The Redefector
The Redefector
Audiochuck
It was 1985, the so-called “Year of the Spy”. The CIA had been losing Soviet assets left and right; the first loss seemed like bad luck, but four in a row? That wasn't coincidence — it was a deadly leak. And just as the Agency was scrambling to find answers, across the world, a KGB colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko walked into the American embassy in Rome and volunteered his services in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the United States. At the time, Yurchenko was the highest ranked KGB officer ever to defect to America, and the Agency felt it had hit the jackpot. Instead, his defection would go on to become one of the most dizzying, high stakes espionage debacles of the last century. Although many of his bombshell revelations were bonafide, a doubt soon began haunting the intelligence community: Was Vitaly Yurchenko telling the whole truth? And if not... What had he been sent to hide? Join host Julie Cohn in this ten-part series featuring interviews with CIA officers, bodyguards, FBI Special Agents, reporters and even a former KGB general as she uncovers the truth behind the decades-long Vitaly Yurchenko mystery.
Holy Fool | Chapter 10
After two years building a mosaic of research about the Vitaly Yurchenko mystery, finally a full picture emerges: the truth.
May 21, 2025
57 min
In Search of a Spy | Chapter 9
The modern day hunt for Vitaly Yurchenko, the 90 year-old spy.
May 14, 2025
39 min
Joyride | Chapter 8
Some old veterans from the Soviet and Eastern Europe division decide to take matters into their own hands and start a new hunt. It's unconventional, it's personal, and this time, it's successful.
May 7, 2025
52 min
It’s Hard to Find a Leak | Chapter 7.5 BONUS
BONUS EPISODE: Bodies continue to drop, despite the leaks identified by Yurchenko. Despite intensifying debate over his legitimacy, the SE division has a new desperate focus: to find answers. It creates a special task force to identify the remaining leak before any more lives are lost. In this bonus episode, we track the three fascinating reasons why the task force took years: Masterful deception campaigns by the Soviets; the ghost of James Jesus Angleton; and a scandal at the White House.
Apr 30, 2025
56 min
Whiplash | Chapter 7
Yurchenko... reappears, sowing chaos. A debate begins to rage in the press, at the CIA, and even in the White House: Was Vitaly Yurchenko a plant from the very beginning?
Apr 23, 2025
51 min
Vanished | Chapter 6
To cheer up the despondent Yurchenko, the CIA takes Yurchenko on a road trip through the American Southwest, complete with a stop in Sin City. Soon after he returns from the trip, his spirits still low, Yurchenko... disappears.
Apr 16, 2025
52 min
Valentina | Chapter 5
Yurchenko travels to Canada to be reunited with the love of his life, but plans go awry...
Apr 9, 2025
44 min
The Safe Safehouse | Chapter 4
Yurchenko and his team of CIA and FBI officers start over in a new safehouse in the Virginia countryside. Meanwhile, the mole Yurchenko revealed... makes a run for it.
Apr 2, 2025
55 min
Goat Rodeo | Chapter 3
Vitaly Yurchenko is a fountain of intelligence and quickly becomes a celebrity in US intelligence circles. But the higher his profile, the greater the threat to his safety...
Mar 26, 2025
36 min
Meet the Team | Chapter 2
The CIA and FBI have less than 24 hours to prepare to welcome the KGB colonel who, in the defector world, appeared to be the catch of the century.
Mar 19, 2025
34 min
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