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Spies and mafia states: Reflections on John Le Carré, Russia and the nature of spying today
John le Carré’s books famously explored the constantly shifting ethical borders “between us and them” in the murky world of espionage. This talk explores how the concept of spying differs in reality between authoritarian regimes—marked by internal security obsessions and paranoia—and democracies, and how it manifests itself in Putin’s Russia today.
Andrei Soldatov is a Russian investigative journalist in exile, a visiting fellow at King’s College London and the co-author of Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation (2025).
Irina Borogan is a Russian investigative journalist in exile, a visiting fellow at King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence, and the co-author of Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation (2025).
Date:
20 March 2026, 15:30
Venue:
Weston Library, Broad Street OX1 3BG
Venue Details:
Sir Victor Blank Lecture Theatre at the Weston Library, or on Zoom
Speakers:
Andrei Soldatov (visiting fellow at King’s College London),
Irina Borogan (a visiting fellow at King’s Centre for the Study of Intelligence)
Organiser:
Bodleian Public Engagement Team
Organiser contact email address:
publicengagement@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Hosts:
Bodleian Public Engagement Team,
Federico Varese (University of Oxford)
Part of:
John le Carré talks
Booking required?:
Required
Booking url:
https://visit.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/event/lecarre
Cost:
£5
Audience:
Public
Editor:
Hayleigh Jutson
