Oleg Gordievsky is listed among the most damaging double agents in the history of the KGB.
When British intelligence officer Michael Bethany contacted the KGB with an offer of cooperation and passed sensitive documents, the KGB resident in London dismissed the offer, thinking it was a trap set by MI5. Before Bethany could make another attempt to contact the Soviets, colonel of the KGB Oleg Gordievsky was informed about the contact. Soon thereafter, the British intelligence officer wishing to work for the Soviets was arrested in the UK. Although the KGB didn’t know this yet, the British turncoat was arrested thanks to Gordievsky’s tip, as the KGB officer was secretly working for the MI6 as a double agent.
Disillusionment
Oleg Gordievsky is widely recognized as one of the most damaging double agents in the history of Soviet espionage. The future defector entered the KGB’s First Chief Directorate in 1962, at the peak of the Cold War between the Western and Socialist blocks. The First Directorate was responsible for covert operations abroad, foreign intelligence and management of covert agents. From the very beginning of his work for the KGB, Gordievsky found himself entangled in the spy games.
