Mikhail Lyubimov
| Mikhail Lyubimov Михаил Любимов | |
|---|---|
 Lyubimov in 2010 | |
| Allegiance |
 Soviet Union |
| Service | KGB |
| Active | 1959–1980 |
| Rank | Colonel |
|
| |
| Birth name | Михаил Петрович Любимов |
| Born |
27 May 1934 Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR |
| Nationality | Russian |
Mikhail Petrovich Lyubimov (Russian: Михаи́л Петро́вич Люби́мов; born 27 May 1934) is a Russian novelist and retired colonel in the KGB. He served as spymaster and head of the KGB stations in the United Kingdom, Denmark and Finland during the Cold War.
Early life and family
Lyubimov was born in Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR. His father, Pyotr Fyodorovich Lyubimov, joined the Cheka-OGPU in 1918. In 1938, he was arrested during the Great Purge but released, and returned to military intelligence in the Carpathian and Volga Military Districts.[1]
Lyubimov graduated from high school in Kuybyshev (now Samara) in 1952. He then attended the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, graduating in 1958.
Career
After his graduation, Lyubimov was sent to Finland to work at the Soviet embassy's consulate office, although he was in fact working for the KGB. In 1959, he was promoted to First Chief Directorate of the organisation. Two years later Lyubimov went to the United Kingdom, where he worked in the Soviet residency in London as Second Secretary of the Embassy, although he was in actuality head of the KGB rezidentura, or station.[2]
Lyubimov worked under the guise of being the press attaché, allowing him to associate socially with the British elite and political officials.[3] He was dubbed "Smiley Mike" by his British counterparts. In 1964, Lyubimov's cover was blown in a failed attempt to recruit a cipher machine operator to spy for the Soviets. The British declared Lyubimov persona non grata and he was recalled to Moscow, where he continued as spymaster of the British section.[4]
Upon his return, Lyubimov participated in the KGB debriefing of the notorious British double agent Kim Philby, who had defected to the Soviet Union the year before.[5] He became one of Philby's closest confidants in the KGB.[6]
Lyubimov was next sent to Copenhagen, Denmark from 1967 to 1969. In 1974, he became Deputy Chief of the Anglo-Scandinavian Department. That same year, he and Philby collaborated on a classified treatise, Special Traits of the British National Character and Their Use in Operations.
In 1975, he was sent back to Copenhagen, where he corresponded by mail with Kim Philby. (The collection of their letters is now archived at Georgetown University).[7]
After five years in Denmark, he returned home to Moscow and retired from the KGB in 1980.
Writing
Lyubimov's first book was The Life and Adventures of Alex Wilkie, Spy in 1993, about a fictional American agent trying to trying to find a mole leaking intelligence to the Soviets.[8]
He worked with Philby's widow, Rufina Pukhova, on the book, The Private Life of Kim Philby (1999).
His experiences helped him contribute to The KGB's Guide to Cities Around the World, a collection of stories and humorous anecdotes from seven retired KGB agents. The book was so popular a second volume was published.[9]
Personal life
Lyubimov has been married three times. His son, Alexander, is a well-known television presenter.[3]
Bibliography
- Mikhail Lyubimov (2010). Англия. Гуляния с Чеширским котом (Celebrations with the Cheshire Cat). Amfora. ISBN 978-5-367-01435-8.
- Mikhail Lyubimov (2005). Блеск и нищета шпионажа (The Splendor and Misery of Espionage). AST Olimp. ISBN 5-17-028809-3.
- Mikhail Lyubimov (2001). Гуляния с Чеширским Котом (Festivities with the Cheshire Cat). Amfora. ISBN 5-94278-183-4.
- Mikhail Lyubimov; Rufina Philby (1999). Private Life of Kim Philby: The Moscow Years. Огонек. ISBN 0-7567-5684-7.
- Mikhail Lyubimov (1998). Декамерон шпионов (Decameron Spies). Tsentrpoligraf. ISBN 5-227-00135-9.
- Mikhail Lyubimov (1997). Шпионы, которых я люблю и ненавижу (Spies I love and hate). AST Olimp. ISBN 5-7390-0009-2.
- Mikhail Lyubimov and others (1997). Путеводитель КГБ по городам мира. Книга вторая (The KGB Guide to Cities Around the World: Book 2). Top Secret. ISBN 978-5-85275-144-7.
- Mikhail Lyubimov and others (1996). Путеводитель КГБ по городам мира (The KGB Guide to Cities Around the World). Top Secret. ISBN 5-85275-132-4.
- Mikhail Lyubimov (1995). Записки непутевого резидента или will o' the wisp (Notes of the Ne'er resident or Will-o'-the-wisp). Художественная литература. ISBN 5-280-03067-8.
- Mikhail Lyubimov (1993). Жизнь и приключения Алекса Уилки, шпиона (The Life and Adventures of Alex Wilkie, Spy). Ogonyok. ISBN 5-88274-011-8.
References
- ↑ "Михаил Петрович Любимов" (in Russian). Biograph. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Duns, Jeremy (2013). Dead Drop: The True Story of Oleg Penkovsky and the Cold War's Most Dangerous Operation (Jeremy Duns ed.). Simon and Schuster. p. 112.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Arutunyan, Anna (2 November 2012). "A spy’s life". The Moscow News. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Womack, Helen (19 March 1997). "KGB's fight to counter the cunning chaps in smart suits". The Independent. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Ebon, Martin (1994). KGB: Death and Rebirth. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 67.
- ↑ Rosenbaum, Ron (10 July 1994). "Kim Philby and the Age of Paranoia". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Kim Philby - Mikhail Lyubimov Collection". Georgetown University. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
- ↑ "Жизнь и приключения Алекса Уилки, шпиона". Live Library. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
- ↑ Richmond, Yale (2010). Cultural Exchange and the Cold War: Raising the Iron Curtain. Penn State Press. p. 176.
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