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SPECIAL EDITION: SPYSCAPE lands in London. We round up stories in the classic capital of spycraft: the granny spy, M's secret lair, the Profumo affair and more!

News

Surveillance Plot

British intelligence has reported a significant Russian cyber-espionage campaign targeting organizations involved in delivering aid to Ukraine. A joint investigation with allies, including the US, Germany, and France, found that the campaign was carried out by GRU Unit 26165, also known as Fancy Bear, which has been infiltrating public and private networks since 2022. The hackers accessed around 10,000 internet-connected cameras near military sites and rail stations to monitor aid shipments. They used a combination of spearphishing and software exploits, including vulnerabilities in Microsoft Outlook, to penetrate critical infrastructure across 12 European countries and the US.

True Spies

Kim Philby: Codename Sonny

Could you spy for Moscow from the heart of MI6?

Vienna, 1934. Civil war erupts in the streets. Tear gas drifts through working-class neighborhoods as fascist troops crush a socialist uprising. Watching from the sidelines is a 22-year-old British volunteer—polite, curious, and quietly taking notes. His name is Harold Philby. Friends call him Kim.

By the time he returns to London, Kim Philby has decided the revolution must live on, even in secret. He buries his politics, adopts a stiff upper lip, and lets the establishment pull him in. First journalism. Then military intelligence. Then MI6. But Philby's loyalty doesn't lie with Britain. As the world descends into war, he begins passing secrets to his handlers in Moscow—bit by bit, war by war, decade by decade. 

So, how does a double agent climb to the top of MI6? Find out in this week's podcast selection, 'Kim Philby, Super Spy: Part 1, Codename Sonny'.

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History

The Profumo Affair

What happens when MI5 starts investigating your love life?

In 1963, Secretary of State for War John Profumo admitted to misleading Parliament about his affair with young model Christine Keeler, whose social circle included both aristocrats and intelligence targets. The political fallout was immediate. But hidden behind the headlines was a secret connection to Soviet intelligence. Keeler had also involved herself with Yevgeny Ivanov, a Soviet naval attaché whom MI5 had already placed under surveillance.

Now a potential national security risk, MI5 suspected Ivanov of recruiting British assets. Stephen Ward, a well-known London osteopath who moved in elite circles, introduced Keeler to both men. Authorities later accused Ward of profiting from vice, but he died by suicide before the end of his trial.

Profumo's affair wasn't just a tabloid sensation. It was a collision of sex, secrecy, and surveillance near the height of the Cold War. He initially lied about his affair to Parliament, triggering events that led to the downfall of the Conservative government. Some 60 years later, the story still captivates audiences as a TV series, movie, and musical.

Image Credit: Wiki Commons/Christine Keeler/Open Media Ltd

Articles

Portland Spy Ring

How did five spies steal Britain’s nuclear submarine secrets?

In 1961, British authorities exposed a Soviet spy network operating out of an unlikely place: the Dorset coast. Known as the Portland Spy Ring, the group had been stealing top-secret documents from the Admiralty Underwater Weapons Establishment, a naval research facility tied to Britain’s submarine program. 

Harry Houghton, a disgruntled civil servant, passed classified files to Ethel Gee, a colleague at the base. Together, they funneled material to Gordon Lonsdale, real name Konon Molody, a KGB officer posing as a Canadian businessman in London. From there, the intel moved through a pair of suburban book dealers, Peter and Helen Kroger, who were American communists transmitting secrets back to Moscow via a hidden radio. 

The operation remained undetected until 1960, when a tip-off from Polish intelligence led MI5 to surveil the group. All five spies were arrested in a coordinated sweep and later convicted. Their espionage activities provided the Soviet Union with critical insights into Western naval capabilities during the Cold War. Discover more in this SPYSCAPE article.

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Architecture

M's Secret Lair

Could you live in a former spy chief’s stronghold?

Overlooking the Thames, Whitehall Court was once the home of MI6. Now it’s a luxury penthouse with secrets in the walls. The building was reinforced during World War I to withstand Zeppelin attacks, and deep in its history is a name known to many British intelligence officers: Mansfield Smith-Cumming.

Appointed in 1909, Smith-Cumming was the first chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. He signed his memos with a green-ink “C”—a tradition that continues today. He’s also said to have inspired Ian Fleming’s ‘M’. And yes, the flat made a cameo in No Time to Die! Explore M's London lair here.

Quirky

The Granny Spy

How did a British grandmother steal nuclear secrets?

Melita Norwood seemed like any other pensioner in the London suburbs—fond of gardening, jam-making, and family life. But behind the teacups and tomatoes, she was quietly passing Britain’s atomic secrets to the Soviets.

Employed as a secretary at the Non-Ferrous Metals Research Association, Norwood had access to top-level nuclear research. She used her position to photograph documents and pass them over to KGB handlers, feeding Moscow a steady stream of intelligence throughout the Cold War.

Codenamed “Agent Hola,” she worked undetected for decades, even after British security services flagged her as a risk in the 1960s. It wasn’t until 1999 that her secret finally came to light! At 87 years old, Norwood confirmed the allegations but faced no charges. She maintained that she spied not for money but for ideology.

Image Credit: Red Joan

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