Former Soviet intelligence officer Yuri Kobaladze

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:45

One of the most famous Russian Georgians, intelligence veteran. Fortunately, he gained fame not as a result of failure, but because he worked as the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation. Yuri Kobaladze is now teaching. Prior to that, he managed to work in various commercial and banking structures.

Early years

Yuri Kobaladze was born on January 22, 1949 in Tbilisi. After graduating from high school, he went to the Soviet capital. As he himself later said, Moscow and Leningrad were places of greatest attraction. Seven to eight flights a day flew there from the Georgian capital. On the second attempt, he entered MGIMO.

Recalling his years of study, the former intelligence officer says that he studied too many unnecessary subjects. Kobaladze remembers well how students were asked to take notes on a large number of Lenin's works. He had great difficulty in passing the exam in the economics of socialism, because he could not understand what this subject was about. He is generally a very specific person, it is difficult for him to think in abstractions.

BelovedThe subject of the student Kobaladze was regional studies. He regrets that it is not taught now, because international journalists must immediately specialize in a particular state. Yuri chose England and considers himself an expert on this country. In 1972 he graduated from the Faculty of International Journalism of the country's most prestigious university - MGIMO.

Career start

After graduating from the institute, he was assigned to TASS. All this time, his career was monitored by the competent authorities. They became interested in him, and Yuri Kobaladze was offered to go to work in the KGB of the USSR. He agreed and never regretted his decision. He was always proud of his service in intelligence. Kobaladze was sent to study at the Red Banner Institute of the KGB of the USSR.

After graduating from a famous educational institution, he was sent to work in the first main department of the KGB, which was engaged in foreign intelligence. Then he went to work at TASS. A year and a half later - on Central Television.

Undercover work

Since 1977, for seven years, he worked for foreign intelligence under the guise of a correspondent for the State Television and Radio Broadcasting Company in the UK. Collaborated with well-known journalist Boris Kalyagin, TASS own correspondent in the UK.

Naturally, almost nothing is known about Yuri Kobaladze's work of those years. According to the stories of the scout himself, he lived very well in London. On a voluntary basis, he ran a club restaurant for journalists and a wine club. Was responsible for hosting dinner parties, gala receptions and press conferences.conferences. During these social events, he met many important people - lords, ministers, politicians and public figures. Kobaladze talks about this so colorfully that many listeners got the impression that the "office" reimbursed all expenses.

Homecoming

In 1984 he returned from a business trip abroad. Yuri Kobaladze was sent to work at his former place of service. He worked in the central apparatus of foreign intelligence of the KGB until the very collapse of the Soviet Union. Despite the fact that they try not to let intelligence officers who returned after work in other countries go abroad, he was allowed to go on business trips abroad. As an employee of the State Radio and Television, he was part of the delegation that accompanied General Secretary Gorbachev during visits to the United States and M alta. And he even managed to go to London again, although he received a visa to the UK with great difficulty.

After the formation of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation in 1991, he headed the press service of the organization. The "spy" biography of Yuri Kobaladze ended in 1999, he retired with the rank of major general. He himself believes that he had a very successful career as a professional intelligence officer. The work is delicate and complex, but it allows you to constantly gain new knowledge and improve.

After Service

After retiring, he worked in senior positions in large commercial and banking structures. There he was responsible for corporate matters, including external relations withgovernment and press.

The episode of his work for the retailer company X5Retail Group was very famous. When Yuri Kobaladze was one of those accompanying Vladimir Putin when visiting one of the stores of the Perekrestok chain, the president noted that the markup on meat was almost doubled. To which the former scout quickly found something to say, promising to lower prices tomorrow.

Since 2006 he has been collaborating with radio "Echo of Moscow". Since 2014, he has been working as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of International Journalism of his native institute. This he himself considers an amazing achievement.

Yuri Kobaladze is seriously interested in music, especially loves Verdi, he has a large collection of old vinyl records. In his free time, he enjoys rafting on mountain rivers. Married in 1977. Yuri Kobaladze and wife Alla have two daughters: Katya and the younger Manana. The children were born in Russia and hardly know the Georgian language.