Yevgeny Ivanov, the Soviet spy who was part of the biggest sex scandal of the Cold War

Yevgeny “Eugene” Ivanov born in 1926 in the Soviet Union and had a nomadic childhood, which came in handy when the KGB offered him the opportunity to work as a spy officer after his time Cadet at a naval school. From then on, he began serving missions abroad, including in Oslo, Norway.

But The most memorable part of his career took place during his stint as Naval attaché at the Soviet embassy in the capital of United Kingdom.

A London apartment would come to life from time to time as the erotic dancer Christine Keeler He arrived at different times with two special men. One of them was John ProfumoBritish Secretary of State for War in the 1960s. The other, none other than the prominent Soviet spy Yevgeny Ivanov. Result: the biggest political and sexual scandal of the Cold War.

The ordinary person between the official with an Italian surname and the USSR agent Stephen WardEnglish artist and osteopath. This was the property that British intelligence had targeted because of the state secrets that might have been revealed there.

This is why it is what is being talked about Yevgeny Ivanov inevitably leads to this “Profumo suitcase”as the series of events that brought him out of secrecy was called.

In March 1963,John Profumo He ruled in the House of Commons: “There was nothing inappropriate “in my relationship with Miss Keeler.”.

“I deceived her”was part of his sincerity during his resignation on June 5, same year. The thing is that when he was Secretary of State for War he lied to Parliament when he came forward about his affair with Keeler and blamed him for the morals of the time.

He Profumo romance It lasted four months, two less than the scandal in the media. Public interest was so great that the explosive event inspired the film scandal in 1989.

That happens Christine There was nobody. At eye level, had a connection to Ivanovthe remaining figure of the then mentioned “Love Triangle”.

On the night of 1961, when a crush on the Briton arose, she was 19 Years. The senior official – seen by some as a future prime minister – had 46. Neither the age difference nor their marriage status kept them in mind.

His partner, the actress, is in brackets Valerie Hobsondecided to continue with it until the end. “Everyone can make a mistake in their life (…) I know how to forgive”said Valerie during the turbulent days of the scandal.

Back to affairIts origin was almost 50 kilometers west of London, at a party in Cliveden Villabelongs to Lord William Waldorf Astor, a colleague of Profumo. There was also a chalet there that belonged to Ward.

When he saw the young woman, The politician’s eyes beamed of Italian descent. In a remarkable game of seduction, Christine was half-naked in the outdoor pool and the figure, known for her beauty, fascinated him.

The person who put him in contact with her was the person mentioned above Stephen Wardwhich profited as a link between young women and rich men at the top of power. He took advantage of this questionable income from his role as Party organizer for the nobility.

While Ward was pursuing relationships in the diplomatic world, he met Ivanov, with whom he became friends. This link has been consolidated as a result The spy had “freedom of social behavior”approved by the KGB, precisely because of the Soviet interest in the osteopath’s social contacts.

This connection became one unofficial communication channel between both countries, he explained Guardian based on documents released in 2022. Ward even he wanted to make him a double agentusing a “real friendship,” said British journalist Tom Mangold in the documentary “Keeler, Profumo, Ward and I.” BBC Two.

According to the journalist Ward worked with MI5 – the British domestic intelligence service – via a contact nicknamed “Woods”. Their goal was to provide one “Honey Trap” (a planned romantic affair) with Ivanov, forcing him to work with them.

Ivanov himself revealed this that the security service was “fucked”.as he told in his book The Naked Spy.

In any case, the British government did not particularly value the exclusive osteopath, who, after his trial, found the support of his acquaintances waning. “Where are your friends?”the judge asked him, according to the documentary’s story.

Ward was convicted of pimping and in prison he committed suicide with an overdose of pills. It happened in August 1963, before he could be sentenced. A death that facilitated the establishment who attended his controversial church services.

Likewise, the damage had been done. About him institutional catastrophe The Labor Party was quick to warn of the “implicit risk” in the relationship between Profumo and the dancer.

A Conservative MP, Sir Cyril Osborne, was even harsher: “There are too many pimps and prostitutes in the upper circles. I’ve said this before and I stand by my opinion.. This was reported by a telegram United Press in ’63.

A little less is known about compromised confidential information. own Macmillan -Prime Minister shocked by issue that dominated tabloids- He believed that “there was no leak” This compromises the security of the state, according to an investigation by its Chancellor Lord Dilhorne.

The scandal was by no means forgotten the first blow to the conservative government by Harold MacMillan, which fell four months after Profumo’s resignation. That’s him affair It wasn’t just a conversation by the minister, but a participation British national security in the middle of the Cold War.

The aspiring politician among tories In 2006 he ended up washing dishes at Toynbee Hall, a charity center which he attended until the end of his life.

For this work dedicated to the poorest, Queen Elizabeth II honored him. Ironically, among the prominent figures Profumo’s lover dated, the then Prince Consort was singled out. Philip of Edinburgh. And the member of the royal family would not only have been with her, but also with Mandy Rice Davies, Ward’s second escort.

Christine, the VIP companionHe had been in prison for six months since the end of the scandalous year, but for a different reason: he had lied in one year Abuse trial what he did to jazz singer Aloysius Lucky Gordon.

It happened precisely during a police interrogation in this case His connection to the Soviet spy came to light. The hair stood on end, but the protagonist of the media bombshell was already far from the European island.

About Profumo and Christine, who MI5 would have been aware of the affair since the “chemistry” at the party in Cliveden, the above-mentioned documentation states BBC Two.

In the trial because of the uncovered possible state affairs, Christine assured this, swearing again to the truth “I had never shared a single secret” to the Russian spy.

For decades, the fate of the Russian spy was unknown. “He got lost in the KGB labyrinth”says a note from Clarion on January 2, 1994. A year earlier, Ivanov met Profumo in Moscow and “asked for forgiveness,” according to the article titled “Different Paths.”

At the first sign of trouble, Ivanov was summoned Return to Moscow at the end of 1962.

In the city Leningrad (today Saint Petersburg), a naval court acquitted him of any responsibility. On this occasion, the authorities proved that Ivanov “did not have a close relationship” with the controversial model.

However, Ivanov admitted this “He often treated them on behalf of his superiors”the London weekly newspaper reported The News of the World in May 1964.

On the other side of the Iron Curtain, however, the opposite was heard. Christine herself complained: “I was manipulated Having sex with a Russian spy, the same week I slept with the Secretary of War.. This was highlighted by journalist Raquel Piñeiro elle.

Beyond the tensions of love, Ivanov’s statement had revealed the fear of it MI5: The Soviet envoy was behind what the English Minister of War might have told his lover during passionate nights.

Ivanov had Weakness for alcohol and womenaccording to the shared file he posted Guardian in 2022. The information collected about the Soviet contained many details about his fondness for alcohol.

On some occasions his drunkenness reached the point of vomitingand once a fall with a nosebleed.

“He’s good-looking compared to others, he’s cocky and He apparently believes he is a conqueror.“says British intelligence files. They discovered a lot in the short time he was in the country, considering Ivanov arrived in London in 1960 as an assistant naval attaché.

Ivanov did not enjoy the same forgiveness as Profumo’s couple. When he returned to the Soviet Union, his wife left him. But this discomfort did not prevent him from later commercially exploiting the scandal that made him world famous.

In January 1992 published his book “The Naked Spy” (The Naked Spyin English), in which Ivanov gave his version of what happened during his time partying and working abroad. He also continued to expand there his childhood and dangerous tasks in which he was involved, including the Theft of NATO secrets from the study of Winston Churchill.

While ensuring that every word is true, the work begins with a specific phrase from the “accursed poet” Charles Baudelaire: “Men are born with lies and die honestly.”.

Ivanov died at the age of 68 1994in the country that was called Russia again three years ago after the collapse of the communist bloc.

In 1993 met with Christine in Moscowwhere they were photographed, leaving a provocative image on Red Square, with St. Basil’s Cathedral in the background: in profile, an Ivanov in a tie and white hair emphatically kisses the showgirl’s cheek. She smiles, with the Kremlin as a witness, in broad daylight.