Shaun Walker

And this was a day, the FBI had been tracking illegals across the United States. There was about 10 of them. And this was finally the time the defector wanted to be exfiltrated. They needed to round them up. And this was the day in June 2010 that it was decided it was going to happen. So across the U.S., coordinated raids and arrests. And it's actually Tim, the oldest son. It's his 20th birthday.

There's a knock at the door. Everyone thinks it must be somebody come to wish him happy birthday. It's actually the FBI who put Andre and Yelena, Don and Anne, into separate cars, drive them away. And Tim and Alex, the two sons, are left there kind of asking what on earth is going on. And they're basically told, well, your parents have been arrested for being agents of a foreign government.

There's a knock at the door. Everyone thinks it must be somebody come to wish him happy birthday. It's actually the FBI who put Andre and Yelena, Don and Anne, into separate cars, drive them away. And Tim and Alex, the two sons, are left there kind of asking what on earth is going on. And they're basically told, well, your parents have been arrested for being agents of a foreign government.

There's a knock at the door. Everyone thinks it must be somebody come to wish him happy birthday. It's actually the FBI who put Andre and Yelena, Don and Anne, into separate cars, drive them away. And Tim and Alex, the two sons, are left there kind of asking what on earth is going on. And they're basically told, well, your parents have been arrested for being agents of a foreign government.

And it's only a few days later that they will start to hear the full details and even then not really believe it.

And it's only a few days later that they will start to hear the full details and even then not really believe it.

And it's only a few days later that they will start to hear the full details and even then not really believe it.

Yeah, so she tells them, you should fly to Moscow. And they do. And this is like, I mean, this is one of these kind of slightly confusing moments here. So what on earth was this trip that they were going to do to Moscow that summer? In their telling, this was just going to be an ordinary tourist trip. You know, they traveled all over the place.

Yeah, so she tells them, you should fly to Moscow. And they do. And this is like, I mean, this is one of these kind of slightly confusing moments here. So what on earth was this trip that they were going to do to Moscow that summer? In their telling, this was just going to be an ordinary tourist trip. You know, they traveled all over the place.

Yeah, so she tells them, you should fly to Moscow. And they do. And this is like, I mean, this is one of these kind of slightly confusing moments here. So what on earth was this trip that they were going to do to Moscow that summer? In their telling, this was just going to be an ordinary tourist trip. You know, they traveled all over the place.

One of the kids had said, oh, let's what about Russia? We've never been there. They were going to go. They were going to stay in character the whole time as Canadians, Americans and leave again. Now, of course, I'm a little bit suspicious about this. I do wonder if we had that story decades earlier of the illegal trying to recruit his son as a second generation.

One of the kids had said, oh, let's what about Russia? We've never been there. They were going to go. They were going to stay in character the whole time as Canadians, Americans and leave again. Now, of course, I'm a little bit suspicious about this. I do wonder if we had that story decades earlier of the illegal trying to recruit his son as a second generation.

One of the kids had said, oh, let's what about Russia? We've never been there. They were going to go. They were going to stay in character the whole time as Canadians, Americans and leave again. Now, of course, I'm a little bit suspicious about this. I do wonder if we had that story decades earlier of the illegal trying to recruit his son as a second generation.

Maybe this was a trip where they were going to reveal they decided it was time and see if their children would join their mission. The FBI have suggested they believe that might be the case. Parents and the children fully deny it. I think we'll never know the truth of that. But

Maybe this was a trip where they were going to reveal they decided it was time and see if their children would join their mission. The FBI have suggested they believe that might be the case. Parents and the children fully deny it. I think we'll never know the truth of that. But

Maybe this was a trip where they were going to reveal they decided it was time and see if their children would join their mission. The FBI have suggested they believe that might be the case. Parents and the children fully deny it. I think we'll never know the truth of that. But

But yeah, I think at the moment when your mom tells you what I think you should do is fly to Moscow, I guess that's the moment where you realize, OK, looks like this is true. So these these poor kids, they fly off to Moscow. Their parents arrive a couple of days later in a in a spy swap. They swapped on the tarmac at Vienna Airport and they arrived back in Moscow.

But yeah, I think at the moment when your mom tells you what I think you should do is fly to Moscow, I guess that's the moment where you realize, OK, looks like this is true. So these these poor kids, they fly off to Moscow. Their parents arrive a couple of days later in a in a spy swap. They swapped on the tarmac at Vienna Airport and they arrived back in Moscow.

But yeah, I think at the moment when your mom tells you what I think you should do is fly to Moscow, I guess that's the moment where you realize, OK, looks like this is true. So these these poor kids, they fly off to Moscow. Their parents arrive a couple of days later in a in a spy swap. They swapped on the tarmac at Vienna Airport and they arrived back in Moscow.

And yeah, one of the younger brothers said to me that the moment he realized it was all true was when one of the people that met them at the airport and they introduced themselves as, you know, we're friends of your parents, we work with them.