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.