Nothing new here. Like prostitution and politics, spying is one of the oldest human endeavors.
~sarcasm off~But, spying for a third party, in this case a brutal murdering dictator and against someone who you call a friend and ally, is truly despicable.
It's not "just" spying.
Highly recommend reading the entire article, in case you already just skimmed it. The title is misleading. There is a much bigger story buried in the article -- with documents found that prove it, which clearly marks Russia as an active supporters of terrorism against the West.
"Moscow also provided Saddam with lists of assassins available for "hits" in the West and details of arms deals to neighbouring countries. The two countries also signed agreements to share intelligence, help each other to "obtain" visas for agents to go to other countries and to exchange information on the activities of Osama bin Laden, the al-Qa'eda leader."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2003/04/13/wrus13.xml&sSheet=/portal/2003/04/13/ixportaltop.html