Oleg Gordievsky was regarded one of Britain’s most valuable spies, providing vital information to the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1974 to 1985. He died peacefully at his home in Surrey.
KGB double agent Oleg Gordievsky, who defected to Britain in the 70s, has died aged 86.
Gordievsky was regarded one of Britain’s most valuable spies, providing vital information to the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1974 to 1985. He died peacefully at his home in Surrey, the BBC reports. The former spy had been living in Surrey under police protection since 1985 after Moscow grew suspicious of him exfiltrated him the Soviet Union.
Gordievsky joined the KGB in 1963, and was posted to the Soviet embassy in Copenhagen in 1966. But he soon became disillusioned by the system he was serving and began sending covert signals to Danish and British intelligence agents suggesting he might be willing to cooperate with them.
In 1974, he agreed to pass secrets to MI6 under the codename Sunbeam.
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