He was the highest head of Soviet secret services to have passed to the west. Oleg Gordievsky, a former KGB colonel who defected in the United Kingdom in the 1980s and was decorated in 2007 by Queen Elizabeth II, died, British media announced this Friday, March 21.
The defector Olegievsky died peacefully at the age of 86 at his home in Surrey, southwest London, several media announced including BBC and Guardian. A medical examiner concluded that his death was not considered suspect, they said.
A double agent for several years
First a double agent for several years, Olegievsky gave significant information to the British MI5 and MI6 services, before leaving in London, where he became the de facto chief of the KGB section. But in 1985, he defected when the Soviets discovered that he worked for the West.
After his defection, the British government had asked 25 members of the Soviet Embassy, accused of being agents working under coverage, of leaving the country. Moscow then expelled 25 British. A second wave of crossed expulsions had followed.
In 2007, at the Buckingham Palace, he was decorated by Elizabeth II, who made him a companion of the order of St Michel and St George (CMG) for “services rendered to the security of the United Kingdom”.