Technology

Gun Glove? These Are Some of the Sneaky Spy Weapons Used By the KGB

During the height of the Cold War, the premiere Soviet intelligence service– the KGB– was feared around the globe for its ruthlessness and treachery, and today many of its sinister spy trade tools have come to light.

The site EnglishRussia* has posted a number of these espionage tools for the public to peruse. While they look like something out of a James Bond movie, many of these devices were used for deadly purposes.

Check Out These Lethal Russian KGB Spy Weapons
1) The Gun Glove

This contraption gives new meaning to the term “firm handshake.” Capable of firing a small bullet with the movement of a finger, the KGB gun glove was a low-tech, but highly effective means of concealing gun in public.

It gave the wearer the ability to get within point blank range before firing a lethal shot. Oddjob would be proud.

Check Out These Lethal Russian KGB Spy Weapons

2) The Lipstick Gun

Spy games aren’t just for the gentlemen. As this lipstick gun makes clear, lady spies were often used behind the Iron Curtain as well. Capable of delivering a single 4.5 mm round into a target, this little cosmetic aid could easily deliver a kiss of death.

Check Out These Lethal Russian KGB Spy Weapons

3) Pipe Gun

Noticing a pattern here, folks? The Russky spies had an obvious affinity for concealing small-caliber firearms and other projectile devices in everyday items.

While pipe-smoking is less popular now than it was during the heigh of our worldwide standoff with the evil Soviet Empire, back in the day it would have been a very effective concealment option. Apparently, smoking really does kill.

Check Out These Lethal Russian KGB Spy Weapons
4) Cyanide Gun

This nasty device combines rudimentary firearms and  bio-weapons science to fire a poisoned pellet into victims. According to Wired:

“a gas gun similar to this one was used by KGB officer Bogdan Stashinsky to assassinate two Ukrainian dissidents — Lev Rebet and Stepan Bandera — in Germany in 1957 and 1959. The gun, which Stashinsky concealed in a rolled-up newspaper, exploded hydrogen from a crushed cyanide capsule into the victim’s face, causing him to go into cardiac arrest. Stashinsky later defected to Germany and confessed to the crimes.”

Check Out These Lethal Russian KGB Spy Weapons

5) The Briefcase AK

This one needs little explanation. The timeless symbol of Soviet munitions– the AK-47– comes in all sorts of variants and configurations, including this compact version that fits in a briefcase.

If a KGB officer couldn’t get the job done with the gun glove or cyanide shooter, this was certainly one final option with a lot more firepower.

You can See even more spy gadgets here, courtesy of EnglishRussia and Wired.

(h/t Gizmodo)

*Editor’s note: we cannot vouch for all the content on the EnglishRussia site. For example, there are some provocative images at the bottom of that site’s story on the KGB gadgets. With that said, here is the link to the source material.

Comments (69)

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  • Skrewedretiree
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:30pm

    None of this is new. I have a book in my library called something like Tools of American Intrigue that shows the glove gun, a gun made to look like a socket wrench, etc. My father once owned a gun that I saw as a kid: it looked like a pen in your shirt pocket, but it was a small .38 caliber short range pistol. You pulled the end of the “pen” and let it go to fire the thing. Had to be .38 S&W and not .38 Special.
    There are tons of other ideas. That‘s why the Democraps and their gun control schemes won’t work. There are too many ways to get around them. As a last resort, people rely on simple explosives, such as in Europe and the moo-slum countries.

    Report Post » Skrewedretiree  
    • lukerw
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:46pm

      Secondary… explosive, or toxic, ammo… should be on the list!

      Report Post » lukerw  
    • black9897
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 7:29pm

      Of course it was. Ever see Inglorious bastards? They use the gun glove to “punch” two Nazis!

      Report Post » black9897  
    • AmericanSubject
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 7:31pm

      Yep; The glove gun is OSS, WW2, there were buckle guns, a throw away 45acp single shot and a host of others.

      Report Post »  
    • Libertyluvnmomma
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 9:16pm

      I just keep flu shots in my purse.
      Works like a charm!

      Report Post » Libertyluvnmomma  
    • The-Monk
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 10:21pm

      Where’s the old 6 volt battery trick with the spikes (needles) to stick under the arm pits from behind? The old heart attack trick. Silent, deadly and almost never found… if the arm pits are hairy.

      Report Post » The-Monk  
    • caveman74
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 11:17pm

      I used to have a .22 caliber pocket pen (minus the firing pin, I got it at a garage sale but later turned it over to the local P.D. to have it melted down when I found out firearms without serial numbers is kinda’ frowned upon)

      Report Post »  
    • LordChaos
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 11:55pm

      The glove gun, as shown, was origanally issued to the Seabees as a defensive weapon while operating heavy equipment in the Pacific. It was withdrawn from service because of too many people being injured from misuse.

      The throw away single shot .45 is called the “Liberator”. A company still makes them but now with a rifled barrel to comply with the BATFE rules.

      The belt gun was a very limited item issued to German officers in WW2. Only a hand full were made.

      Report Post » LordChaos  
  • Starkadder
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:25pm

    Take a good look at the gun glove. Does it look like it’s “Capable of firing a small bullet with the movement of a finger”? unless your finger bends backwards the answer is no.
    Clearly this was designed to fire a bullet with a punch.
    Talk about a KO punch!

    Report Post » Starkadder  
    • linearnonlinear
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:31pm

      It looks like you would make a fist and use the other hand to push the plunger.

      Report Post »  
    • hidden_lion
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:30pm

      The punch makes sense. You just walk up to the guy and sock him in the kidney or or chest and wham, down for good. Pretty cool in a sinister sort of way.

      Report Post » hidden_lion  
    • Libertyluvnmomma
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 9:27pm

      what??? no tampon gun?

      Report Post » Libertyluvnmomma  
    • CakeNCircus
      Posted on January 4, 2012 at 8:49am

      Too funny, Momma!!!!!!!!

      Report Post »  
  • Psychosis
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:21pm

    whats wrong smack??????

    mommie not there to change your pampers today????

    Report Post » Psychosis  
  • Justone View
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:17pm

    Please hold your comments until you become an adult. We would like some honest intelligent comments and not stupid adolescent ones you seem to come up with. Some day you may actually have a point of view and a real opinion. Then someone might respect your point of view. Until then practice some critical thinking and honest observations. In other words…mature.

    Report Post » Justone View  
  • The Third Archon
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:06pm

    That’s pretty cool–also the Spetsnaz have rocket tipped knives.

    Crazy Russians and their reactive armor…

    Report Post » The Third Archon  
  • SpankDaMonkey
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:05pm

    .
    Uri thought the Gun Glove was a good idea, until he forgot he had it on while watching porn……

    Report Post » SpankDaMonkey  
  • kiwiburgerwithcheese
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:53pm

    Smackdown, stop being an idiot and get a real job.

    Report Post »  
  • FlamingFartSyndrome
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:35pm

    Reminds me of inglorious bastards. But the gun glove has a false description, because there is no trigger that the spy pulls. The side with the gun and trigger are on top of the hand, and when the trigger is pressed in it shoots. The way the would shoot the gun was by punching someone and thus pushing the trigger in.

    Report Post » FlamingFartSyndrome  
  • lukerw
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:30pm

    I love it — One of each for me, Please!

    Report Post » lukerw  
  • CatB
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:14pm

    Out with the old and in with the new .. imagine what they have and are working on now.

    Report Post »  
    • shakedowncrews
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:21pm

      You mean like the new use of radioactive polonium-210 in the murder of Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko? The FSB has taken the place of the old KGB and found new ways to murder.

      Report Post » shakedowncrews  
  • gmoneytx
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:13pm

    Makes you wonder where the line “pull my finger” came from :)

    Report Post » gmoneytx  
    • djmaine
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:23pm

      Thanks…You made me laugh!
      That was a good one.:)

      Report Post »  
  • Harry Assenback
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:09pm

    You’ll shoot your eye out kid……….

    Report Post » Harry Assenback  
  • blackstone22
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:08pm

    where do I get a lipstick gun….love it.

    Report Post »  
  • thegreatcarnac
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:02pm

    That is not as devious as the hand-grenade tampon. Pull the string and ‘boom’.

    Report Post »  
  • RojBlake
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:01pm

    The glove gun & the Pipe gun appear in a book I have on CIA equipment.
    So we used them too.
    I loved the exploding flour, talk about blowing out a cake..it gets even.
    The inflatable plane was kind of cool too.

    Report Post » RojBlake  
    • lodgerat
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 5:09pm

      Your right. The items shown are really old stuff.

      Report Post » lodgerat  
  • heyjim55
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:57pm

    These weapons are unique but equally rare , they normally did not have to resort to such creativity unless they were taking out one of their own who had good security or hard to hit. The Russians are good students when it comes to studying human behavior, for instance the KGB would need a foreigner to carry out a task that the they could not easily do. They would choose a college age American male with a rebellious attitude, find out what his interests are; like girls and what type, alcohol, drugs what books he reads and his habits both daily and personally. Then become a friend and slowly exploit those things he likes, over time they can control him until he is readied to be used. I have a relative in my wife’s family who is retired Russian KGB and he has lots of stories about the cold war and his exploits he was specialized in physicological behavior he taught it later in his career until he retired . He always said that humans are creatures of habit and one only needs to watch long enough to learn their weak points and their strong ones then apply them intelligently as to achieve what one wants to achieve. You can take a man who has a type A personality and drive him crazy by simply understanding how to use his strengths against him. In a type A personallity their strength very often is their weakness or it can be transformed into a weakness if you know what your doing.

    Report Post »  
    • skitrees
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:15pm

      @heyjim55:

      Exactly right. What better way to “…watch long enough to learn their weak points and their strong ones then apply them intelligently as to achieve what one wants to achieve” than the data-gathering of Google, Facebook, iPhone, and Internet forums, eh?

      Google is evil. Facebook is evil. Social media is evil. To think this type of data collectivity is benign is ignorant. Hopefully folks are starting to wake up to the true purpose of these companies/products/societies.

      Report Post »  
    • Lord_Frostwind
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:21pm

      The KGB were some of the greatest masters of the spy-trade, imagine how much their descendents have managed to refine those skills since the Cold War.

      Report Post » Lord_Frostwind  
    • hidden_lion
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:35pm

      Too bad we gutted our CIA and allowed them to become the pathetic and hollow agency they are.

      Report Post » hidden_lion  
  • jakartaman
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:55pm

    Personally – I prefer my Colt 44mag in my side holster

    Report Post »  
  • TRONINTHEMORNING
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:43pm

    I love this stuff! Crazy cool.

    Report Post »  
  • Kiba
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:43pm

    Im not so sure that is a Soviet design, anyway its called a “punch-gun” and is made to take someones jaw off when you hit them. Make a fist throw the punch and the plunger goes down and sets off the cratrige. Better have a fist made tho.

    Report Post »  
    • Stevsea
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:09pm

      That looks like the gadget gun from the movie ‘Inglorious Basterds’ that one of the assassins posing as a theater employee used to kill one of the guards outside of the balcony door where Hitler was. Anyone recognize it?

      Report Post » Stevsea  
    • Just A Private
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:19pm

      I am with KIBA. If you look at the glove for even a couple seconds it seems the “gun” is on the back of the wearers hand. So firing the gun with “the movement of a finger” sounds like kind a hard…

      Report Post » Just A Private  
    • RavenGlenn
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:53pm

      Yes, that’s the gun that they used in Inglorious Bastards. That’s where they got the idea for it in the movie.

      And as others have pointed out, you fire it by punching someone. The trigger is the longer bar sticking out. The shorter rod is actually the barrel.

      Report Post »  
  • schroeder123
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:40pm

    I wanna buy one !!

    Report Post » schroeder123  
  • Sleazy Hippo
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:38pm

    Swampy – They also had a wiener gun that would blow your middle finger until it went off.

    Report Post » Sleazy Hippo  
  • DagneyT
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:36pm

    If we’re just now finding out about this, can you imagine all the new toys we/they have today?

    Report Post » DagneyT  
    • Kiba
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:14pm

      Its been around since WW-2, I have seen it on two different gun shows like “tales of the gun’ on the history chanell about 15 or so yrs. ago. and ‘History of the gun’ too. On the show I saw yrs. ago it was called “weird weapons” and I thought they said it was used by the British secret service equilivent like the OSS or something. I forget their acronym at the moment.

      Report Post »  
  • Collegeboy
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:33pm

    the glove gun was in “Inglorious Bastards” I’m pretty sure. It “packs a punch” HAHA

    Report Post »  
    • Kiba
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 6:56pm

      I was thinking the same thing, one of them used it when they was in the theater.

      Report Post »  
  • BurntHills
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:27pm

    sure makes ya wonder with toys like these why the KBG replacement-bureau has allowed escalating-fuhrer comrade obama to remain in power destroying America so long. whatever happens here will affect Russia badly.

    Report Post » BurntHills  
  • sWampy
    Posted on January 3, 2012 at 3:26pm

    You would have to over ride the instinct to pull your other fingers in when pulling the trigger or you would blow your middle finger off.

    Report Post »  
    • sWampy
      Posted on January 3, 2012 at 4:11pm

      oops, that’s on the back of the hand, seems pretty useless, if you get close enough to punch someone, you would be just as well off with a spring loaded blade, or air loaded blade that could be non metallic.

      Report Post »  
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