If playing Despicable Theft vs. Russia level 2+, do the Thieves get the benefits that Russian Explorers do?
If playing Despicable Theft vs. Russia level 2+, do the Thieves get the benefits that Russian Explorers do?
No. "They are not Explorers for any other rule or purpose", including Adversary rules.
They're basically a new type of piece, and Spirit Actions which can interact with Explorers are retconned to be able to affect Thieves too.