And much more. During Stalin's time, the USSR had as few as 6 international telephone lines linking the USSR out to the world. Each line had a KGB officer and tape recorder.
As analog lines grew, up to 2,000 for the 1980 Olympics, so did the need for KGB operators. Each multi-lingual operator was responsible for recognizing up to 50 voices for which she was personally assigned. Her (always women) duty was to monitor all telephone communications for her assigned targets from a backroom in the major telephone exchanges, about 160 of these points within the USSR.
The KGB spent 75 man-hours for every 1 hour of eavesdropping. Everything had to be transcribed, analyzed, etc. The Soviets usually used West German recorders and equipment, which was far superior to their own. They also learned the art of eavesdropping from the East Germans who were very proficient at it.
Today, every ISP has a black box called the SORM located in its communications building. These black boxes are connected to the main service lines which allow the FSB to eavesdrop on any internet traffic at any time without a search warrant.
There is nothing private in Russia. The state has the right to exercise its authority in any manner it chooses without fear that a free will uncover its methods.
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