The name of Vasily Mitrokhin burst into the public's consciousness in the autumn of 1999, with the publication of The Mitrokhin Archive and the exposure of a grandmother living in South London as a Soviet spy. The resultant enquiry conducted by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee paid tribute to the unique contribution which Mitrokhin had made to the public's understanding of how the former KGB had operated, and to Mitrokhin's commitment and bravery in accumulating and preparing his archive alone and in secret for 20 years before defecting to the United Kingdom in 1992.

The name of Vasily Mitrokhin burst into the public's consciousness in the autumn of 1999, with the publication of The Mitrokhin Archive and the exposure of a grandmother living in South London as a Soviet spy. The resultant enquiry conducted by the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee paid tribute to the unique contribution which Mitrokhin had made to the public's understanding of how the former KGB had operated, and to Mitrokhin's commitment and bravery in accumulating and preparing his archive alone and in secret for 20 years before defecting to the United Kingdom in 1992.