La Huitième Matriochka

The character's internal conflicts added layers to the story, but I'm curious if this was a conscious decision to explore gray areas in espionage.

I was constantly guessing who was trustworthy and who was manipulating whom. Was this sense of unpredictability intentional from the start?

The geopolitical tensions felt so real — I wonder if the author drew inspiration from actual international relations or created a completely fictional world.