Friday, July 3, 2020

Alexander Bondarenko: Interview of Yury Shevchenko, Veteran KGB/SVR Illegal Intelligence Officer

Alexander Bondarenko is a well-known Russian journalist. He is one of the most prolific writers on intelligence history in contemporary Russia. He is a recipient of the SVR literary award and a member of the Union of Veteran State Security Officers. He has written the biographies of Pavel Fitin, Viktor Lyagin and, most recently, Aleksey Botyan. He has also written extensively on the history of military counterintelligence in the Soviet Union, including the SMERSH units.

Bondarenko’s text was published in Krasnaya Zvezda, the official newspaper of the Russian Ministry of Defense, on April 6, 2020. Below is my English translation available only on this blog.

Alexander Bondarenko: Once Upon the Time There was An Artist

Krasnaya Zvezda April 6, 2020.

On January 28, 2020, at a press conference at the Russia Today news agency, the director of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, Sergey Naryshkin, declassified the names of seven Russian/Soviet illegal intelligence officers who made significant contributions to ensuring the country's security and protecting its interests. Among them was Yury Shevchenko, who was awarded the title of Hero of Russia in May 2017.

Yuri Anatolyevich Shevchenko was born in Moscow on June 28, 1939. In 1963, he graduated with honors from the Moscow Architectural Institute, where he was first the Stalin and then the Lenin scholarship recipient. He was preparing to enter graduate school, but his fate turned out differently ... During the same year, he was recruited by the First Main Directorate of the KGB (foreign intelligence). From 1969 to 2001, he regularly went on foreign intelligence missions abroad.

Today, Yury Anatolyevich reveals for the first time the details of a unique intelligence operation he conducted.

- It was in one of the European countries in the early 1970s. My cover story was that of a French architect and artist. Thus, it was quite easy to justify having the money - I painted some paintings, drew some sketches ...

I went to an art gallery:

- Excuse me, can I rent a wall from you for the sale of my work?

- Yes, but first we need to see your work, is it any good?

I brought a couple of paintings.

- Of course, you can! We’ll give you one wall in our gallery. You set a price for each of your paintings, and we’ll add to it twenty-five percent - our commission.

- Good, I agree!

Therefore, when these paintings were sold - and that was not very often because they were very expensive - I was exempt from paying the taxes, they were paid by the gallery. Also, I was a foreigner, and if I lived in the country for less than six months, because I left and then returned, I didn’t have to pay any taxes at all. I figured that out right away.

I was asked:

- Why are your paintings so expensive?

- Picasso does not allow me to sell cheaper, I replied. – So as not to bring down the prices.

Of course, everyone understood that this was a joke, but I was French, and who knew who I was acquainted with?

The paintings were expensive so as not to be sold and so I did not have to turn into a real artist. Because my main task was something completely different.

This particular assignment was to find out what the outcome was concerning the lease extension of a NATO base in that Old World [European] country. It was necessary to find out what its future was, because in the press - throughout the local press - there was information that the local authorities categorically did not want to extend the lease of this base and demanded its withdrawal from the territory of their country. Is this so or not? Or will there be some new conditions for extending the lease of this base?

But how could I get this information?

Easy! You need to think. Because the obstacle in intelligence is only here. (Yury Anatolyevich points to his head.) There are no unsolvable tasks for an illegal intelligence officer.

Of course, it was impossible for me just to get into this base myself - this was a specially guarded military facility. I walked around, looked in. I could see that there were some transport planes ... So, what to do next? All this was from the other side of the fence, and getting inside was, as I said, prohibited.

So, I needed to look for some guys from this base - the Americans, the military. But how to find them? Yes, quite easy! I will catch them on the "live bait."

I took the easel I got in Paris, of course, with oil paints, I put on the famous beret – I was a Frenchman! - I went out and looked. The street led in the direction of the base. People came from there, and here, in this direction, there was the [town] center, there were good eateries, cafes where you could sit. Especially there were a lot of people on Saturdays and Sundays, when the guys were probably going to be released, well, the officers might come, too, they would all need to go down this street.

I placed the easel in the spot not very useful from the point of view of painting something, but I needed to be right there, so I stayed and started drawing some kind of a sketch. And since I stayed there, it meant that someone should catch on the "live bait."

I looked up – there were two officers in military uniforms and with them, three ladies in civilian clothes. Exactly what I needed: "Oh! Do you speak English? How much? " - And the bla bla bla began, they liked to babble…

I answered: “Yes, I do, but I don’t understand it!”

They appreciated the humor, laughed.

- Listen, how much?

- I am not selling. Why, do you like it?

- Yes. A good souvenir.

It was really a good drawing, quite sophisticated.

I stood with it for an hour, quite a lot, actually.

 I said:

- Do you really like this drawing?

- Yes of course! But why do you ask so much for it?

- Okay, I said, if you like it, then I will give it to you as a gift!

- Really?

- Sure!

- Wow, let’s go and drink some wine.

I knew that there was a restaurant nearby where only wine and some appetizers were served. And there was local music. There was nothing else there, but the restaurant was nice. I said: “I'm with a sketchbook, I need to take it home. I know this restaurant, so take a table, and I'll come. ”

It was about seven in the evening - it was still light, summertime. I went to the restaurant, they were there. The wine was served in clay jugs, and there were clay cups like from a traditional peasant home. We sat down. The prattle about cakes and gingerbread. I didn’t say anything about the military base, but I knew that they were from there, although it did not hurt to confirm it.

So I asked:

- You must be serving here somewhere?

- Yes, on that base!

Great, I thought, now I got you, that's for sure. We sat with the girls, the girls turned out to be local, they worked as civilian employees at the same base. I was still young then, and we were all about the same age.

Then the guys said:

- Listen, now we are three and three, let's go dance with our ladies.

I said:

- Sure!

We went to dance with these ladies, and one of them spoke French, in addition to English. [On the dance floor] we met some Cuban millionaire and he came with us. We were now truly an international company: Americans, the locals, a “Frenchman”, and even a Cuban.

The Cuban said:

- Guys, come with me, I know one restaurant and I invite everyone for dinner.

What kind of a dinner at three o’clock in the morning! I think it was good that my wife was not with me on this assignment. She was in another country at that time, and, according to our cover story, we have not even married yet ...

I left the hotel at seven in the evening, now it was three in the morning. She would have been worried but, in any case, I could not have left the company ...

- What dinner? - asked him. – It’s three o’clock in the morning, everything is closed.

- No, this restaurant works around the clock. And they really know how to prepare a rabbit!

So, we were persuaded. We went to this restaurant. It was already dawn. This Cuban’s limousine was American, long like a city block, and our whole company could settle perfectly. The Cuban drank a lot, but he drove with confidence.

-Listen, he suddenly said [it was Sunday morning already, we met on Saturday night – A.B.], it’s better to go the neighboring town — I have a friend there, the owner of the anise vodka factory. Let’s go there for the tasting.

I said:

- What factory? It’s early morning and a Sunday. And where is this factory?

-  Only 250 kilometers away!

But we did get there. The factory was closed. The sugar was sprinkled all around, or that which they made the use of in production. The Cuban rang the bell. They got the director out of the bed. He came and opened the gate for us. We entered the bottling shop. The bottles were still empty, there was the conveyor, the glasses at the end of the conveyor ... And we started drinking, competing who was faster.

In short, at noon the next day -  with no sleep, still drunk, though not hungry because we still ended up in that restaurant, where they served rabbits — I returned to the hotel and collapsed on the bed ...

So I got acquainted with the guys - for me that was easy. But I had to maintain the contact with them, to get them to agree to the next meeting. That was more difficult, but I succeeded.

What to talk to them about? Well, I told them about architecture:

-Have you been to this town? There is such a great cathedral there! And how about that town? There is a 13th century basilica there! You haven’t been there?! And here’s that basilica – look at that window ...

I was telling them this as an architect, as a person with expertise.

These American officers said:

- Listen, let’s go to that town next Saturday, and you will show us.

Well, naturally, I told them everything with a lot of confidence – I was the best guide! I wanted to be a professor in the history of architecture department.

After that I could not get rid of them. Every Saturday and Sunday we went along the route I had prepared in advance — that church, this ...

After our excursion was over, I would invite them to a restaurant, we would eat, drink whiskey, talk about life, about this and that ... But about the base, not a word! I thought the moment would come (this is what I was telling myself ), and everything would fall into place. So I would carry on with the stories and dinners, until the moment came when they told me:

- But, why don’t you go with us to the base?

But must I really go there? The Center might get angry at me. It would be a huge risk — it would be like putting one’s head into the mouth of a tiger. I knew that nobody in my position should go there, but ... [I decided] I would.

That’s what I said to myself. No other illegal intelligence officer could do it, but I knew I could. Even though that could be the end of me, but still…

-Okay, I thought, I will wait for this moment.

It was necessary to go [to the base]. Why? Not just to look around. But when they showed me everything, how they lived, what the living conditions were - and they had told me that there was a swimming pool, a tennis court, and everything else at this base, that there were separate apartments instead of barracks, even for the sergeants, both married and unmarried – when they showed me all this, and when afterwards we sat somewhere in a restaurant, then I would ask them [what I really wanted to know].

I prepared this conversation in advance, so I knew what I would tell them: that life here, of course, was magnificent, that the money was plentiful and everything was cheap, that they could easily increase their savings with additional daily allowances, that the conditions were heavenly - but that all of it would end soon because the local authorities did not want to extend the lease of the base.

Then I would ask them:

- And what are you going to do?

How would they react to this? Would they say yes ... Or no? And why, and how?

I knew that this would come about. And then one day after we met countless times and became inseparable, it happened. After one trip, we sat in a restaurant with a bottle of the “Johnny Walker” whiskey – quite cheap, but still not bad.

And what I had waited for took place. They told me:

-Listen, why don’t you go to the base with us? We invite you.

-  Guys, are you crazy? I'm a foreigner. Although France is a member of NATO, we withdrew from its military component. And now you are inviting me to a military facility? You’ll be in trouble.

- In trouble for what? Nothing will happen.

- Yes, it will.

- Hey, stop it! You are taking us everywhere, but we can’t do anything in return. No, we want to show you where we live. We want to repay your kindness with kindness.

I said:

- Do I need to take a passport with me, submit an official request? How will I get in?

- It's all nonsense! They let John and me in just by looking at the car’s license plate.

- John will sit up in front, you and I will sit in the back. When we get to the checkpoint, I’ll cover you with an overcoat. The barrier will be raised, we’ll drive in. And we will take you out in the same way. We guarantee your safety. That’s our word of honor.

I said:

- Okay. Listen, guys. I admit you are so brave, but what if I'm a spy?

They were stunned:

-Where did you see such spies? Ha ha ha!

- Well, yes, I don't really look like a spy, at least not the Chinese one. But imagine if I was a Russian spy?

They laughed at my joke. Then I said:

- And yet, maybe you can just tell me what you have there? I don’t see much point in going there with you…

- Listen, you ordered a bottle of whiskey here at the restaurant. How much did you pay?

That was a half-liter bottle.

- Eight dollars, I said.

- There you see! And at our base it costs 80 cents!

- Guys, why didn’t you say that before? We should have gone much earlier!

- Well, let's go now!

- Can I buy something there?

- Yes of course!

They thought I was in search of cheap whiskey! The purpose of my trip was beyond suspicion. I simply responded to their hospitality.

We arrived at the base. They showed me everything, all was going according to my plan. We sat in the restaurant with eighty-cent whiskey, it was good whiskey, nonetheless. Drank a lot..;

-Yes, guys, I said, you have a great life here. To be envied. But it will all end …

- Where did you hear that?

- Well, all the local newspapers write about it.

- Do you read local newspapers?

- But there are no others here.

- Why do you believe them? That is all disinformation in order to reassure the local population.

- Really? These are serious newspapers, that can’t be right.

- Listen, John said. - Five days ago, Alexander Haig, the commander-in-chief of the NATO forces in Europe, came here. Did you know? And he held a secret meeting with us about the future of our base.

- Oh, I said, guys, I want to hear more details. I am writing everything down! How many questions were there at the meeting?

Of course, I needed this information, but they obviously thought that I was joking.

- Six questions.

- And what decisions were made?

And so, I received first-hand absolutely secret information about the future of the base: what kind of lease, what the lease terms were, for how many years, what the cost of renting the base was. Everything!

Once I had everything, I sent a secret message to the Center.

The center responded:

- Your information was approved for distribution and was highly appreciated.

But I didn’t tell the Center how I got this information. I thought when I came back, I’d give them the details…

In dealing with the Center, I was always truthful and completely honest. But I kept silent on the details so as not to make them worry. After all, they could go crazy over there! Even though the visit to the base was easy for me, they could respond with:

- Come back urgently, it’s safer for you to be here no matter what.

This was not just the abundance of caution - the Center was always very concerned about illegal intelligence officers.

... So, after the assignment was over, I came back to the Center. They told me:

- Your information was reported to the chairman of the KGB, Yury Vladimirovich Andropov. You have received the highest marks for the work accomplished. Also, here’s a personal gift from the chairman for obtaining the necessary information.

Well, when I told them how I got that information, I was told:

- Well! And for that, you will now be reprimanded.

I had two personal gifts from Yury Vladimirovich - a movie camera and a hunting rifle. And each gift was followed by a reprimand.

But then they (the Center) threw their hands in the air and said:

- It’s like talking to a brick wall! Nothing sticks to him. He can do the impossible.

And I continued to work ...

The military awards that colonel Shevchenko received are the testimony of how well he worked “in the field” (that is, on foreign “business trips”): the Orders “For Merit to the Fatherland” IV degree and “For Military Merit,” the Orders of the Red Banner and the Red Star,  the “Honored State Security Officer” and “For Service in Intelligence” badges, and many other medals. He was also awarded the title of Honored Officer of the Russian Foreign Intelligence and the title of Hero of Russia.