A Byzantine sermon

摘要

When Nikolai Patrushev, head of Russia's federal security service (fsb), spoke to his staff to mark the 90th anniversary of the Soviet secret service last year, he made an odd historic diversion. "Those who study history know that security existed before. Sophia Paleologue married Ivan Ⅲ, and being a niece of the last Byzantine emperor, paid close attention to questions of security." Few understood what he was talking about.