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Investigators established the true identity of a Russian spy who had been operating in Italy for years under a false identity, which allowed her to enter high social and intellectual circles. However, the documents confirming her identity had serial numbers and passport numbers typical of Russian intelligence officers working under deep cover. The key to uncovering her double life lay in the numbers on her pet cat's microchip.
In addition, the special services were able to track transactions to cryptocurrency accounts linked to the woman. There is a theory that these crypto wallets received funds linked to the Russian oil and gas sector. According to experts, it was these financial injections that could have been used to support her luxurious lifestyle as a socialite, necessary to maintain a convincing legend.
In December 2025, a journalist and investigator from the international community Bellingcat published the results of many years of work to establish the identity of this agent. According to him, the woman had been living in Italy for many years under the name Maria Adela Kufeld Rivera. Under this fictitious name, the jeweller and socialite was known among the local elite and communicated with people associated with NATO headquarters in Naples.
The key factor that helped break the legend was a cat named Louise, who always accompanied the spy. The investigative journalist noted that the only constant link between the Russian agent's fictional and real life was this pet, an animal that she would probably have taken with her when returning to Russia.
Journalists gained access to Louise's microchip number, which was implanted for animal identification and border crossing. After comparing the microchip data with veterinary clinic reports, it turned out that a cat with the same unique number was registered at a veterinary clinic in Russia. This led to the tracking of social media profiles where photos of Louise were seen, and the discovery of the spy's real Russian name and surname – Olga Kolobova.
This investigation not only sheds light on the mechanisms used by intelligence agents to infiltrate circles close to NATO, but also illustrates how resourceful modern special services and investigative journalists can be.
