Art Imitates Life

The FX cable TV program The Americans, is about a married couple with two children - Russian spies - living in the Cold War-era U.S. as "illegals," posing as American-born citizens. Did you have any idea it was based on real people, on the actual lives of real "moles"?

I'll admit I didn't know a very similar family existed, was caught by the FBI, and later swapped to Russia for some people they'd caught who spied for us. The Guardian (U.K.) has the story in considerable detail. 

The spies' two Canadian-born sons who speak little Russian are trying to get back out of Russia. To drum up sympathy, they have told their story to a British reporter.

Canada, it turns out, doesn't want to issue the brothers birth certificates and passports. Most Western countries won't give them visas. 

If you have some time, the long newspaper article is very interesting. It's a good "weekend" read.