An infamous Stalin-era military unit called SMERSH is being re-created by Putin as he steps up his search for spies: UK intel

• Russia is re-forming an infamous Stalinist counterintelligence unit, UK intelligence said. 
• SMERSH was used during the Communist era to catch spies. 
• The Kremlin has intensified its search for dissidents and perceived traitors. 

Russia has re-established the infamous Stalin-era counterintelligence unit SMERSH that was used to catch spies and dissidents, UK intelligence said.

The unit, whose name is an acronym for "death to spies", was formed by Soviet dictator Josef Stalin as a specialist counter-intelligence unit in 1941.