eventually be necessary.' In the meantime, the clock is ticking – not just for those rusting shells, but for the shared sea they threaten to poison.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Sport
- Forbes
LA 2028 Olympics: U.S. Men's Basketball Team Not The Favorite?
Since 1936 Team USA has failed to win a gold medal only three times: 1972, 1988 and 2004. Will it happen again in 2028? Many former NBA players and analysts already think so. Competitive young African man, basketball player representing team of USA in international match. ... More Concept of sport, championship, tournament. Creative design, poster for sport event. Grainy effect 1972 was a controversial last-second loss against the former Soviet Union. In 1988 the US lost to the Soviet Union again and would later beat Australia for the bronze medal. In 2004 the USA lost three times to Puerto Rico, Lithuania and Argentina (for the first time ever) yet managed to still claim a bronze medal. (Original Caption) Russian basketball players celebrate wildly here after scoring a 51-50 win over ... More the United States very early on September 10th in the Olympic basketball final. The victory came when Russia's Aleksandr Belov sank a lay up shot with just one second to go. One of the two referees said he though that time had run out before the shot and would protest the outcome. Traditionally composed of amateur players, the U.S. dominated the first decades of international basketball, winning a record seven consecutive Olympic gold medals. However, starting with the Soviet Union in the 1970's, other countries began to develop professional teams and leagues. By the end of the 1980s, American amateurs faced increasing difficulty against seasoned professionals. After the 1988 Games, FIBA (The International Basketball Federation) for the first time allowed the U.S. to field teams with NBA players. Basketball: 1992 Summer Olympics: USA (left to right) Christian Laettner, David Robinson, Patrick ... More Ewing, Larry Bird, Scottie Pippen, Michael Jordan, Clyde Drexler, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Chris Mullin, and Charles Barkley victorious on podium after winning Men's Gold Medal Game vs Croatia at Pavello Olimpic. Dream Team. Badalona, Spain 8/8/1992 CREDIT: Richard Mackson (Photo by Richard Mackson /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X43178 TK47 R1 F22 ) Opening against Angola, behind Charles Barkley's 24 points the U.S. squad stomped to a one-sided 116-48 victory. Facing a talented Croatian team a day later, the 'Dream Team' managed a 33-point win, 103-70. Michael Jordan led the U.S. team with 21 points. The U.S. team had an easy time with a solid Germany team, rolling to a 111-68 victory as Larry Bird, who had been bothered by a nagging back injury, returned to All-Star form to lead the USA offensive attack with 19 points. Next the team would crush Brazil, 127-83. And closing out pool play against host Spain, the U.S. scored a convincing 122-81 victory. Advancing to the quarterfinals the USA would easily defeat Puerto Rico, 115-77. Meeting Lithuania in the semifinals, ( a team that featured four of the top six scorers from the Soviet Union's 1988 Olympic gold medal winning team), the American team jumped out to an 11-0 lead and quickly put this contest out of reach winning 127-76 win as nine U.S. players would score in double figures. Facing Croatia in the gold medal contest, the U.S. easily won the rematch by 32 points, 117-85. Averaging an Olympic record 117.3 points a game, the USA squad won by an average of 43.8 points. Basketball: 1992 Summer Olympics: Aerial view of USA Michael Jordan (9) in action vs Croatia during ... More Men's Final at Pavello Olimpic. Dream Team. Badalona, Spain 8/8/1992 CREDIT: John W. McDonough (Photo by John W. McDonough /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X43181 ) With the introduction of NBA players, the Dream Team was able to spark a second run of dominance in the 1990s. By the new century Team USA would face renewed competition from a number of countries all over the globe. And in 2004 the U.S., playing with a depleted roster due to last second withdrawals, would lose three games on its way to a bronze medal, a record that represented more losses in a single year than the country's Olympic teams had suffered in all previous Olympiads combined. ATHENS - AUGUST 28: Arvydas Macijauskas #6 of Lithuania shoots past the defense of Shawn Marion #11 ... More and Lamar Odom #14 of the United States during the men's basketball bronze medal contest game on August 28, 2004 during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games at the Indoor Hall of the Olympic Sports Complex in Athens, Greece. (Photo by) As a result the U.S. would for the first time start a long-term team building process thereafter to create more cohesion and unity amongst its pro players. As a result the 2008 US Team (nicknamed the 'Redeem Team') would go 5-0 in Olympic competition and defeat Spain in the gold medal match 118-107. Basketball: 2008 Summer Olympics: USA team and head coach Mike Krzyzewski victorious with gold ... More medals after game vs Spain during Men's Final at Olympic Basketball Gymnasium in Wukesong Culture and Sports Center. Beijing, China 8/24/2008 CREDIT: Bob Rosato (Photo by Bob Rosato /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images) (Set Number: X80866 TK1 R2 F184 ) Since 2008 the U.S. Men's basketball team has continued to win gold medals every four years. The U.S. beat Spain 107-100 to win gold in London in 2012. They would beat Serbia to win gold in Rio De Janeiro in 2016 winning by 30, 96-66 (The largest margin of victory since the 1992 Games). In 2020 the U.S. men would beat France to take gold but by a much closer margin 87-82. And in 2024 in Paris the U.S. would keep the streak alive beating France this time by a score of 98-87. PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: LeBron James #6 of Team United States celebrates with teammates after ... More their victory against Team France during the Men's Gold Medal game between Team France and Team United States on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by) So the U.S. has continued its winning ways, but a pattern is emerging: (1) More than a handful of countries are now fielding great basketball teams. (2) The U.S. is winning, but in less dominating form. The rest of the world is clearly closing the gap. 'The proof is in the pudding' as the old saying goes. Did you know that since 2018 only foreign-born players have won the NBA league MVP? In the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons it was Giannis Antetokounmpo (Greece). BERLIN, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 13: Giannis Antetokounmpo of Greece during the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 ... More quarterfinal match between Germany and Greece at EuroBasket Arena Berlin on September 13, 2022 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Pedja Milosavljevic/DeFodi Images via Getty Images) Then in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons it was the Joker, Nikola Jokić (Serbia). LILLE, FRANCE - AUGUST 03: Nikola Jokic #15 of Team Serbia yells during a Men's basketball group ... More phase-group C game between Serbia and South Sudan on day eight of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Stade Pierre Mauroy on August 03, 2024 in Lille, France. (Photo by) In 2022-23 it was Joel Embiid (Cameroon). The Joker would win MVP yet again in the 2023-24 season. And this season it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Canada). For seven seasons an American-born player has not won. MANILA, PHILIPPINES - SEPTEMBER 10: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of Canada during the FIBA Basketball ... More World Cup 3rd Place game between USA and Canada at Mall of Asia Arena on September 10, 2023 in Manila, Philippines. (Photo by) The Pro Game Has Shifted From Athleticism to Efficiency Scottie Pippen, All-Pro member of the six-time NBA champion Chicago Bulls recently put it this way: 'A lot of Americans have lost jobs because we haven't mastered the advantage of shooting the ball like our European counterparts.' Portrait of Scottie Pippen #33, Small Forward of the Chicago Bulls looking on during the NBA Pacific ... More Division basketball game against the Los Angeles Lakers on 2nd February 1988 at The Forum arena in Inglewood, Los Angeles, California, United States. The Lakers won the game 110 - 101. (Photo by Rick Stewart/Allsport/Getty Images) That statement summarizes what has been a quiet revolution in the NBA—a shift from American athleticism to international efficiency. While the U.S. once produced the bulk of the league's dominant scorers, rim attackers, and ball handlers, the global game has crept in and taken over with one foundational weapon: the jump shot. International players are coming into the NBA with very polished skills at a young age. From shooting mechanics and footwork to decision-making and off-ball movement, their game is shaped by repetition and efficiency rather than flair. Jokic doesn't need to jump over you; he'll shoot over you. Luka doesn't beat you with speed; he beats you with angles. Wembanyama? He's 7'4" and shoots like a guard. PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 10: Victor Wembanyama #32 of Team France reacts during the Men's Gold Medal ... More game between Team France and Team United States on day fifteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on August 10, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by) And looking ahead, names like Luka Doncic (Slovenia) and Victor Wembanyana (France) will surely be in the mix for MVP candidates. An American-born player may not win the award in this decade. COLOGNE, GERMANY - SEPTEMBER 07: Luka Doncic of Slovenia reacts during the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 ... More group B match between France and Slovenia at Lanxess Arena on September 07, 2022 in Cologne, Germany. (Photo by) Other NBA greats are echoing Pippen. In an interview with FIBA in late 2024 Shaquille O'Neil was quoted: "Twenty years ago, the USA was light years ahead of other countries. But that has changed. Europe has caught up and is only slightly behind, but it will soon overtake the USA. I am sure that the USA will not win gold at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles." MIAMI, FL - MAY 22: Shaquille O'Neal hosts Industry Tuesdays at Bamboo Miami on May 22, 2013 in ... More Miami, Florida. (Photo by Aaron Davidson/WireImage) O'Neal spoke from experience, having seen both the golden eras of Team USA as well as the rise of international competition. He pointed to the looming retirement of key players as a critical factor. "LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Steph Curry will no longer play. Joel Embiid probably won't be there either. When those names are gone, the supremacy will be over. The European teams are really good: Croatia, Serbia, even Germany. They can win gold in 2028.' We will see Shaq, we will see. Don't count out the U.S. just yet. Another generation of U.S.-born players will look to prove you wrong.
Khaleej Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Khaleej Times
Ukraine allows multiple citizenship as war drags on
Ukrainians will be able to hold dual or multiple citzenship under a law approved by the parliament on Wednesday that aims to ease a demographic crisis exacerbated by the four-year war with Russia and to improve ties with the country's large diaspora. Previously, Ukrainian law did not recognise dual or multiple citizenship, meaning that ethnic Ukrainians living outside the country and holding other passports had to renounce their other citizenship if they wanted a Ukrainian passport. Government officials estimate Ukraine's diaspora at some 25 million people. They put the current population in Ukraine at 32 million, down sharply from 52 million in 1991 when Ukraine became independent after the collapse of the Soviet Union. "This decision is an important step to maintain and restore ties with millions of Ukrainians around the world," Oleksiy Chernyshov, minister for unity, said in a social media post on Facebook after Wednesday's vote. The issue of multiple citizenship has become even more pressing since Russia's invasion in February 2022, exacerbating a demographic decline that had started years before. Ukraine saw several large labour migrations in the early 1990s. With the start of the invasion, millions of Ukrainians fled the fighting. With the war now in its fourth year, data shows that more than 5 million Ukrainians live in Europe, while tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict. "Since the situation in Ukraine is unstable, people... do not know whether to return or not...," said Natalya Kostyk-Ustenko, who fled Kherson in southern Ukraine in June 2022 and lives in Lithuania with her two children. "Our roots are Ukrainian, we love our country, we support it as best we can. This (move on citizenship) is significant support for us as refugees, we are all scattered around the world," she told Reuters. Lawmakers said the new law would simplify procedures for children born to Ukrainian parents abroad and also for Ukrainians who obtain other citizenship by marriage. It will also make it easier to obtain Ukrainian citizenship for foreigners fighting for Ukraine on the frontlines. The law does not directly ban Russian citizens from obtaining Ukrainian passports but says the government will be able to implement restrictions related to the armed aggression against Ukraine. Foreigners would have to pass a test to prove their knowledge of the Ukrainian language, history and constitution.
The Independent
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Finally, MI6 has appointed a female chief – women have long been espionage's secret weapon
It has been 15 years since I returned to Moscow for The Independent. Back then, I was a twentysomething writer, coming to terms with my father's death and the many questions about his life that remained unanswered. Among them, what was the impact of learning via a newspaper headline, at the age of 19, that his own father, Kim Philby, was a double agent? As I trudged along Moscow's grey, snow-covered streets for the first time since I was a child, tracing my grandfather's footsteps through the city to which he absconded after being unmasked as the Third Man in the Cambridge Spy ring, I found ever more questions opening up in my mind. Among them: where were all the women? In the many books, plays and films I had encountered over the years about my grandfather's life and those he worked with as a Soviet mole, all the stories seemed to be about the men. MI6, the UK's foreign intelligence service, has only announced its first female chief today, with the appointment of Blaise Metreweli. There were a few female faces, granted, but these were generally the secretaries or the wives – like Kim's fourth wife, Rufina (or Rufa, as we knew her), who spoke tearfully about her late husband as we sat side-by-side on the same sofa that was there when my parents and I visited in the 1980's, in the apartment Kim was given after arriving in the Soviet Union on a tanker from Beirut. Listening to Rufa – who some say was given to Kim as a reward and a distraction once he arrived behind the Iron Curtain, others that she was placed there by the KGB to keep an eye on him – it was impossible not to wonder about her true part in his story. It was equally impossible to expect I'd ever find out. Women spies have played some of the most important, and varied, roles in espionage throughout the ages, as I discovered in researching my new narrative non-fiction book for readers young and old. The Secret Lives of Women Spies is a collection of stories bringing to life the riveting private world of female spies from the 19th century until present day. From armed scout for the Union Army, Harriet Tubman, through to Zandra Flemister, the first black woman to serve in the Secret Service, or the likes of Special Operations Executive agent Noor Inayat Khan, Russian 'illegal' Anna Chapman and eccentric US performer turned star of the French Resistance Josephine Baker, the 20 or so women (and girls) featured here operated in all parts of the spy-world, risking everything for what they believed in – their actions making make them heroes to some and traitors to others. As well as telling their astonishing personal stories, the book explores their historical contexts in an attempt to understand their choices. Some, like Indian National Intelligence officer Saraswathi Rajamani, who at the age of 10 told Mahatma Gandhi, 'When I grow up, I'm going to shoot an Englishman', are straightforward. Others, like that of Mata Hari, whose legend as a German agent using her powers of seduction has been undermined as a new vision emerges of a disempowered woman doing everything she could to be reunited with the daughter taken from her by an abusive husband, are less so. In recent years, there has been a drive towards more transparency, and diversity in the British intelligence game. Under the directorship of Dame Stella Rimington – appointed in 1992, the first of two female MI5 chiefs, followed in 2002 by Eliza Manningham-Buller – ordered that the domestic security service must release files to the National Archive after a certain period of time. It was thanks to the release of a bundle of papers under this protocol in 2015 that it became clear an Austrian woman named Edith Tudor-Hart, also a brilliant photographer and devoted single mother to a mentally-ill son, had been the person responsible for my grandfather's recruitment by the Soviets in the 1930s. Tudor-Hart was in fact so important that Cambridge spy (and relative of the Queen) Anthony Blunt referred to her under interrogation as 'The grandmother of us all'. Interestingly, it was another woman – MI5's first female officer, Jane Sissmore – who first tried to out Kim as a Soviet mole, though following a row with the acting director general, she was fired for insubordination before she could amass the necessary intelligence to prove her claim. Women were not regularly recruited as intelligence officers in MI5 or MI6 until the late 1970s. In a recent interview with Harper's Bazaar, Dame Stella Rimington said: 'When I first joined MI5 [in 1969], the women did the support work and the men did the 'finding things out'.' Dame Stella and a group of disgruntled women employees got together and wrote a group letter demanding better assignments. Her first test was to go into a pub and find out as much as she could about a person without attracting attention. 'I practically got thrown out under suspicion of soliciting!' she added. Indeed, when Vernon Kell co-founded MI6's precursor in 1909, he described his ideal recruits as men 'who could make notes on their shirt cuff while riding on horseback'. Until now a woman has still never been at the helm of the UK's foreign intelligence service, MI6. But that has now all changed. As Richard Moore stands down this year as chief of the UK Secret Intelligence Service, the government has now named Blaise Metreweli, a career intelligence officer, as his replacement. Metreweli, 47, who is currently MI6's head of technology, known as "Q", joined the Secret Intelligence Service in 1999, and has spent most of her career in operational roles in the Middle East and Europe, and will now become the first female hed of the Secret Intelligence Service. Three of the top four jobs in the agency are already occupied by women, who gave an extensive group interview to the FT in 2022. In it, the director of operations, who grew up in the northwest of England and attended a grammar school, is quoted as saying being a woman can 'be a secret sauce … When you're playing into a culture which is particularly male-dominated, women tend to be underestimated and therefore perceived as less threatening.' It is little wonder, then, that a woman has now been appointed as the new Head of MI6. Why spy stories about women remain largely untold is hard to say. Perhaps it's because books about spying have mostly been written by men. Or maybe it's because female spies have rarely been caught? Part of the magic of women spies is the ability of the wife or mother or secretary to disappear into the background, unsuspected. The first female spy I ever read about was a woman called Ursula Kuczynski, also known as Agent Sonya, a Soviet spymaster awarded two orders of the red banner for services to the Soviet Union, who was all but dismissed by the British as a mere housewife. It was in 2014 that I first learnt about Agent Sonya in my interview for this paper with 'the spy-catcher of Fleet Street', journalist Chapman Pincher, shortly before his death. In his study, he unveiled his prize possession, a slide enlarger which belonged to the sister of 'Sonya'. He told me, '[Bridgette Kuczynski] was responsible for a lot more than people know.' As part of a recruitment drive to bring more women into the secret intelligence services, that same year, an MI6 officer explained, anonymously, how being a mother and a spy can be an advantage in more ways than one, 'because it enables you to connect with a whole range of people from terrorists to political leaders … I'm less of a threat than a single female,' said the intelligence officer who was married with young children. 'They [the terrorists] have mothers, sisters, daughters.' In writing this book, many questions have been answered, while others – inevitably – remain. One thing is for sure, the absence of women in popular accounts teaches us as much about how we have thought and talked about history, over the years, because of who gets to record it. But that, thankfully, is changing. Recent historians, including Shrabani Basu, Clare Mulley, Amy Butler Greenfield, Anne Sebba, Claire Hubbard-Hall and Dr Helen Fry, are helping to reframe the narrative, writing the women back into the story – shining a spotlight on those who hid in the shadows and deserve to stand in the light.
