Talk:Oleg Gordievsky

Untitled
Gordievsky's Exfiltration This is a description of Gordievsky's Exfiltration from memory of "SpyTek" by Discovery Channel (Possibly before being owned by Bell Globalmedia) (2 VHS cassettes). I believe the show said that he first signaled for his exfiltration by holding a plastic bag in a certain corner. British intelligence and Gordievsky has previous established the signal in case he was called back. He then followed his jogging routine, and when he's hidden from view of the guards, doubled back, confused them, and was able to escape. The reenactment shows Gordievsky jogged into a tunnel, doubled back. He may have changed his clothing when hidden from view. He boarded a train (perhaps to Finland), then was picked up on a road. He was put into the back of the trunk, with a special thermo blanket that would prevent boarder guards with IR systems from easily detecting the person at the back of the trunk. In a different show, it may have mentioned that the boarder also had a guard dog, and they were about to detect Gordievsky when the British female operative drop a sandwich in front of the dog, distracting the dog long enough for the car to pass.

None of this is confirmed, given the nature of the material.


 * Is the story of how we reached Finland correct? I heard that he entered the boot in Moscow. He certainly didn't just get on a train to the Finnish border - that's missing a large piece of relevant information.


 * This interview with Gordievsky in Time Out essentially corroborates the escape as mentioned in the article, and some of the extra detail mentioned above: he signalled his intention to MI6 using a plastic Safeway (or according to a Sky News report of December 30, 2014 - Harrods)Barmispain (talk)) 17:03, 30 December 2014 (UTC) bag in July 1985. He doubled back to lose his KGB tails and then caught a train to the Finnish border, then was smuggled into Finland by British agents.


 * What does seem to be inconsistent is that Urban says "Gordievsky left his wife and children to go jogging". According to Time Out, they were on holiday in Azerbaijan when he defected. I'll rewrite that part. --Canley 14:24, 21 August 2006 (UTC)

Tom Clancy inspiration?
Is this the guy reported to be the inspiration of the character in Tom Clancy's book "The Cardinal of the Kremlin"?Jlujan69 23:34, 11 February 2007 (UTC)


 * Doubtful; that character was an Army tanker veteran of the WWII Battle of Stalingrad, and was an american agent (in Moscow, reporting on Soviet activities to the USA), not a double agent (in London, reporting disinformation to the USSR). The article on The Cardinal of the Kremlin suggests a possible inspiration by Ryszard Kukliński.  71.41.210.146 (talk) 09:10, 15 February 2008 (UTC)

Poisoned
Police probe 'new KGB poison attack' as defector Gordievsky is found unconscious in Surrey home, Daily Mail, 6th April 2008 --84.234.60.154 (talk) 20:49, 6 April 2008 (UTC)


 * Unconscious for 38 hours, in intensive hostipal care for 18 days, fingers still numb. He said poisoning was done by the same ruffians who took out Mr. Litvinenko. 82.131.210.162 (talk) 14:58, 7 April 2008 (UTC)

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Daily Telegraph Source?
There is no link to the full text of Gordievsky's letter to the Telegraph saying that the BBC is a "red service", nor a footnote for the quote presented here. Looking around, I have yet to find a full version of this letter online. Not saying he didn't say it, but there doesn't seem to be any verifiable source?2603:9000:CF0A:5F00:E0CE:1464:5D72:4320 (talk) 11:19, 27 July 2019 (UTC)

Contradiction
It states in the Career section that "MI6 encouraged him to go" to Moscow in 1985, but the Escape from the USSR subsection claims "he was advised by MI6 to defect and stay in London". So which is it? Clarityfiend (talk) 07:29, 1 November 2021 (UTC)


 * Good question. Both are cited to Macintyre. I'll see if I can find the section in the book that details that scenario. Softlavender (talk) 23:16, 26 July 2022 (UTC)


 * OK, I fixed it now. Softlavender (talk) 09:24, 27 July 2022 (UTC)

Bizarre
that in the context of presumably not wanting to attract attention, the plan was initiated by two guys wandering around Moscow carrying obscure British supermarket carrier bags, famous British department store carrier bags, and eating mars bars! SN54129 17:10, 8 March 2022 (UTC)
 * The only way to spot a signal is if it is striking and at least somewhat non-ordinary. Safeway bags were not completely unknown in the USSR; they were moreover highly prized there, just like the other trappings of Western affluence (jeans, candy bars, etc.). The Russians already knew that the British diplomats were British; carrying British items was therefore not anything at all unusual for them, especially carrying a shopping bag when shopping. Softlavender (talk) 23:23, 26 July 2022 (UTC)

Is Gordievsky a false defector?
I think he's a false defector because he insists Yuri Nosenko, Igor Kochnov and Vitaly Yurchenko were true defectors. In his 2007 Yale University Press book, "Spy Wars: Moles, Mysteries and Deadly Games," former high-level CIA officer Tennent H. Bagley says they weren't. Was Kisevalter Nash? (talk) 07:44, 9 January 2024 (UTC)