KGB spy gadgets often sound like a Bond villain wish list - cigarette packages wired with microphones, miniature camera rings, and even a heartbeat locator to flush out spies hiding in concealed compartments.
Excitingly, a huge number of these intriguing Moscow inventions are now part of the SPYSCAPE collection - far too many to mention - but we're excited to share a dozen of them with our readers.
KGB cigarette box camera
The KGB hid a Kiev-30 subminiature spy camera in what appeared to be a package of John Player Special cigarettes - a popular brand in Britain, the US, and Southeast Asia. The metal packet, large enough to hold the camera and a few cigarettes, was housed within a larger cardboard box to simulate the JPS packaging. (Not to be outdone, American spies developed their own cameras in the post-WWI era to fit neatly into a pack of Lucky Strikes.)
KGB suit with button camera
This smart KGB suit jacket is designed to accommodate a subminiature KGB F-21 button camera (measuring 3” x 2” x 0.5’). A remote-control trigger is hidden in the exterior pocket, causing a tiny door in one of the buttons to open so the camera can fire. Much like the umbrella-cam below, the F-21 has a clockwork motor so multiple photos can be taken in quick succession. Although only one button has the camera mounted behind it, all of the buttons match to avoid drawing attention to the F-21.
KGB spy ring with hidden camera
This gold-plated ring camera was used by steely KGB agents in the 1970s. The film is wrapped around the finger, while the top cover opens out to reveal a high-definition lens with a fixed focus. Soviet spies needed a steady hand to operate this gadget. It was only possible to take one surreptitious photo, so there was no margin for error. The spy ring is one of only a few in existence and each has a slightly different design, making this a one-of-a-kind KGB treasure.
KGB Ajax camera belt
Designed to hold a hidden, sub-miniature Ajax camera, this KGB leather belt includes a fixed lens attached behind the buckle. The tiny holes in the buckle allow for a clear shot while a brief cough could hide the sound of a camera click. KGB spies used the belt camera during the Cold War, which lasted up until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 - although some argue that the Cold War never ended. The belt measures 46 inches - 116.8 cm - so it could fit comfortably around the waist of most KGB officers.
KGB heart finder device
The Lavanda-M (Lavender) Heart Finder device can find unauthorized people hidden in the secret compartments of vehicles. The KGB used it at checkpoints and border crossings to detect vibrations and micro-movements produced by the human heartbeat and breathing. The Lavanda-M came in a compact case (15” x 9” x 4 ½” ) with a logbook to note when the device was used.
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KGB spy gadgets often sound like a Bond villain wish list - cigarette packages wired with microphones, miniature camera rings, and even a heartbeat locator to flush out spies hiding in concealed compartments.
Excitingly, a huge number of these intriguing Moscow inventions are now part of the SPYSCAPE collection - far too many to mention - but we're excited to share a dozen of them with our readers.
KGB cigarette box camera
The KGB hid a Kiev-30 subminiature spy camera in what appeared to be a package of John Player Special cigarettes - a popular brand in Britain, the US, and Southeast Asia. The metal packet, large enough to hold the camera and a few cigarettes, was housed within a larger cardboard box to simulate the JPS packaging. (Not to be outdone, American spies developed their own cameras in the post-WWI era to fit neatly into a pack of Lucky Strikes.)
KGB suit with button camera
This smart KGB suit jacket is designed to accommodate a subminiature KGB F-21 button camera (measuring 3” x 2” x 0.5’). A remote-control trigger is hidden in the exterior pocket, causing a tiny door in one of the buttons to open so the camera can fire. Much like the umbrella-cam below, the F-21 has a clockwork motor so multiple photos can be taken in quick succession. Although only one button has the camera mounted behind it, all of the buttons match to avoid drawing attention to the F-21.
KGB spy ring with hidden camera
This gold-plated ring camera was used by steely KGB agents in the 1970s. The film is wrapped around the finger, while the top cover opens out to reveal a high-definition lens with a fixed focus. Soviet spies needed a steady hand to operate this gadget. It was only possible to take one surreptitious photo, so there was no margin for error. The spy ring is one of only a few in existence and each has a slightly different design, making this a one-of-a-kind KGB treasure.
KGB Ajax camera belt
Designed to hold a hidden, sub-miniature Ajax camera, this KGB leather belt includes a fixed lens attached behind the buckle. The tiny holes in the buckle allow for a clear shot while a brief cough could hide the sound of a camera click. KGB spies used the belt camera during the Cold War, which lasted up until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 - although some argue that the Cold War never ended. The belt measures 46 inches - 116.8 cm - so it could fit comfortably around the waist of most KGB officers.
KGB heart finder device
The Lavanda-M (Lavender) Heart Finder device can find unauthorized people hidden in the secret compartments of vehicles. The KGB used it at checkpoints and border crossings to detect vibrations and micro-movements produced by the human heartbeat and breathing. The Lavanda-M came in a compact case (15” x 9” x 4 ½” ) with a logbook to note when the device was used.
This iconic Zenit 12 XPS camera is fitted with a zoom lens and attached to a 'photosniper' shoulder stock and trigger mechanism, all of which fits inside its original metal case. After Germany invaded in World War II, the Soviet Union wanted precision optical instruments. Zenit (the brand name is the Russian word for ‘zenith’) has remained a beloved brand since the SLR camera was first created by Krasnogorsky Zavod. It was manufactured near Moscow and its long history defined Eastern European photography for decades.
KGB doctor's bag
Is there a doctor in the house? No, but if this KGB ‘doctor’s’ bag is in sight there’s likely a secret agent nearby. The hidden camera is operated through a movable section on the bottom of the bag. The lens is pointed downward so it was likely used to photograph documents.
KGB cigarette case camera
Cigarette cases are handy spy gadgets. In The Living Daylights, 007’s (Timothy Dalton’s) cigarette case transforms into a pair of binoculars. Bond’s (Roger Moore’s) microfilm reader is assembled with a cigarette case and lighter in The Spy Who Loved Me, and Scaramanga's golden gun has a cigarette case for its handle. The Soviets had their own ideas about how to transform the cigarette case for KGB agents: a Tochka camera is hidden inside this model with the lens operated through a small hole on the lid. The Tochka (which means ‘point’ in English) was a fully mechanical subminiature camera.
KGB F-21 Ajax umbrella camera
This Cold War-era relic is embedded with an F-21 Ajax subminiature spy camera, used by raising the outer cover or concealed with an umbrella cover when not in use. The F-21 umbrella-cam was easily portable (measuring 12” x 2”) and renowned for its sharp, high-resolution lens and superb picture quality; the standard F-21 lens is OF-28T, 28/2.8, coated. It is operated with a remote shutter cable and can shoot an entire roll of film after being wound up once, allowing for multiple photos taken in quick succession. The F-21 was produced at the KMZ plant from 1951 to the mid-’90s and was also popular with East German Stasi spies.
KGB double agent: Aldrich Ames and his wife Maria
No one said life as a CIA-KGB double agent would be easy but Aldrich ‘Rick’ Ames has plenty of time to reflect on that while he serves his life sentence in prison. Ames could have had it all. He was a CIA counterintelligence officer with more than 30 years of experience but in 1982 Ames had an affair with María del Rosario Casas Dupuy, a CIA informant who liked the finer things in life - particularly if they came in Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom boxes. Rick and Maria married and spied for the Soviets to earn more money, betraying at least 12 CIA agents who were either jailed or executed. In the words of former CIA director James Woolsey, the agents died because “this warped, murdering traitor wanted a bigger house and a Jaguar".
KGB Lenok through-the-wall camera
If kompromat - compromising information - is required for blackmail or to manipulate a target there’s nothing quite like photographic evidence. This Soviet ‘through the wall’ camera allows photos to be taken via a small hole drilled in a wall. KGB agents stocked up on kompromat, believing their friend today could be their enemy tomorrow. In the early days, kompromat might involve doctored photographs or planted drugs. In one of the more successful kompromat stings, prosecutor general Yury Skuratov was investigating former president Boris Yeltsin over bribe allegations. It wasn’t long before RTR TV aired grainy footage showing Skuratov in bed with two prostitutes. He was promptly fired.
KGB radio & bug scanning and recording kit
This rare KGB eavesdropping, transported in a briefcase, comes with radio scanning equipment and technology used to record incoming calls picked up by bugs. The simple design and small dimensions (5 ¼” x 18 ¼” x 12 ¾”) allowed KGB officers to set up and close down quickly; they simply opened the suitcase and turned a few switches. The recorder could capture secret radio transmissions or track down the signal. Once caught, the person transmitting would either be recruited for covert ops or imprisoned.
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