Episodes 12
Avg. Duration 47m
Activity Dormant
Since Mar 2025
Latest Episode May 2025

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Schedule
Weekly
Format
Serial
Hosting
feeds.simplecast.com

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About This Podcast

It was 1985, the so-called “Year of the Spy”. The CIA had been losing Soviet assets left and right; the first loss seemed like bad luck, but four in a row? That wasn't coincidence — it was a deadly leak. And just as the Agency was scrambling to find answers, across the world, a KGB colonel named Vitaly Yurchenko walked into the American embassy in Rome and volunteered his services in exchange for immediate exfiltration to the United States. At the time, Yurchenko was the highest ranked KGB officer ever to defect to America, and the Agency felt it had hit the jackpot. Instead, his defection would go on to become one of the most dizzying, high stakes espionage debacles of the last century. Although many of his bombshell revelations were bonafide, a doubt soon began haunting the intelligence community: Was Vitaly Yurchenko telling the whole truth? And if not... What had he been sent to hide? Join host Julie Cohn in this ten-part series featuring interviews with CIA officers, bodyguards, FBI Special Agents, reporters and even a former KGB general as she uncovers the truth behind the decades-long Vitaly Yurchenko mystery.

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Recent Episodes

S1E10 Holy Fool | Chapter 10

May 21, 2025 57m

After two years building a mosaic of research about the Vitaly Yurchenko mystery, finally a full picture emerges: the truth. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for…

S1E9 In Search of a Spy | Chapter 9

May 14, 2025 39m

The modern day hunt for Vitaly Yurchenko, the 90 year-old spy.  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for…

S1E8 Joyride | Chapter 8

May 07, 2025 52m

Some old veterans from the Soviet and Eastern Europe division decide to take matters into their own hands and start a new hunt. It's unconventional, it's personal, and this time, it's successful.…

S1 It’s Hard to Find a Leak | Chapter 7.5 BONUS

Apr 30, 2025 56m Bonus

BONUS EPISODE: Bodies continue to drop, despite the leaks identified by Yurchenko. Despite intensifying debate over his legitimacy, the SE division has a new desperate focus: to find answers. It…

S1E7 Whiplash | Chapter 7

Apr 23, 2025 51m

Yurchenko... reappears, sowing chaos. A debate begins to rage in the press, at the CIA, and even in the White House: Was Vitaly Yurchenko a plant from the very beginning?  Hosted by Simplecast, an…

S1E6 Vanished | Chapter 6

Apr 16, 2025 52m

To cheer up the despondent Yurchenko, the CIA takes Yurchenko on a road trip through the American Southwest, complete with a stop in Sin City. Soon after he returns from the trip, his spirits still…

S1E5 Valentina | Chapter 5

Apr 09, 2025 44m

Yurchenko travels to Canada to be reunited with the love of his life, but plans go awry...  Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use…

S1E4 The Safe Safehouse | Chapter 4

Apr 02, 2025 55m

Yurchenko and his team of CIA and FBI officers start over in a new safehouse in the Virginia countryside. Meanwhile, the mole Yurchenko revealed... makes a run for it.  Hosted by Simplecast, an…

S1E3 Goat Rodeo | Chapter 3

Mar 26, 2025 36m

Vitaly Yurchenko is a fountain of intelligence and quickly becomes a celebrity in US intelligence circles. But the higher his profile, the greater the threat to his safety...  Hosted by Simplecast,…

S1E2 Meet the Team | Chapter 2

Mar 19, 2025 34m

The CIA and FBI have less than 24 hours to prepare to welcome the KGB colonel who, in the defector world, appeared to be the catch of the century.   Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See…

S1E1 The Walk-in | Chapter 1

Mar 19, 2025 38m

It was August 1st, 1985, a year so full of espionage drama that it has since become known as "The Year of the Spy." The CIA had been suspiciously losing Soviet assets one after another. Just as the…

S1 Trailer: The Redefector

Mar 03, 2025 2m Trailer

It was 1985, and the CIA had a painful secret. Soviet assets who had been secretly working for the CIA had begun ominously disappearing one, after another. One might be bad luck… But four was three…

Frequently Asked Questions

How many episodes does The Redefector have?

The Redefector has published 12 episodes since March 2025, covering topics in Documentary, History.

Is The Redefector still active?

The Redefector is currently dormant with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 47m.

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