Russian Spy Words

For those that are interested, here is your Russian Spy vocabulary list:

шпион
a spy

шпионить (за кем-либо)
to spy (on somebody)

шпионаж
espionage

заниматься шпионажем
engage in espionage

If you are not sure how to read the Russian words, try Google Translate - it will say the word for you.


Here are a couple of soviet "anti-spy" slogans:

"Смерть шпионам!"

(Smehrt shpee-OHN-am)
"Death to spies", or "Spies must die" - a popular slogan of Stalin times, a very convenient one, as almost anyone could be made to match the definition.

"Болтун - находка для шпиона"

(Bahl-TOON na-KHOHD-ka dlya shpee-OHN-ah)
Roughly translates as "A blabber is a (precious) find to a spy"... Sort of like the British WWII poster "Keep mum - she's not so dumb"