Gunvor Galtung Haavik
Encyclopedia
Gunvor Galtung Haavik was a Norwegian
employee of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
who was arrested on 27 January 1977 after being betrayed by Oleg Gordievsky
and charged with espionage
on behalf of the Soviet Union
and treason
. She confessed to these crimes, and then died, apparently of heart failure, before the case came to trial.
Haavik was born in Drammen
and studied medicine at the University of Oslo
from 1932 to 1933, but gave up these studies and became a nurse instead. She worked at hospitals in Norway and spent the war years at a hospital in Bodø
, where she picked up Russian
and fell in love with a Russian prisoner of war, Vladimir Koslov. Consequently, in 1946, the foreign ministry hired her as an interpreter.
In 1947, she was assigned to the Norwegian embassy in Moscow
and was shortly thereafter recruited by the KGB
. She maintained an intimate affair with Koslov for two years and committed to spying on behalf of the Soviet Union after the KGB threatened to deport him to Siberia
. In 1955, she returned to Oslo but continued her espionage activities through a Soviet handler.
On 3 October 2008 the film Iskyss premiered in Norwegian cinemas. The film is an adaptation of the biography by the same title by investigative journalist and author Alf R. Jacobsen and is directed by Knut Erik Jensen
.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
employee of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the foreign ministry of the Kingdom of Norway...
who was arrested on 27 January 1977 after being betrayed by Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Gordievsky
Oleg Antonovich Gordievsky , CMG , is a former Colonel of the KGB and KGB Resident-designate and bureau chief in London, who was a secret agent of the British Secret Intelligence Service from 1974 to 1985.-Early career:Oleg Gordievsky attended the Moscow State Institute of International...
and charged with espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
on behalf of the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
. She confessed to these crimes, and then died, apparently of heart failure, before the case came to trial.
Haavik was born in Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
and studied medicine at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
from 1932 to 1933, but gave up these studies and became a nurse instead. She worked at hospitals in Norway and spent the war years at a hospital in Bodø
Bodø
is a city and a municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is part of the Salten region.The city of Bodø was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . Bodin was merged with Bodø on 1 January 1968. Skjerstad was merged with Bodø on 1 January 2005...
, where she picked up Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
and fell in love with a Russian prisoner of war, Vladimir Koslov. Consequently, in 1946, the foreign ministry hired her as an interpreter.
In 1947, she was assigned to the Norwegian embassy in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
and was shortly thereafter recruited by the KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
. She maintained an intimate affair with Koslov for two years and committed to spying on behalf of the Soviet Union after the KGB threatened to deport him to Siberia
Siberia
Siberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
. In 1955, she returned to Oslo but continued her espionage activities through a Soviet handler.
On 3 October 2008 the film Iskyss premiered in Norwegian cinemas. The film is an adaptation of the biography by the same title by investigative journalist and author Alf R. Jacobsen and is directed by Knut Erik Jensen
Knut Erik Jensen
Knut Erik Jensen is a Norwegian film director, best known for his documentary Cool and Crazy. After studying French, Russian and history, he attended the London Film School. In 1978, he joined the staff of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation , and has since then made documentaries and short...
.