Module+5+-+The+Petrov+Affair

=Module 5 - The Petrov Affair =

Home

The Petrov Affair was a dramatic Cold War spy incident in Australia in April 1954, concerning Vladimir Petrov, Third Secretary of the Soviet embassy in Canberra.

 The Petrovs had been sent to the Canberra embassy in 1951 by the Soviet security chief, Lavrentiy Beria. After Joseph Stalin's death in March 1953, Beria had been arrested and shot by Stalin's successors, and Vladimir Petrov evidently feared that, if he returned to the Soviet Union, he would be purged as a "Beria man". Petrov made contact with the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and offered to provide evidence of Soviet espionage in exchange for political asylum.

Petrov did not tell his wife Evdokia of his intention; apparently he planned to defect without her. After falsely claiming that Australian authorities had kidnapped Petrov, the MVD sent two couriers to Australia to fetch Evdokia Petrov. Word of this leaked out and there were violent anti-Communist demonstrations at Sydney Airport as Evdokia Petrova was escorted by the KGB men to the aircraft. ical asylum.

Module 5 - Activities Due Monday 19th February


Work through the activities and exercises from the document above making sure to save your file. Please submit electronically. __Resources __
 * 1) Your class notes
 * 2) Your textbook
 * 3) This Wiki
 * 4) Resources in links below
 * 5) Personal research

April 2011 ABC News - MI5 documents shed new light on Petrov Affair - click on link below **[|ABC News - Petrov Affair] **

**[|Petrov Affair] **