Misplaced Pages

List of Soviet and Eastern Bloc defectors

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

Soon after the formation of the Soviet Union, emigration restrictions were put in place to keep citizens from leaving the various republics of the USSR, though some defections still occurred. During and after World War II, similar restrictions were put in place in non-Soviet countries of the Eastern Bloc, which consisted of the communist states of Central and Eastern Europe (except for non-aligned Yugoslavia).

Until 1952, however, the Inner German border between East and West Germany could be easily crossed in most places. Accordingly, before 1961, most of that east–west flow took place between East and West Germany, with over 3.5 million East Germans emigrating to West Germany before 1961. On August 13, 1961, a barbed-wire barrier, which would become the Berlin Wall separating East and West Berlin, was erected by East Germany.

Although international movement was, for the most part, strictly controlled, there was a steady loss through escapees who were able to use ingenious methods to evade frontier security. Numerous notable Eastern Bloc citizens defected to non-Eastern Bloc countries.

The following list of Eastern Bloc defectors contains notable defectors from East Germany, the Soviet Union, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and Albania before those countries' conversions from communist states in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

List of defections

Defections violating emigration restrictions of the Eastern Bloc countries
Defector Profession/
Prominence 		Birthplace Year Notes
George Balanchine Choreographer Russia 1924 Defected during a tour of Germany to the Weimar Republic
Boris Bazhanov Politburo secretary Russia 1928 Defected to France via Iran and India
Georges Agabekov OGPU Turkmenistan 1930 Defected in France; led the manhunt for Boris Bazhanov before defecting
Grigol Robakidze Author Georgia 1930 Defected to Germany; primarily known for his exotic prose and anti-Soviet émigré activities
Tatiana Tchernavin Writer Russia 1932 Fled from the USSR with her husband Vladimir Tchernavin and her son Andrei through Karelia to Finland and then to the United Kingdom. She and her son visited her husband in a gulag prison, before fleeing together. She wrote a book about their experience: Escape from the Soviets and her husband wrote another: I Speak For the Silent Prisoners of the Soviets.
George Gamow Physicist Ukraine 1933 First tried to kayak across the Black Sea; defected in Brussels, Belgium; later discovered alpha decay via quantum tunneling
Ignace Reiss NKVD Russia 1937 Former spy of Soviet intelligence services; assassinated by the NKVD
Walter Krivitsky NKVD Russia 1937 Defected in Paris after the assassination of Reiss; apparent suicide in the United States in 1941 may have been an NKVD assassination
Alexander Orlov NKVD Belarus 1938 Fled while stationed in Spain to avoid execution in the Great Purge
Genrikh Lyushkov NKVD Russia 1938 Crossed the border into Manchukuo with secret documents; family arrested and sent to the gulag, where several died
Aron Sheinman Director of the London department of Intourist Russia 1939 Was recalled from London, refused to return to the USSR
Abdurakhman Avtorkhanov Author Russia 1942 Sent to infiltrate anti-Soviet Chechens; he joined them instead
Nasreddin Murat-Khan Architect/engineer Russia 1944 Fled to evade religious persecution. Defected in Berlin, Germany; then to Pakistan in 1950 where he was given refuge and citizenship. In honour of his new home, Pakistan; he designed and constructed the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, which stands as a national symbol of the country to this day. He also constructed the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore and Nishtar Medical University in Multan.
Victor Kravchenko Engineer Ukraine 1944 Soviet engineer who witnessed the horrors of the Holodomor; defected while serving in the Soviet Purchasing Agency in Washington, D.C., in the U.S.
G. M. Dimitrov Politician Bulgaria 1945 Saved from execution by the U.S. ambassador; later founded anti-communist organisations
Fedir Bohatyrchuk Chess player, medical doctor USSR 1945 Former Soviet chess champion who eventually immigrated to Canada, where he became a professor of medicine and resumed his competitive chess
Géza Füster Chess player Hungary 1945 Defected through East Berlin with friend Pal Benko who was caught and jailed for three years
Igor Gouzenko GRU Russia 1945 Defected in Ottawa, Canada; helped uncover communist spy rings
Konstantin Volkov NKVD Russia 1945 Deputy head of the NKVD in Istanbul, Turkey; contacted the British consulate about defection, was arrested by the Soviets, and disappeared forever (possibly executed)
Valeri Tihonovitch Minakov Russia 1945 Escaped from Siberia across the Bering Sea in a small boat with his 6-year-old son Oleg. He was assisted by Yupik of Savoonga and Gambell on St. Lawrence Island. Shortly afterward, 14 Siberians arrived for "a visit" and questioned inhabitants whether they had seen a "white Russian".
Anatoli Granovsky MGB agent Russia 1946 Defected in Stockholm, Sweden and later wrote an autobiography
Grigori Tokaty Scientist and politician Ossetia 1947 Secretly worked with an underground opposition group in the USSR. Afraid that his ties to the underground would be discovered, he defected to the British Sector of Occupied Berlin, and arrived in the UK in 1947. He later worked in the Information Research Department, helping disseminate anti-communist propaganda.
Jan Čep Writer Czechoslovakia 1948 Defected to France; poet friend who stayed behind was jailed for 13 years for "anti-socialist thinking"
Nesti Josifi Kopali Chief of the Sigurimi Albanian security service in Rome Albania 1949 Offered himself to the U.S. Embassy in Rome in late 1949, but was rejected, so he turned to Italian intelligence. After a couple of months of interrogation, he was turned over to the CIA, which flew him to Washington, D.C., for debriefing. Kopali had, among his other anti-western assignments in 1946–47, tried and failed to set up a liaison with the editor of an ethnic newspaper in Boston. In 1950, Kopali provided some valuable information about Albanian security and military matters, but not enough for the U.S. government to offer him political asylum and resettlement in the U.S. He was ultimately flown back to Germany.
Alena Vrzáňová Figure skater Czechoslovakia 1950 Defected during the 1950 World Championships in London
Josef Buršík Tank commander Czechoslovakia 1950 Escaped from prison to West Germany and later the UK. After the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, Buršík returned his Hero of the Soviet Union medal to the Soviet embassy in London.
Czesław Miłosz Author Poland 1951 Defected to France after serving as a Polish diplomat and later settled in the U.S.
Istvan Rabovsky Dancer Hungary 1953 Escaped with wife Nora Kovach to West Berlin on an East Berlin tour
Franciszek Jarecki Pilot Poland 1953 Flew a MiG-15 from Słupsk, Poland to Rønne Airport on the Danish island of Bornholm
Józef Światło UB agent Poland 1953 Defected on a mission in East Berlin; he went on to reveal in Radio Free Europe broadcasts the internal struggle in the Polish United Workers' Party (PZPR) and the true face of the Security Office (UB). One result of his escape was the liquidation of the Ministry of Security (MBP).
Nikolai Khokhlov KGB Russia 1953 Refused to assassinate George Okolovich; defected in West Germany and survived a KGB assassination attempt in 1957
Nora Kovach Dancer Hungary 1953 Escaped with husband Istvan Rabovsky to West Berlin on an East Berlin tour
Andrzej Panufnik Composer Poland 1954 Escaped Polish secret police in a nighttime taxi chase in Zurich, Switzerland, then defected to the UK while in London
Peter Deriabin KGB major Russia 1954 KGB major and personnel officer who contacted U.S. intelligence in Vienna and was exfiltrated through the "Mozart Express" military train; worked with the CIA for years afterwards
Vladimir Petrov Diplomat Russia 1954 Husband of undercover KGB agent Evdokia Petrova; defected on a mission in Australia which sparked the Petrov Affair
Evdokia Petrova KGB agent Russia 1954 Undercover KGB agent who was the wife of Vladimir Petrov; defected in Australia during the Petrov Affair
Béla Berger Chess player Hungary 1956 Defected during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956 to Australia
Ferenc Puskás Football player Hungary 1956 Defected during the 1956–57 European Cup in Madrid, Spain
Imre Lakatos Philosopher of science Hungary 1956 Fled to Vienna, Austria, and later to the UK after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
Jenő Kalmár Football player Hungary 1956 Defected during the 1956–57 European Cup in Madrid, Spain, then went to Switzerland
József Mindszenty Cardinal Hungary 1956 Fled to the U.S. Embassy in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956; later moved to Austria
Sándor Kocsis Football player Hungary 1956 Defected during the 1956–57 European Cup in Madrid, Spain, then went to Switzerland
Zoltán Czibor Football player Hungary 1956 Fled to Spain during the Hungarian Revolution of 1956
Ágnes Keleti Artistic gymnast Hungary 1956 Defected in Melbourne, Australia, during the 1956 Summer Olympics
Christo Javacheff Environmental artist Bulgaria 1957 Escaped from Czechoslovakia to Austria
Reino Häyhänen KGB agent Russia 1957 Defected in Paris after spending several years spying undercover in the west
Pal Benko Chess player Hungary 1957 Defected in Reykjavik following the World Student Team Championship
Nicholas Shadrin Naval officer Russia 1959 Defected in Sweden; later allegedly killed by the KGB
Alexander Petrovich Photographer Russia 1960 Defected through Iran and India; settled in the U.S. in Tampa, Florida
Ernst Degner Motorcycle racer East Germany 1961 Defected once he knew that his wife and two children had already escaped to West Germany in a car trunk. Degner, who was familiar with MZ Motorcycles' loop scavenging technique secrets, drove his car from the Swedish Grand Prix to Denmark, then on to West Germany.
Michael Goleniewski SB MSW Poland 1961 Defected in West Germany; sentenced to death after defection; subsequently worked for the CIA. Before he defected, he had spied for the CIA under the cover name Sniper, but the CIA did not know his identity until his escape.
Anatoliy Golitsyn KGB agent Ukraine 1961 Defected to the U.S. from Helsinki, Finland via Sweden and West Germany with his wife and daughter when he was stationed in Helsinki; made sensational claims after his defection
Rudolf Nureyev Ballet dancer Russia 1961 Defected while on tour in Paris
Jonas Pleškys Submarine tender captain Lithuania 1961 Sailed vessel to Sweden; sentenced to death and hidden by the CIA from the USSR
Valentin Poénaru Mathematician Romania 1961 Defected at a conference in Stockholm, Sweden; known for low-dimensional topology
Emil Poklitar Football player East Germany 1961 Football player of SC Dynamo Berlin. Defected together with teammate Rolf Starost after a friendly match against Boldklubben af 1893 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Rolf Starost Football player East Germany 1961 Football player of SC Dynamo Berlin. Defected together with Emil Poklitar after a friendly match against Boldklubben af 1893 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Konrad Schumann Border guard East Germany 1961 Photographed jumping the Berlin Wall during construction
Bohdan Stashynsky KGB agent Ukraine 1961 Defected in West Berlin; assassinated Lev Rebet and Stepan Bandera before his defection
Petr Beckmann Physicist Czechoslovakia 1963 Defected as a visiting professor to the University of Colorado in the U.S.; became a proponent of libertarianism and nuclear energy
Yuri Krotkov KGB agent Georgia 1963 Defected while an undercover agent in London; later became a novelist
Gabor Balla Marksman Hungary 1964 Defected in Tokyo, Japan during the 1964 Summer Olympics
András Törő Flatwater canoe athlete Hungary 1964 Defected in Tokyo, Japan during the 1964 Summer Olympics
Paul Barbă Neagră Film director Romania 1964 Defected in Tours, France
Yuri Nosenko KGB agent Ukraine 1964 Defected in Washington, D.C., United States; for years, the CIA believed that he might be a double agent
Michael Polywka Football player East Germany 1966 Fled after a match in Sweden; traveled to West Germany
Ivan Diviš Poet Czechoslovakia 1967 Fled after the Prague Spring to West Germany and worked for Radio Free Europe
Svetlana Alliluyeva Joseph Stalin's daughter Russia 1967 Defected to the U.S. via New Delhi, India; denounced the former regime of her late father Joseph Stalin, but softened her criticism of him in the 1980s
Anatoly Kuznetsov Author Ukraine 1968 Defected after the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia while doing research in London to the UK
Jan Šejna General Czechoslovakia 1968 Fled after the Prague Spring to the U.S.
Miloš Forman Film director and actor Czechoslovakia 1968 Defected to the U.S. when the USSR and its Warsaw Pact allies invaded the country to end the Prague Spring; known for directing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and Amadeus
Vladimir Oravsky Writer Czechoslovakia 1968 Fled after the Prague Spring to Sweden
Cornel Chiriac Journalist Romania 1969 Defected to Austria using a fake invitation
Georgi Markov Playwright Bulgaria 1969 Fled to Italy after a ban on plays; assassinated in London in 1978
Jerzy Lewi Chess player Poland 1969 Defected during a tournament in Athens, Greece; traveled to Sweden
Ladislav Bittman Czechoslovak state security, disinformation Czechoslovakia 1969 Became a professor at Boston University, lecturing on disinformation and propaganda
Josef Frolík Czechoslovak state security Czechoslovakia 1969 Defected from Bulgaria to Turkey on a boat, moved by the CIA to the U.S.
Simonas Kudirka Seaman Lithuania 1970 Leaped from a Soviet ship to a U.S. Coast Guard ship
Natalia Makarova Ballet dancer Russia 1970 Defected while on a ballet tour in London; later won a Tony Award
Yuri Bezmenov KGB propaganda agent Russia 1970 Left his KGB station in India disguised as a hippie, traveled to Greece, was debriefed in the U.S., but refused to stay in the country because of KGB infiltration of the CIA; later granted asylum in Canada
Oleg Lyalin KGB agent Russia 1971 Defected in London after being arrested there; exposed dozens of KGB agents in the city
Vasek Matousek Figure skater Czechoslovakia 1972
Ioan P. Culianu Philosopher Romania 1972 Defected during lectures in Italy. He was murdered on the campus of University of Chicago in 1991, and speculation arose that it was at the hands of former Securitate personnel.
Alexander Elder Author Russia 1974 Jumped from a Soviet ship, on which he was working as a doctor, while it was off the Ivory Coast; later traveled to the U.S.
Mikhail Baryshnikov Ballet dancer Latvia 1974 Defected during a tour in Toronto, Canada
Paul Nevai Mathematician Hungary 1974 Defected in Paris; emigrated to the U.S. in 1976
Stanislav Kurilov Oceanographer USSR 1974 While on a "cruise to nowhere" in the open ocean, jumped into the sea and swam to the Philippine coast, many kilometres away
Václav Nedomanský Hockey player Czechoslovakia 1974 Defected during a vacation in Switzerland
Martina Navratilova Tennis player Czechoslovakia 1975 Defected at the 1975 US Open in the U.S.
Jürgen Pahl Football player East Germany 1976 Fled with Norbert Nachtweih after an under-21 match in Turkey; traveled to West Germany
Norbert Nachtweih Football player East Germany 1976 Fled with Jürgen Pahl after an under-21 match in Turkey; traveled to West Germany
Viktor Belenko Fighter pilot Russia 1976 Flew a MiG-25 from Chuguyevka, Russia to Hakodate, Japan
Viktor Korchnoi Chess player Russia 1976 First Soviet Grandmaster to defect; fled following a tournament in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Youri Egorov Pianist Russia 1976 Fled during a tour in Rome, Italy
Vladimir Rezun (Viktor Suvorov) GRU Russia 1978 GRU military intelligence officer who defected to the UK while working under UN cover in Switzerland
Arkady Shevchenko UN Undersecretary General Ukraine 1978 Spied for the U.S. for three years before defection. His wife in Moscow died two months after his defection, purportedly of suicide.
Kirill Kondrashin Conductor Russia 1978 Defected in December 1978 while touring in the Netherlands and sought political asylum there
Ion Mihai Pacepa Securitate agent Romania 1978 Two-star Romanian Securitate general and personal advisor to Nicolae Ceauşescu; defected in U.S. Embassy in Bonn, West Germany; sentenced to death twice in absentia with a $2 million bounty. Carlos the Jackal was sent to assassinate him.
Matei Pavel Haiducu Securitate agent Romania 1978 Defected to France in 1981 while on an industrial espionage mission; sentenced to death in absentia
Imants Lešinskis KGB agent Latvia 1978 Defected to the U.S. while working at the UN
Alexander Godunov Ballet dancer Russia 1979 Defected while on a ballet tour in New York City at JFK International Airport in Queens; later became an actor, playing among other roles as a terrorist in Die Hard
Werner Stiller Stasi agent East Germany 1979 Defected to West Germany after stealing state secrets
Jörg Berger Football coach East Germany 1979 Used a match with the East German youth national football team in Yugoslavia to flee to West Germany
Leonid Kozlov Ballet dancer Russia 1979 Defected with wife Valentina Kozlova during their company's tour in Los Angeles, California
Valentina Kozlova Ballet dancer Russia 1979 Defected with husband Leonid Kozlov during their company's tour in Los Angeles, California
Lev Alburt Chess player Russia 1979 Soviet chess grandmaster; defected to the U.S. where he won the US Chess Championship three times
Ludmila Belousova Figure skater Russia 1979 Defected while in Switzerland
Lutz Eigendorf Football player East Germany 1979 Football player of BFC Dynamo. Fled during a match in West Germany; died in a car accident in 1983, allegedly assassinated by the Stasi
Oleg Protopopov Figure skater Russia 1979 Defected with Ludmila Belousova while on tour in Switzerland
Stanislav Levchenko KGB agent Russia 1979 Defected during a mission in Tokyo, Japan; detailed the KGB's Japanese spy network
Vladas Česiūnas Sprint canoe athlete Lithuania 1979 Defected during the world championships at Frankfurt Airport in West Germany; recaptured by the KGB
Anton Šťastný Hockey player Czechoslovakia 1980 Defected with brother Peter during the European Cup tournament in Innsbruck, Austria
Igor Vasilyevich Ivanov Chess player Russia 1980 Ran from KGB agents when his plane made an emergency stop in Gander, Canada
Peter Šťastný Hockey player Czechoslovakia 1980 Defected with his wife and brother Anton during the European Cup tournament in Innsbruck, Austria
Sulamith Messerer Ballet dancer Russia 1980 Sister's husband purged; defected to the UK at the age of 72 to coach ballet
Walter Polovchak Underage defector Ukraine 1980 Fled from his parents when they were about to return to the Ukrainian SSR. Granted political asylum as a naturalised U.S. citizen upon turning 18 on October 3, 1985. Had been the subject of a lengthy political cause célèbre during the preceding five years
Maxim Shostakovich Conductor Russia 1981 Defected while on tour in West Germany with his son
Romuald Spasowski Ambassador Poland 1981 Defected when martial law was declared in Poland in 1981
Zdzisław Rurarz Ambassador Poland 1981 Defected to the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo with Spasowski following the Polish United Workers' Party's declaration of martial law
Ryszard Kukliński Colonel Poland 1981 Spied for the U.S. for 10 years after the 1970 massacre of Polish workers. Later defected to the U.S. and was sentenced to death in absentia. Died of a stroke; sentence annulled in 1998 by the Polish Supreme Court
Vladimir Tismăneanu Political scientist Romania 1981 Defected in Spain while on an authorised trip with his mother to visit the site of his father's battles
Miroslav Fryčer Hockey player Czechoslovakia 1981 Defected to Canada while at a tournament with the Czechoslovakia men's national ice hockey team in Bern, Switzerland
Clifford Kettemborough Mathematician, computer scientist Romania 1982 Defected to Turkey, then Austria, via Bulgaria before emigrating to the U.S. in June 1983
Vladimir Kuzichkin KGB agent Russia 1982 Defected to a British intelligence station in Tehran and then to the UK
Gega Kobakhidze Actor Georgia 1983 Hijacked Aeroflot Flight 6833; tried to defect to Turkey and was arrested
Falko Götz Football player East Germany 1983 Football player of BFC Dynamo. Fled before a match in Yugoslavia together with teammate Dirk Schlegel; traveled to West Germany
Dirk Schlegel Football player East Germany 1983 Football player of BFC Dynamo. Fled before a match in Yugoslavia together with Falko Götz; traveled to West Germany
Vakhtang Jordania Conductor Georgia 1983 Defected while on tour with Viktoria Mullova via Kuusamo, Finland and Haparanda, Sweden, to the U.S.
Viktoria Mullova Violinist Russia 1983 Defected in a tour with Vakhtang Jordania via Kuusamo, Finland, and Haparanda, Sweden, to the U.S.
Oleg Bitov Editor Russia 1983 Foreign editor of Literaturnaya Gazeta; defected in Venice, Italy, to the UK
Dariusz Janczewski Track and field athlete Poland 1984 Left a hotel room in the middle of the night while in Turin, Italy, at an international track meet; spent several months in a refugee camp in Italy before relocating to the U.S.
Vasily Matuzok Diplomatic translator Russia 1984 Translator at the Soviet embassy in Pyongyang, North Korea. Defected during a guided tour of the Korean Joint Security Area by running across the demarcation line to South Korea
Valdo Randpere Deputy Minister of Justice Estonia 1984 Defected via Kotka, Finland to Sweden; fled during a Soviet crackdown on Estonian nationalism
Ivo Zdarsky Aviation engineering student Czechoslovakia 1984 Defected from Czechoslovakia after he created a homemade aircraft, which he flew to Vienna International Airport; subsequently settled in the U.S. and founded the Ivoprop corporation
Ladislav Pataki Sports scientist Czechoslovakia 1985 Defected to the U.S. via Rome, Italy; known as "the highest-ranking Soviet-bloc sports scientist ever to defect to the West"
Milan Švec Embassy employee Czechoslovakia 1985 Defected in Washington, D.C., where he was Minister-Counselor at the Czechoslovak embassy; later became a commentator on east–west relations
Oleg Gordievsky KGB agent Russia 1985 Defected to the UK via Finland; became an MI6 double agent after the 1968 Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia and was sentenced to death in absentia
Vitaly Yurchenko KGB agent Russia 1985 Defected in Rome, Italy and exposed two KGB/CIA double agents, Ronald Pelton and Edward Lee Howard; later ended up back in the KGB
Mircea Florian Musician Romania 1986 Defected in the U.S. while on an authorised visit for a performance
Frank Lippmann Football player East Germany 1986 Football player of SG Dynamo Dresden; fled after a match against FC Bayer 05 Uerdingen in the quarter finals of the 1985–86 European Cup Winners' Cup
Naim Süleymanoğlu Weightlifter Bulgaria 1986 Defected during the World Cup final in Melbourne, Australia; traveled to Turkey
Vyacheslav Polozov Opera singer USSR 1986 Defected during a Madama Butterfly singing competition in Tokyo, Japan
Mihai Smighelschi Air force cadet Romania 1987 Flew his Aero L-39ZA Albatros jet trainer aircraft from Buzău, Romania to near Kırklareli, Turkey, where he landed on a dirt road
Tamás Buday Sprint canoe athlete Hungary 1987 Defected to Canada
Jürgen Sparwasser Football player East Germany 1988 Defected to West Germany while taking part in a veterans' tournament in Saarbrücken
Mihai Suba Chess player Romania 1988 Defected to the UK during the 1988 Lloyds Bank chess tournament in London
Miodrag Belodedici Football player Romania 1988 Defected to Belgrade, Yugoslavia
Luboš Kubík Football player Czechoslovakia 1988 Defected from a Czechoslovakia national football team training camp in West Germany to Belgium alongside Ivo Knoflíček; eventually settled in Italy after signing for Fiorentina
Ivo Knoflíček Football player Czechoslovakia 1988 Defected from a Czechoslovakia national football team training camp in West Germany to Belgium alongside Luboš Kubík; eventually settled in West Germany after signing for St. Pauli
Aleksandr Zuyev Pilot Russia 1989 Flew an Mikoyan MiG-29 to Trabzon, Turkey
Alexander Mogilny Hockey player Russia 1989 Defected after the World Championships in Sweden
Kalinikos Kreanga Table tennis player Romania 1989 Defected in Luxembourg during a youth table tennis championship
Mihai Apostol Sprint canoe athlete Romania 1989 -
Nadia Comăneci Gymnast Romania 1989 Defected weeks before the Romanian revolution to Austria
Cristian Raducanu Rugby player Romania 1989 -
Petr Nedvěd Hockey player Czechoslovakia 1989 Defected during a midget hockey tournament in Calgary, Canada
Vladimir Pasechnik Bioweapons engineer Russia 1989 Defected in Paris, France, to warn the West about the Soviet biological weapons program
Zuo Xiukai Military officer China 1989 Defected to South Korea from his post at the Joint Security Area
Richard Kruspe Musician East Germany 1989 Defected to West Germany after political imprisonment
Marco Köller Football player East Germany 1989 Football player of BFC Dynamo; left for West Germany only a short time before the fall of the Berlin Wall
Gorsha Sur Ice dancer Russia 1990 Defected to the U.S. while on tour with a Soviet troupe
Sergei Fedorov Hockey player Russia 1990 Defected in Seattle, Washington during the Goodwill Games
Vitali Vitaliev Author Ukraine 1990 Became a regular on BBC television in the UK

See also

Notes

  1. Dowty 1989, p. 69
  2. Dowty 1989, p. 114
  3. Eastern bloc, The American Heritage New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2005.
  4. Hirsch, Donald, Joseph F. Kett, James S. Trefil, The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2002, ISBN 0-618-22647-8, page 230
  5. Dowty 1989, p. 121
  6. Mynz 1995, p. 2.2.1
  7. Senate Chancellery, Governing Mayor of Berlin, The construction of the Berlin Wall Archived 2014-04-02 at the Wayback Machine states "Between 1945 and 1961, around 3.6 million people left the Soviet zone and East Berlin"
  8. Pearson 1998, p. 75
  9. Turnock 1997, p. 19
  10. Krasnov 1985, p. 2
  11. ALASKA magazine June 1971, and July 1972, articles by Frank J. Daugherty
  12. "Professor Grigori Tokaty". The Independent. 2003-11-25. Retrieved 2020-08-26.
  13. G.S. Trice, Specialist/4, Dossier Number H8047134, U.S. Army Investigative Records Repository, 7 March 1974: contains such CIC records of Nesti Josifi Kopali as IDENTIFICATION F-2542 (11 Jan 1952), D-296877 (1 Nov 1951), File II-5092 (14 June 1951 – 18 Sept 1951). While these documents are the only known paperwork available to the public, various government officials active during the early 1950s acknowledged knowing about Kopali and some of his zany behavior.
  14. TEAM SUZUKI by Ray Battersby (2008) Parker House Publishing ISBN 0-9796891-5-5
  15. "Sovietologist Leopold Labedz, who met her in 1968, first noticed it in 1981: "She was getting soft on papochka." Once she had acknowledged Stalin's personal responsibility for the death of millions; now she called him a prisoner of Communist ideology. Her new book contained hardly any criticism of her father. She probably felt she had betrayed him. "My father would have shot me for what I have done", she often said during her final year in Britain." Patricia Blake, Time, 28 January 1985
  16. Natalia Makarova Dances Again With the Kirov. The New York Times, August 8, 1988
  17. Raymond Keene. Viktor Korchnoi: Fearless Competitor of World chess. Archived 2007-10-29 at the Wayback Machine chessville.com
  18. Turmoil on the Tarmac. Time magazine, September 3, 1979
  19. KGB Kidnapping. Time magazine, October 22, 1979
  20. Russians Call Defection Of Shostakovich 'Personal'. The New York Times, April 28, 1981
  21. "Rurarz (Zdzislaw) papers". oac.cdlib.org. Retrieved 2022-04-20.
  22. "Two transplants and the wild hockey life of Miroslav Fryčer". Toronto Sun. 27 October 2018. Retrieved 5 September 2021.
  23. ^ Dirk Schlegel and Falko Götz: The East Berlin footballers who fled from the Stasi, BBC Sport, 5 November 2019
  24. "A Soviet Defector Is Granted Permission to Stay in Britain". The New York Times. Associated Press. October 26, 1983. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
  25. "Evadare din comunism cu avionul de vânătoare". adevarul.ro. 20 June 2011. Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  26. "Chinese Army Major Defects To South Korea With His Wife". The New York Times. July 30, 1989.
  27. Karas, Steffen (2022). 66 Jahre BFC Dynamo – Auswärts mit 'nem Bus (2nd ed.). Berlin: CULTURCON medien, Sole trader: Bernd Oeljeschläger. p. 135. ISBN 978-3-944068-95-4.

References

Eastern Bloc
Formation
Soviet-allied states
Organizations
Revolts and
opposition
Conditions
Dissolution
Categories: