Agabekov

Agabekov was a surname of Central Asian origin. The most notable person with this surname was Georgy Sergeyevich Agabekov (1895-1937), an officer of the Soviet secret police (GPU) who defected to the West in 1929.

Georgy Sergeyevich Agabekov (1895-1937)

Agabekov was born in Ashgabat, then part of the Russian Empire. He joined the Red Army after the Russian Revolution and subsequently the Cheka (later GPU and NKVD), the Soviet secret police. He served in various roles, including intelligence gathering in the Middle East and Europe.

In 1929, while stationed in Constantinople (Istanbul), Agabekov defected to the West, fearing for his life amidst Stalin's purges. He provided valuable information to Western intelligence agencies about Soviet espionage networks and operations.

After defecting, Agabekov wrote several books exposing the inner workings of the GPU, including "GPU: The Russian Secret Police" (also known as "OGPU: The Russian Secret Terror"). These books provided detailed accounts of Soviet espionage, political repression, and the lives of those working within the Soviet intelligence apparatus.

Agabekov's defection and subsequent publications caused considerable embarrassment to the Soviet government. He was reportedly assassinated by the NKVD in 1937 in Spain.

The Agabekov case is significant as an early example of a high-ranking Soviet defector providing inside information to the West, contributing to a greater understanding of Soviet intelligence operations during the interwar period.