Yan Chernyak

Yan Chernyak
Born 6 April 1909[1]
Chernivtsi, Ukraine[1]
Died 19 February 1995 (aged 85)[1]
Moscow, Russia[1]
Occupation Spy
Chernyak's grave at the Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery in Mosow

Yan Chernyak (6 April 1909 – 19 February 1995) was a World War II era spy who led a network of several dozen people in Nazi Germany working for the Soviet Union's military intelligence GRU. He was nicknamed "man without a shadow" for his ability to move around undetected.[2]

He was made a Hero of the Russian Federation (List of Heroes of the Russian Federation (C)) in December 1994, two months before he died on 19 February 1995.[1]

Chernyak is credited with "obtaining information used to devise the first Soviet radar, which formed part of Moscow's air defenses during Nazi raids in 1941, according to a statement from the Russian army's general staff. Chernyak also was ``instrumental in developing the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program, the statement said. Details of his spy activities remain secret. After World War II, and until retiring in 1969, Chernyak was a translator for the official Soviet news agency, Tass. Earlier this month, he received the Hero of Russia award, the nation's highest honor."[3]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Черняк, Ян Петрович". War Heroes. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  2. Connolly, Kate. "Star of postwar German cinema was Soviet spy, declassified files show". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
  3. "YAN CHERNYAK, A FORMER SOVIET INTELLIGENCE AGENT WHO RAN AN ELABORATE SPY N". Associated Press. 20 February 1995. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
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