Must-Stream KGB & Russian Spy Movies and Series From The Red Queen to The Optimists

To be a top-grade intelligence officer you’ll need to brush up on your language skills. SPYSCAPE has rounded up 17 must-watch Russian espionage thrillers to keep you on top of your brief.

RUSSIAN SPY SERIES

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The Optimists (2017)‍

Set in the Cold War, The Optimists combines a Mad Men aesthetic with deadly consequences. The series begins with the 1959 American National Exhibition in Sokolniki and follows a group of young diplomats working for the Strategic Analysis Group, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ think tank established during the Khrushchev era. (Prime Video)

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Spies (2013)‍

Set in 1941, Arina and Zoya are hired by Russia's NKVD (People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs) to be secret agents behind enemy lines in Poland, Germany, Riga, and Crimea. They fight adversaries and their own fears. (YouTube, Google Play, Prime Video)

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To The Lake (2020)

A contagious illness ravages Moscow, triggering panic and looting in To The Lake. Families and neighbors form shaky alliances for survival, but who is an ally and who is an enemy? There are no safe havens and nothing can be taken for granted in this exceptional drama. (Netflix)

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Hope (2020) ‍

Nadezhda - which means Hope in Russian - is an assassin for the Syndicate, a shady group she agreed to work for in exchange for her release from prison. The espionage action series is set between 1990s Russia and the present day. Hope stars Victoria Isakova, who previously anchored the Russian adaptation of Homeland and the drama series To The Lake. (Russian Video service START) 

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