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Interfax, Russia
Jan 13 2012
Putin bids farewell to legendary agent Vartanian
MOSCOW. Jan 13
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived at the Troyekurovskoye
cemetery on Friday to bid farewell to prominent Soviet intelligence
agent Gevork Vartanian, who died on January 10, aged 88.
The head of government laid flowers on Vartanian's coffin and spoke to
his relatives.
Other officials who came to bid farewell to one of the most famous
Soviet agents included current head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence
Service (SVR) Mikhail Fradkov and his predecessors Yevgeny Primakov
and Sergei Lebedev. The Armenian ambassador, Vartanian's former
colleagues and representatives from the Armenian diaspora also arrived
to pay tribute.
Gevork Andreyevich Vartanian was born to Andrei Vasilyevich Vartanian
in Rostov-on-Don on February 17, 1924. In 1930, when Gevork was six
years old, his family moved to Iran. His father was linked to the
Soviet foreign intelligence and left the USSR at its behest. Disguised
as a merchant, Andrei Vasilyevich conducted active intelligence work.
It was under his father's influence that Gevork became an intelligence
agent.
Gevork joined the Soviet intelligence service at the age of 16, when
he established direct contacts with NKVD (Soviet secret police) agents
based in Tehran in February 1940. At the behest of one of them,
Vartanian led a special group to detect Nazi agents and German spies
in Tehran and elsewhere in Iran. In two years alone, his group
identified around 400 people who were linked to German intelligence in
one way or another.
Amir (Vartanian's operational name) was actively involved in providing
security for the Tehran summit of the Big Three allied leaders in
November-December 1943. In 1951, he returned to the USSR and graduated
from the Yerevan University with a degree in foreign languages.
After that he worked as an agent in extreme and difficult conditions
in various countries. Vartanian and his wife Goar, who accompanied him
throughout this long-term mission, returned to the USSR in the fall of
1986.
Vartanian continued to serve until 1992. He was awarded the Hero of
the Soviet Union title, and many orders and medals, as well as the
highest state awards.
kk rb
Jan 13 2012
Putin bids farewell to legendary agent Vartanian
MOSCOW. Jan 13
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived at the Troyekurovskoye
cemetery on Friday to bid farewell to prominent Soviet intelligence
agent Gevork Vartanian, who died on January 10, aged 88.
The head of government laid flowers on Vartanian's coffin and spoke to
his relatives.
Other officials who came to bid farewell to one of the most famous
Soviet agents included current head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence
Service (SVR) Mikhail Fradkov and his predecessors Yevgeny Primakov
and Sergei Lebedev. The Armenian ambassador, Vartanian's former
colleagues and representatives from the Armenian diaspora also arrived
to pay tribute.
Gevork Andreyevich Vartanian was born to Andrei Vasilyevich Vartanian
in Rostov-on-Don on February 17, 1924. In 1930, when Gevork was six
years old, his family moved to Iran. His father was linked to the
Soviet foreign intelligence and left the USSR at its behest. Disguised
as a merchant, Andrei Vasilyevich conducted active intelligence work.
It was under his father's influence that Gevork became an intelligence
agent.
Gevork joined the Soviet intelligence service at the age of 16, when
he established direct contacts with NKVD (Soviet secret police) agents
based in Tehran in February 1940. At the behest of one of them,
Vartanian led a special group to detect Nazi agents and German spies
in Tehran and elsewhere in Iran. In two years alone, his group
identified around 400 people who were linked to German intelligence in
one way or another.
Amir (Vartanian's operational name) was actively involved in providing
security for the Tehran summit of the Big Three allied leaders in
November-December 1943. In 1951, he returned to the USSR and graduated
from the Yerevan University with a degree in foreign languages.
After that he worked as an agent in extreme and difficult conditions
in various countries. Vartanian and his wife Goar, who accompanied him
throughout this long-term mission, returned to the USSR in the fall of
1986.
Vartanian continued to serve until 1992. He was awarded the Hero of
the Soviet Union title, and many orders and medals, as well as the
highest state awards.
kk rb