Vladimir Vetrov is an employee of the KGB of the USSR, who in the 1980s was recruited by French intelligence and transmitted to NATO extremely important information about the plans and actions of the Soviet government. It is considered one of the most famous traitors to the motherland in the history of the USSR.
Early biography
Vladimir Vetrov was born in 1932. About the early years of his life and education, nothing is known. Around the 1950s, he began serving in the KGB of the USSR and was a fairly effective employee, rising to the rank of colonel. In 1965, Vetrov was first sent to France to carry out scientific and technical intelligence undercover. For French citizens, he appeared in the guise of a Soviet engineer and sales representative.
Vetrov established contacts with the electronic equipment manufacturing company Thomson CSF and began to gradually transfer the information received to the Soviet side. Over time, Vladimir came to the attention of French intelligence, which established surveillance over him. Once a spy, while intoxicated, crashed a company car. A tense situation arose. Representatives of French intelligence took advantage of this, proposing to keep the incident secret in exchange for some information.
Betrayal and espionage
In the mid-70s, Vladimir Vetrov was removed from operational service in the KGB for unknown reasons, but retained his position with access to secret scientific and technical data of the Soviet government. In 1981, he came up with the idea of making money on information, and he contacted old French acquaintances from intelligence, proposing already long-term cooperation.
Vetrov began to actively "merge" NATO information, acting under the secret nickname "Farewell". In total, about 4000 documents were handed over to them, including data on 250 Soviet spy officers operating around the world; 450 intelligence officers collecting scientific and technical information; tasks and achievements of the Soviet government scientific and technical program.
