Who is Irina Derevko?
 

Formerly known as Laura Bristow, Derevko is Sydney's mother. Formerly KGB, and working directly with Alexander Khasinau, Irina Derevko has become the subject of Sydney's renewed pursuit within her SD-6 missions.

At this time, very little still is known about her history as Laura, except that she was a graduate literature professor at UCLA. Reportedly, Laura Bristow died in 1981, when her car went off a bridge during a high-speed pursuit by FBI agent Bently Calder. It was later determined that Derevko had escaped underwater after inhaling air from the tires of the submerged vehicle, just as Sydney was to mimic later on in a similar pursuit from the CHP; Arvin Sloane was a member of the FBI committee to perform the Laura Bristow investigation.

As a matter of record, Calder was later identified as KGB, not FBI. His real name, Igor Valenko, was revealed in the Khasinau deposition videos, where he sat alongside Irina.