The brazen escape from the Soviet Union: the story ended with all intelligence textbooks

One day, in 1962, a young man swam in the water on the beach in Batumi (a city in Georgia on the Black Sea coast), seeing the horizon only as a target. And he was lucky, he came to Turkey, he escaped from the Soviet Union.

Border guards simply weren’t ready for this kind of blink. It seemed incredible that a man, even a swimmer, without any special equipment, could cover a great distance by sea (35 km) on his own, and be able to go unnoticed through the watchful gazes of coast guard officers.

There is no doubt that only a particularly well-trained swimmer could decide to run in the sea. Swimming was from childhood. P. Patrushev practiced sports, and the decision to flee the Soviet Union was the only way to get out of this situation.

When transferred from a sports unit to a regular platoon, Mr. Patrushev faced unbearable intimidation. Thus, the idea of ​​crossing the sea arose, one might say, spontaneously, out of necessity. There was absolutely no opportunity to cross the land border. But not all seas will be blocked – if you’re very lucky, you can descend unseen through border protection.

“The first focus was turned on. A beam of light pierced the sea like the giant octopus tentacles. I dove deep. I felt increasing pressure on my ears. All the skills acquired during shore training seem to have evaporated.” remembers P. Patruševas.

Back in Turkey, the swimmer admitted that he had no idea how he managed to cover the incredible distance in the Black Sea. He was asked to show on a map what route he had taken to cross the border.

It soon became apparent that Patrushev had not planned the route: he was sailing in style. The desire to escape to freedom alone was the driving force that helped achieve the goal.

When the flight into the Soviet Union became known, Patrushev was sentenced to death for treason. In Turkey Patrushev was arrested and held in solitary confinement. He voluntarily participated in the surveys. When Turkish officials became convinced that the swimmer was not a Soviet spy, he was released. Finally, Mr. Patrushev learned English.

Later he acquired Australian citizenship. Having mastered English fluently, Patrushev became the host of a BBC program in London in 1968, and after a time joined the Radio Freedom team in Munich and San Francisco. He worked as a television presenter, journalist, and translator. In the latter field, his qualifications did not hesitate, so he went and was brought to the International Association of Interpreters and Translators at the agency and the words of national accreditation. Patrushev had to intervene during a meeting between Russian and Australian leaders Vladimir Putin and John Howard, as well as during meetings with other high-ranking officials and state officials.

Mr. Patrushev served as Chief Consultant to the Conflict Resolution Network (CRN) established by Stella and Helena Cornelius. This network can be called the origins of the University of Sydney’s Center for Peacekeeping and Conflict Studies. Mr. Patrushev became the initiator of the establishment of the CRN Center in Moscow and organized the publication of his own book “Everyone Can Win” published by the CRN.

After escaping from the Soviet Union, Patrushev first visited the country in the 1990s, 28 years after his incredibly successful escape. He wanted to meet relatives and, as a member of the CRN, establish contacts with relevant Russian organizations.

A few days before his arrival, the death penalty was abolished in the Soviet Union, so it must be assumed that the death penalty was imposed on Mr. Patrushev in 1962. However, when he landed at Moscow airport, it was arrested. For more than eight hours, Mr. Patrushev was not allowed to contact either the Australian embassy or the people who had come to meet him. After a long period of involuntary stay in a hot hotel room, Mr. Patrushev was finally released. No one offered to explain anything. When he left, the hotel manager said, “You see, perestroika is really happening.”

Until his death in 2016, Patrushev lived with his wife and son in Jarvis Bay, Australia’s New South Wales.