Pyotr Patrushev
Pyotr Patrushev | |
---|---|
Born | Pyotr Egorovich Patrushev 26 May 1942 Kolpashevo, Tomsk Oblast, USSR |
Died | 28 March 2016 Jervis Bay Village, Australia | (aged 73)
Nationality | Australian |
Occupation(s) | Journalist, broadcaster, interpreter, translator |
Pyotr Egorovich Patrushev (Russian: Пётр Егорович Патрушев; 26 May 1942 – 28 March 2016[1]) was a Russian author who escaped the Soviet Union by swimming to Turkey across the Black Sea border in 1962.
Early life and education
Patrushev was born in
Patrushev trained at a college in Tomsk as a competitive swimmer.[1] A backstroke champion, he participated in competitions in Moscow and other cities around Russia.[1] His swimming skill came with prestige and food coupons. Prior to leaving Russia, Patrushev was training for the 1964 Summer Olympics.[1]
Patrushev graduated from college and was attempting to enroll in university, however, he and his swimming trainer were targeted by Shkolnik, the director of the Tomsk swimming centre.[1] Shkolnik was a former associate of Lavrentiy Beria, who had been exiled to Siberia after Beria's execution. Shkolnik contacted the KGB in Novosibirsk who forced him into the military.[1]
Military career and escape from Russia
In the military, he was targeted for hazing by a sergeant in his army unit and feigned mental illness to avoid death or maiming.
In June 1962, he escaped the military and traveled 4,000 kilometers by train to Batumi, located near the border with Turkey.[2] Due to the potential difficulty in crossing the border by land, he swam 35 kilometers across the Black Sea to Turkey.[2] Fearing that Patrushev was a Soviet spy, Turkey detained him to investigate, where he spent a year in prison until his release.[2] He was sentenced to death for treason in absentia by the Soviet government for his escape.[3]
Life in Australia
In 1964, he was granted a residence permit in Australia. Patrushev became a broadcaster, journalist, conference interpreter and
Patrushev's commentaries in the
Reportedly, when Patrushev visited his native Soviet Union in 1990 for the first time in 28 years - "the country which, only a few weeks before his return, overturned the death penalty imposed on him for his dramatic escape abroad all those years ago"[6] - he was taken away by guards and detained for more than eight hours when he first arrived at Moscow Airport.[6] He had made the trip to visit relatives, mainly in his native Siberia, and make contacts for the network, which teaches conflict resolution skills under the auspices of the United Nations Association of Australia.[6] Although both Soviet and Australian authorities had assured Patrushev that it was safe for him to travel to the Soviet Union on his Australian passport, he was still detained, "most of the time in a hot and stuffy airport hotel, without being able to contact the Australian Embassy or his waiting relatives."[6] He was freed with no explanation, except that of the hotel manager who commented: "See, perestroika is working."[6]
Death
He died on 28 March 2016 after suffering a stroke.[7] Until his death, he lived in Jervis Bay,[8] in the state of New South Wales, Australia, with his wife and son.
Bibliography
- Sentenced to Death. St. Petersburg: Neva, 2005 (in Russian) by Pyotr Patrushev.
- Project Nirvana: How the Cold War Was Won. Booksurge, 2005. ISBN 1-4196-1179-8by Pyotr Patrushev.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h "The extraordinary life of interpreter Pyotr Patrushev". The Sydney Morning Herald. 29 April 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
- ^ a b c How one defector swam across the Black Sea to escape from the USSR Russia Beyond
- ABC Radio NationalRetrieved April 7, 2016
- ^ Interview, SBS Russian program
- ^ Robyn Williams, ABC Radio National, "In Conversation".
- ^ Sydney Morning Herald, Northern Herald October 25, 1990, p. 18.
- ^ Pyotr Patrushev's daring escape from the Soviet Union ABC.net.au
- ^ The great escape weekender. Keeli Cambourne. Illawarra Mercury (Australia). Weekender; p. 8. February 3, 2007.
External links
- Pyotr Patrushev in conversation with Richard Fidler, ABC Radio National, audio
- Pyotr Patrushev's translation and interpreting website
- Film about Pyotr Patrushev on YouTube by Michael Rubbo
- Pyotr Patrushev's publications website
- Interview with Robyn Williams, ABC Radio National, "In Conversation"
- Interview by BBC (in Russian, an audio file)