Vladimir Petrov; Spy Who Defected
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MELBOURNE, Australia — Vladimir Petrov, a Soviet spy whose 1954 defection opened espionage investigations in Australia, has died at 84.
Petrov died Friday at Mt. Royal Hospital, where he had been treated under the name Sven Allyson for several years, the attorney general’s office said in a statement. No cause of death was given.
After his defection, Petrov was given a new identity by the Australian Security Intelligence Organization, and an order barred news media from publishing information on his whereabouts.
Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced the defection of Petrov, a third secretary at the Soviet Embassy in Canberra, on April 13, 1954, and immediately set up a Royal Commission into Soviet espionage activities in Australia.
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