Putin called late Yury Drozdov legendary intelligence officer, excellent professional
MOSCOW. June 22 (Interfax) - Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to the family of Yury Drozdov, retired major-general and former head of the Soviet illegal intelligence.
"Yury Ivanovich Drozdov, a legendary intelligence officer and excellent professional, a strong, extraordinary person, has died. He belonged to the heroic generation of war veterans, he participated in brilliant operations, which are rightly considered the pride of Russian foreign intelligence," the president said in a telegram posted on the Kremlin website.
The president called Drozdov's death an irreparable loss to his loved ones, colleagues, friends and everyone who knew him and valued him.
Yury Drozdov was born in Minsk on September 19, 1925. He fought in the Great Patriotic War and went all the way to Berlin. After graduating from the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in 1956, he was transferred to the State Security Committee and was sent to Berlin as an operative in 1957.
