After 20 years of silence, Aliia says exposing her face and adopted name made her safer rather than more vulnerable. She describes repeated approaches from the Russian government and says a former colleague advised her to become a visible anti-war public figure.

Aliia describes publicity as a form of personal insurance
She says the Russian government contacted her three times
A former colleague advised her to become publicly visible
Her anti-war position followed the invasion of Ukraine and her uncle's death

“the reason number one the most important is actually exposing my face and my name kind of uh it's my insurance and security”
Aliia Roza · 03:30

“why don't you go to you know to become really like public figure make it big like talk about your past speak out and stand…”
Aliia Roza · 05:00

#security#russia#publicity#war

Explainer· 3

Explainer35:30

Why 80% of the Seduction Curriculum Was Psychology

Beyond martial arts, weapons, poisons, surveillance devices, and forced entry, Aliia says the specialist classes focused primarily on psychology. Students learned persuasion, subtle manipulation, reading goals and weaknesses, and understanding dreams before moving into explicit sexual instruction.

The general curriculum covered combat, weapons, law, history, poisons, and devices
Specialist classes followed the normal academy day
Aliia estimates psychology made up 80% of seduction training
Students were taught to scan goals, weaknesses, and dreams

“80% would be like psychological techniques uh how to persuade how to seduce how to manipulate how to very subtly manipulation”
Aliia Roza · 37:30

“how to scan people how to read their mind how to understand what the goals what the weaknesses um what they dreams”
Aliia Roza · 37:30

#psychology#curriculum#persuasion#espionage

Explainer48:00

Why Aliia Shares Her Story but Withholds Names

Aliia distinguishes recounting her own experience from disclosing operational identities or secret evidence. She contrasts her approach with Alexander Litvinenko's detailed allegations and says she has changed her name four times while keeping her birth name private.

Aliia says she does not publish names or secret information
She frames the boundary as a deliberate safety measure
Her current public name is not her birth name
She says her name has changed four times
Neil Strauss reviewed identity and academy documents

“I'm not doing that you know like I just share my story that's what happened to me that's what I studied”
Aliia Roza · 48:30

“to prove my story and actual like my identity I um provided him my birth certificate my um diplomas from the academy”
Aliia Roza · 49:30

#identity#opsec#aliases#verification

Explainer1:20:00

How a Team-Based Kompromat Operation Worked

Aliia says a female operative acted as the visible point of contact while two to four backup agents performed other roles. She describes recordings of sexual encounters being used to demand information, cooperation, or silence, while the lead operative could also distract a target as teammates accessed devices and belongings.

The female operative did not work alone
Teams typically included two to four backup agents
Recordings could become leverage for blackmail
Demands could include information or ongoing cooperation
Distraction gave teammates access to phones, computers, and bags

“it's always a woman Fe female agent but she also has a backup of uh two three four agents who uh does different uh roles…”
Aliia Roza · 1:20:00

“I would just be like distraction of attention always you know like that girl walking into the bar whatever looking really like iachi whatever and…”
Aliia Roza · 1:25:00

#kompromat#blackmail#operations#teamwork

Story· 4

Story07:30

How Five Women Were Selected From 350 Students

Aliia links her recruitment to a military family and unusually demanding childhood preparation. At 18, her father redirected her from university into a department and military academy, where she says only five women from 350 students entered the secret sex-espionage program.

Her father served as a high-ranking military officer
Childhood training included weighted running from age six
Her father redirected her education at age 18
Five women were selected from a class of 350

“he trained me from very early age like really early age of like this um not just like kind of like programming techniques but also…”
Aliia Roza · 08:00

“from 350 students um just like a few girls including me together totally five girls were enrolled into this program and it was really secret”
Aliia Roza · 09:00

#recruitment#military#training#espionage

Story29:30

The Abuse Behind Emotional Detachment Training

Aliia says she entered the program as an inexperienced 18-year-old and was raped by classmates, teachers, and commanders. She describes the institutional rationale as forcing trainees to separate their bodies from emotion so they could carry out sexual assignments, and says that disconnection still affects her relationships.

Aliia describes rape and sexual abuse inside the program
She says trainees were expected to detach body from emotion
She later recognised the system as a form of state sex trafficking
She connects the trauma to difficulty opening emotionally in relationships

“you have to disattach your own body from your feelings from your emotions”
Aliia Roza · 30:00

“I was sex traffic myself and I never like felt this way I thought like I'm doing something really big”
Aliia Roza · 35:00

#trauma#abuse#training#detachment

Story43:00

Her Colleague Died Days Before a Planned Interview

Aliia says a close former colleague agreed to speak with Neil Strauss and planned to seek political asylum in America. Before the interview occurred, the woman's relative reported that she had died; Aliia says the colleague had recently believed her phone was monitored.

The former colleague was described as an active agent
She agreed to an interview with Neil Strauss
Aliia offered to connect her with political-asylum lawyers
A relative reported her death before the scheduled interview
The circumstances are presented as unknown, not proven

“she passed away under unknown circumstances”
Aliia Roza · 43:30

“she told me like I've been watched uh my telephone has been listened”
Aliia Roza · 44:00

#neil-strauss#russia#surveillance#death

Story1:25:30

Her Final Mission Became a Full-Time Relationship

Aliia says her main long-term role was to become a target's girlfriend rather than conduct a one-night operation. On her final mission, she lived around the clock with Vladimir, whom she describes as the leader of a powerful Russian drug-trafficking group, and later says his death forced her to flee criminal retaliation.

Long-term infiltration required an established relationship
Aliia says she became a full-time live-in girlfriend
She identifies the target only as Vladimir
She says the mission led to his death and major criminal losses
A senior commander advised her to leave Russia for her safety

“we went into like really serious relationship like 24/7 so sleeping with him and eating and went to all his uh whatever he was doing…”
Aliia Roza · 1:26:30

“you have to leave the country otherwise they will find you and kill you because you've done all that and because of you they lost…”
Aliia Roza · 1:29:30

#infiltration#mafia#russia#final-mission

Q&A· 1

Q&A40:30

How Long the Espionage Training and Field Work Lasted

Aliia says the specialist training began with six months of theory, moved into practice, and totalled roughly one year. She then worked in the field for about two years, distinguishing one-off information tasks from slower efforts to recruit an informer.

The program began with six months of theory
Theory was followed by practice and a return to study
Total specialist preparation lasted about one year
Field work lasted about two years
Recruitment assignments required more time than one-off tasks

“6 months was the um um theory for six month Theory Theory then we went to practice then we got back so all together I…”
Aliia Roza · 40:30

“if you want to um recruit someone as your Informer then yes it takes time”
Aliia Roza · 41:30

#training#fieldwork#recruitment#operations

Takeaway· 1

Takeaway39:00

The Ethical Burden of Knowing How to Manipulate People

Aliia argues that psychological insight creates responsibility because targeting a person's deepest weakness can cause severe harm. She now frames communication and seduction knowledge as tools that should motivate, inspire, and deepen mutual understanding rather than destroy people.

Manipulation can exploit vulnerabilities with devastating consequences
Knowledge creates responsibility for how it is taught and used
Aliia distinguishes destructive manipulation from constructive motivation
Respect and communication are her stated ethical boundary

“manipulation it's it can destroy someone”
Aliia Roza · 39:30

“I have a responsibility for my knowledges and the way I deliver these knowledges to the world”
Aliia Roza · 40:00

#ethics#manipulation#communication#responsibility

Frameworks in this episode

Circle of Hell

Sun Technique

Target Attraction Anchoring

Three-by-Three Sensory Grounding

Insights & moments

◆Hot Take· 1

Why Aliia Says Going Public Became Her Insurance

✶Explainer· 3