Yuri Drozdov (general)
Yuri Ivanovich Drozdov | |
|---|---|
Drozdov in the 1970s | |
| Native name | Юрий Иванович Дроздов |
| Born | 19 September 1925 Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union (now Belarus) |
| Died | 21 June 2017 (aged 91) Moscow, Russia |
| Buried | Troyekurovskoye Cemetery, Moscow |
| Allegiance | Soviet Union |
| Branch | Red Army (1943–1956) KGB (1956–1991) |
| Service years | 1943–1991 |
| Rank | Major-General |
| Known for | Overseeing the "Illegals Program" during the Cold War |
| Conflicts | |
| Awards | Order of Lenin (1981) |
| Alma mater | Mikhailovskaya Military Artillery Academy |
| Spouse |
Lyudmila Yudenich (after 1943) |
| Children | 2 |
Yuri Ivanovich Drozdov (Russian: Юрий Иванович Дроздов; 19 September 1925 – 21 June 2017) was a Soviet security official. In 1979, he led Operation Storm-333, formally triggering the Soviet–Afghan War. Later, as a high-level agent of the KGB, he oversaw the execution of the "Illegals Program" in the United States from 1979 until 1991. Drozdov was a recipient of the Order of Lenin, which was conferred to him in 1981.