Boris Rybkin

Rybkin was born Boruch Aronovich Rivkin in Novovitebsk, in the Khersonsky Uyezd of Kherson Governorate into a Ukrainian Jewish family on June 19, 1899.

In April 1938 Joseph Stalin gave Rybkin the mission to start secret negotiations with the Finnish government to meet the threat from Nazi Germany.

In 1943, Rybkin was awarded the military rank of colonel of state security and in 1944 he became head of the department responsible for the introduction of illegal agents and reconnaissance and sabotage groups into the countries of Eastern Europe occupied by the Nazis.

From February 1947, he served in the "DR" department (Special Service) of the MGB of the USSR, which was headed by Pavel Sudoplatov and tasked with conducting sabotage operations abroad.

He traveled to Turkey and other countries to reestablish contact with illegal agents in the Middle East and Eastern Europe and to carry out operational activities.