Ten people have been arrested in the US and charged with spying for Russia.

10人被美国警方逮捕并被指控为俄罗斯作间谍。

They were allegedly part of an operation where agents posed as（假装，伪装） ordinary citizens, some living together as couples for years.

They are accused of conspiracy²（阴谋） to act as unlawful agents of a foreign government, a crime which carries up to five years in prison.

Nine of them also face a charge of conspiracy to launder³ money, which carries a 20-year prison sentence.

An 11th suspect remains⁴ at large（未被捕的，详尽的） , according to the US justice department.

Alleged¹ intercepted⁵ messages in court documents suggest they were asked to find information on topics including nuclear weapons, US arms control positions, Iran, White House rumours⁶, CIA leadership turnover⁷, and political parties.

The US Department of Justice says eight of the suspects allegedly carried out "long-term, 'deep-cover' assignments" on US soil, working in civilian⁸ jobs so as not to arouse suspicion.

They were allegedly trained by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) to infiltrate⁹（渗入） policy-making circles and collect information, according to court papers filed in the US court for the southern district of New York.

They were told to befriend（帮助） US officials and send information using various methods to Russian government handlers.

False IDs

US officials said the spy-ring was discovered in a "multi-year investigation¹⁰" by FBI agents who posed as Russian handlers and gleaned¹¹（收集） information from two of the suspects.

Investigators¹² say some of the agents had been using false identities since the early 1990s, using codes and engaging in advanced computer operations, including posting apparently¹³ innocent pictures on the internet which contained hidden text.

The FBI also reported observing older techniques, such as money being buried next to a beer-bottle marker and "brush pasts（擦过） " in parks, where agents swap¹⁴ identical bags as they pass each other.

"You were sent to USA for long-term service trip," says one purported¹⁵ message to two of the suspects that was intercepted by US intelligence.

"Your education, bank accounts, car, house etc - all these serve one goal: fulfil your main mission, ie to search and develop ties in policymaking circles in US and send intels."

Generally, spies were allegedly tasked with becoming "Americanised" to be able to do this, with some pursuing university degrees, holding jobs, and joining relevant（有关的） professional associations, court documents said.

The group allegedly got close to a scientist involved in designing bunker-busting bombs and a top former intelligence official.