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ITAR-TASS, Russia
January 13, 2012 Friday 01:20 PM GMT+4
Putin bids last farewells to Soviet intelligence officer Vartanyan
MOSCOW January 13
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived at the Troekurovskoye
cemetery in Moscow on Friday to bid the last farewells to an
outstanding Soviet intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan, who
participated in an operation to avert an assassination attempt on
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt in Tehran in 1943. The prime minister
laid fresh flowers to Vartanyan lying in state and expressed his
condolences to the relatives.
Incumbent Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail
Fradkov, the former intelligence chiefs Yevgeny Primakov and Sergei
Lebedev also went to the cemetery to bid the last farewells to one of
the most legendary Soviet undercover agents. Meanwhile, the Armenian
ambassador, Vartanyan's fellow intelligence officers and
representatives of the Armenian diaspora also paid the last tribute to
Vartanyan.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier offered condolences to the
relatives of Gevork Vartanyan.
Gevork Vartanyan was born on February 17, 1924 in Rostov-on-Don in the
family of Andrei Vartanyan, who was an Iranian native and a director
of the oil mill. In 1930, when Gevork was six years old, the family
went to Iran. His father was an agent of the Soviet foreign
intelligence service and went to Iran on a Soviet secret mission.
Under the cover of commercial activities Andrei Vartanyan acted as a
secret agent and under his influence Gevork became a spy as well.
In February 1940 he established the contact with the NKVD residents in
Tehran and headed a special group to expose Nazi spies in various
Iranian cities.
In 1942 Gevork Vartanyan, who acted under the nickname Amir,
penetrated in the British spy school in Tehran. Being on a mission in
the Soviet Union its graduates were exposed and converted for the
Soviet Union. Amir was also participating in an operation for security
of the Big Three during the Tehran Conference in November-December
1943.
In 1951 Vartanyan was brought back to the Soviet Union. Then he went
on missions in many countries, including Iran, Italy, France and
Greece. The foreign mission of the spy lasted until 1986, he worked in
the intelligence service until 1992.
January 13, 2012 Friday 01:20 PM GMT+4
Putin bids last farewells to Soviet intelligence officer Vartanyan
MOSCOW January 13
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin arrived at the Troekurovskoye
cemetery in Moscow on Friday to bid the last farewells to an
outstanding Soviet intelligence officer Gevork Vartanyan, who
participated in an operation to avert an assassination attempt on
Stalin, Churchill and Roosevelt in Tehran in 1943. The prime minister
laid fresh flowers to Vartanyan lying in state and expressed his
condolences to the relatives.
Incumbent Director of the Foreign Intelligence Service Mikhail
Fradkov, the former intelligence chiefs Yevgeny Primakov and Sergei
Lebedev also went to the cemetery to bid the last farewells to one of
the most legendary Soviet undercover agents. Meanwhile, the Armenian
ambassador, Vartanyan's fellow intelligence officers and
representatives of the Armenian diaspora also paid the last tribute to
Vartanyan.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev earlier offered condolences to the
relatives of Gevork Vartanyan.
Gevork Vartanyan was born on February 17, 1924 in Rostov-on-Don in the
family of Andrei Vartanyan, who was an Iranian native and a director
of the oil mill. In 1930, when Gevork was six years old, the family
went to Iran. His father was an agent of the Soviet foreign
intelligence service and went to Iran on a Soviet secret mission.
Under the cover of commercial activities Andrei Vartanyan acted as a
secret agent and under his influence Gevork became a spy as well.
In February 1940 he established the contact with the NKVD residents in
Tehran and headed a special group to expose Nazi spies in various
Iranian cities.
In 1942 Gevork Vartanyan, who acted under the nickname Amir,
penetrated in the British spy school in Tehran. Being on a mission in
the Soviet Union its graduates were exposed and converted for the
Soviet Union. Amir was also participating in an operation for security
of the Big Three during the Tehran Conference in November-December
1943.
In 1951 Vartanyan was brought back to the Soviet Union. Then he went
on missions in many countries, including Iran, Italy, France and
Greece. The foreign mission of the spy lasted until 1986, he worked in
the intelligence service until 1992.