American espionage in the Soviet Union and Russian Federation

The United States of America has conducted espionage against the Soviet Union and its successor state, the Russian Federation.

Throughout the Cold War, acts of espionage, or spying, became prevalent as tension between the United States and Soviet Union increased.

[1] Information played a crucial role in the Cold War and would be essential to a victory of either side.

Both the United States and Soviet Union understood this fact and invested greatly in espionage missions and technology.

According to U.S. government officials, as of 2016 the United States Intelligence Community had earmarked up to 10-percent of its budgets "to Russia-related espionage".