▁These ▁agents ▁are ▁legal ▁imm igr ants , ▁including ▁scient ists ▁and ▁other ▁profession als . ▁Another ▁SV R ▁officer ▁who ▁defect ed ▁to ▁Britain ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁described ▁several ▁thousand ▁Russian ▁agents ▁and ▁intelligence ▁officers , ▁some ▁of ▁them ▁" il leg als " ▁who ▁live ▁under ▁deep ▁cover ▁abroad . ▁Between ▁ 1 9 9 4 ▁and ▁ 2 0 0 1 , ▁Russian ▁high - profile ▁agents ▁caught ▁in ▁the ▁US ▁included ▁Ald rich ▁Haz en ▁Am es , ▁Harold ▁James ▁Nich ol son , ▁Earl ▁Ed win ▁Pitts , ▁Robert ▁Philip ▁Hans sen ▁and ▁George ▁Tro f im off . ▁ ▁Co operation ▁with ▁foreign ▁intelligence ▁services ▁An ▁agreement ▁on ▁intelligence ▁co operation ▁between ▁Russia ▁and ▁China ▁was ▁signed ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 2 . ▁This ▁secret ▁treat y ▁covers ▁co operation ▁of ▁the ▁GR U ▁G Sh ▁VS ▁R F ▁and ▁the ▁SV R ▁R F ▁with ▁the ▁Chinese ▁People ' s ▁Liber ation ▁Army ' s ▁Military ▁Int elligence ▁Director ate . ▁In ▁ 2 0 0 3 ▁it ▁was ▁reported ▁that ▁SV R ▁R F ▁trained ▁Ira qi ▁sp ies ▁when ▁Russia ▁collabor ated ▁with ▁S add am ▁Hus sein . ▁The ▁SV R ▁also ▁has ▁co operation ▁agre ements ▁with ▁the ▁secret ▁police ▁services ▁of ▁certain ▁former ▁Soviet ▁republic s , ▁such ▁as ▁A zer ba ij an ▁and ▁Bel arus . ▁ ▁Ass ass in ations ▁abroad ▁" In ▁the ▁Soviet ▁era , ▁the ▁SV R ▁– ▁then ▁part ▁of