Beautiful Virgin Islands

Monday, Aug 04, 2025

George Blake: Cold War British-Soviet double agent dies aged 98 in Moscow

George Blake: Cold War British-Soviet double agent dies aged 98 in Moscow

Cold War British-Soviet double agent George Blake has died aged 98 in Moscow, according to Russian state news agency RIA.

Russia's SVR foreign intelligence agency reportedly confirmed the news, with a spokesman quoted as saying: "We received some bitter news - the legendary George Blake passed away."

Blake was the last in a line of spies whose work for the Soviet Union humiliated Britain's intelligence establishment when it was uncovered at the height of the Cold War.

Britain says he exposed the identities of hundreds of Western agents across eastern Europe in the 1950s - some of whom were executed as a result.


This image of Blake was issued after his escape from Wormwood Scrubs


He was the most notorious double agent alongside a separate ring of former Cambridge students known as the Cambridge Five.

Blake famously escaped from London's Wormwood Scrubs prison in 1966, with the help of two peace activists and other inmates.

He was smuggled out of the country in a camper van, leaving behind his wife and three children, just a few years after being sentenced to 42 years in jail.

Blake went by the Russian name Georgy Ivanovich and held the rank of lieutenant colonel in the former KGB security service.

He was awarded a medal by President Vladimir Putin in 2007 and never expressed any regrets about his actions.


Blake's wife was left behind when he fled the country and she later divorced him


Born in the Netherlands in 1922, Blake escaped the country after joining the Dutch resistance as a courier in the Second World War and reached the UK in 1943.

He began working for MI6 in 1944 and was sent to Seoul in South Korea four years later, where he gathered intelligence on North Korea, China and the Soviet Far East.

It was his time in a North Korean prison, after being captured in 1950, that saw him embrace communism. Blake read the works of Karl Marx and developed a sense of outrage at the US bombing of the country.

"That's what made me decide to change sides. I felt it would be better for humanity if the communist system prevailed, that it would put an end to war, to wars," he said.

After his release, he returned to the UK in 1955 and was sent to Berlin by MI6 to collect information on Soviet spies.

However, he was also passing secrets to Moscow on British and US operations.

"I met a Soviet comrade about once a month," he said in a 2012 interview with Russian newspaper Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

"I handed over films and we chatted. Sometimes we had a glass of Tsimlyansk champagne (Soviet sparkling wine)."


George Blake (left) at Berlin airport en route to Britain after his release from a North Korean prison


His treachery was eventually exposed by a Polish defector and he was brought home to Britain for trial.

Blake's remarkable escape after just a few years behind bars led to a new life in the Soviet Union - but not before he spent two months in hiding, and was driven across Europe to East Berlin inside a wooden box attached under a car.

He and wife Gillian were divorced after he fled the UK, and he married a Russian woman, Ida, with whom he had a son.

Blake worked at a foreign affairs institute before the couple later retired to a country house outside Moscow. But he maintain his interest in the secret service well into his old age, and gave master classes on espionage.

In the 2012 Russian newspaper interview to mark his 90th birthday, he said he was content and living a "peaceful" life.

"Looking back on my life, everything seems logical and natural," he said.

He said he did not regard himself as a traitor as he never "felt" British, adding: "To betray, you first have to belong. I never belonged."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
Pilots Call for Mental Health Support Without Stigma
All Five Trapped Miners Found Dead After El Teniente Mine Collapse
Ong Beng Seng Pleads Guilty in Corruption Case Linked to Former Singapore Transport Minister
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
Italy Fines Shein One Million Euros for Misleading Sustainability Claims
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
Declassified Annex Links Soros‑Affiliated Officials and Clinton Campaign to ‘Russiagate’ Narrative
UK's Online Safety Law: A Front for Censorship
Nationwide Protests Erupt in Brazil Demanding Presidential Resignation
Parents Abandon Child at Barcelona Airport Over Passport Issue
Mystery Surrounds Death of Brazilian Woman with iPhones Glued to Her Body
Bus Driver Discovers Toddler Hidden in Suitcase in New Zealand
Switzerland Celebrates 734 Years of Independence Amid Global Changes
U.S. Opens Official Investigation into Former Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
Leaked audio of Canada's new PM Mark Carney admitting the truth about the Net Zero agenda: "We're gonna make a lot of money off of this."
China Enforces Comprehensive Ban on Cryptocurrency Activities
Absolutely 100% Realistic EVO Series Doll by EXDOLL (Chinese Company) used mainly for carnal purposes
World Economic Forum founder Klaus Schwab: "In this new world, we must accept... total transparency. You have to get used to it. You have to behave accordingly. But if you have nothing to hide, you shouldn't be afraid."
Meet Mufti Hamid Patel, head of Office for Standards in Education in Pakistan
George Soros tells the World Economic Forum: "President Trump is a con man and the ultimate narcissist, who wants the world to revolve around him."
Hamas are STARVING the hostages.
Decline in Tourism in Majorca Amidst Ongoing Anti-Tourism Protests
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
Poland Begins Excavation at Dziemiany After New Clue to World War II‑Era Nazi Treasure
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Threatens Canada with Tariffs Over Palestinian State Recognition
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Trump Sues Murdoch in “Heavyweight Bout”: Lawsuit Over Alleged Epstein Letter Sets Stage for Courtroom Showdown
Germany Enters Fiscal Crisis as Cabinet Approves €174 Billion in New Debt
Trump Administration Finalizes Broad Tariff Increases on Global Trade Partners
J.K. Rowling Limits Public Engagements Citing Safety Fears
JD.com Launches €2.2 Billion Bid for German Electronics Retailer Ceconomy
Azerbaijan Proceeds with Plan to Legalise Casinos on Artificial Islands
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
×