Ronan Farrow describes being tracked by spies while investigating Harvey Weinstein

Ronan Farrow.
(Image credit: Brad Barket/AP)

Ronan Farrow has released a new book excerpt diving into how he was surveilled while investigating Harvey Weinstein that reads like something out of a spy novel.

The reporter, who in 2017 published an exposé detailing rape allegations against the disgraced producer, published an excerpt in The New Yorker Monday from his book Catch and Kill, which details how he was surveilled during the course of his reporting by two operatives, Igor Ostrovskiy and Roman Khaykin, working for an Israeli private-intelligence agency, Black Cube, reportedly hired by Weinstein.

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"Some days, they would stay in Khaykin's car, a silver Nissan Pathfinder," he writes. "Other times, the two would use separate cars. Khaykin would be ready to follow me if I left the building, and Ostrovskiy would keep an eye on my apartment. When separated, they stayed in touch by text."

One of the men, Farrow writes, claims he was able to track his cellphone's geolocation to track him; although a source told Farrow Black Cube didn't authorize cell phone tracking, Farrow explains how Khaykin was able to successfully place him near the World Trade Center, where he was to discuss his Weinstein reporting with The New Yorker.

"I was on edge," Farrow writes. "In the preceding weeks, I'd begun to suspect that I was being followed. My building superintendent had told me that he'd seen men lurking outside. Sources had advised me to get a gun and move out of my apartment."

Ultimately, Farrow, who previously reported on Black Cube in 2017, explains Ostrovskiy came to him with details about the operation, saying of the Black Cube work, "I fear that it may be illegal." Additional excerpts from Catch and Kill will be published by The New Yorker this week ahead of its Oct. 15 release.

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Brendan Morrow

Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.