From its earliest days, the Soviet Union’s intelligence services — whether known as the Cheka or the names of any of its successor agencies like the KGB — kept the government in power by pursuing its opponents no matter where they lived. The Cheka secret police, founded by Felix Dzherzhinsky, often used assassins to hunt down enemies of the Bolshevik Revolution. Intelligence experts say that policy is still followed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who does not disguise his scorn for perceived traitors, defectors and other political enemies, although the Kremlin has either denied involvement or refused to respond to allegations about such attacks.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has left Spain in suspense after announcing he may step down because of what he called an “unprecedented” smear campaign against his wife. Sánchez, who has been in office since 2018, stunned the country Wednesday by announcing that he was canceling all events until next week when he will unveil his future. The announcement came hours after a Madrid provincial judge agreed to study allegations of corruption brought by a right-wing group against Sánchez’s wife. Sánchez said the probe was part of a campaign to harass him and force him to give up politics. He blamed on-line media outlets linked to right and far-right parties.