Konstantin Preobrazhenskiy
Encyclopedia
Konstantin Georgiyevich Preobrazhenskiy ' onMouseout='HidePop("8739")' href="/topics/Moscow">Moscow
) is a former KGB
officer, an intelligence expert and the author of several books and numerous articles about Russian secret police
organizations.
He is known for his publications about KGB operations in Japan
, recruitment of Russian emigrants by Russian Foreign Intelligence Service
, and infiltration of Russian Orthodox Church
by the KGB/Federal Security Service (FSB).
in 1976 and started working in the Foreign Intelligence department of the KGB. He was an advisor on China, Japan and Korea to Leonid Zaitsev, the Head of the Scientific and Technical Intelligence (Directorate “T”), in the First Chief Directorate
.
In 1980-85 Preobrazhenskiy worked under cover as a TASS
correspondent at the KGB station in Tokyo. He recruited Chinese scholars for the Soviet Scientific and Technical Intelligence. In July 1985, the Japanese police arrested him at a meeting with his Chinese agent, and he was transferred back to Moscow. He described these events in book “The Spy Who Loved Japan” published in 1994.
He fled to the United States in January 2003, after several episodes of harassment by Russian state security services. He was granted political asylum in March 2006
He is a regular speaker on the Voice of America
and was a lecturer at Columbia, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities. He was an invited speaker at The Intelligence Summit
. His last book is "KGB/FSB's New Trojan Horse: Americans of Russian Descent"
and commented on his assassination:
According to Konstantinov, Putin initially worked in the 5-th KGB department that was responsible for suppression of internal dissent in the country
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...
) is a former 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...
officer, an intelligence expert and the author of several books and numerous articles about Russian secret police
Secret police
Secret police are a police agency which operates in secrecy and beyond the law to protect the political power of an individual dictator or an authoritarian political regime....
organizations.
He is known for his publications about KGB operations in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, recruitment of Russian emigrants by Russian Foreign Intelligence Service
Foreign Intelligence Service (Russia)
The Russian Foreign Intelligence Service is Russia's primary external intelligence agency. The SVR is the successor of the First Chief Directorate of the KGB since December 1991...
, and infiltration of Russian Orthodox Church
Russian Orthodox Church
The Russian Orthodox Church or, alternatively, the Moscow Patriarchate The ROC is often said to be the largest of the Eastern Orthodox churches in the world; including all the autocephalous churches under its umbrella, its adherents number over 150 million worldwide—about half of the 300 million...
by the KGB/Federal Security Service (FSB).
KGB career
He graduated from the Institute of Asian and African countries of the Moscow State UniversityMoscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
in 1976 and started working in the Foreign Intelligence department of the KGB. He was an advisor on China, Japan and Korea to Leonid Zaitsev, the Head of the Scientific and Technical Intelligence (Directorate “T”), in the First Chief Directorate
First Chief Directorate
The First Chief Directorate , of the Committee for State Security , was the organization responsible for foreign operations and intelligence collection activities by the training and management of the covert agents, intelligence collection management, and the collection of political, scientific and...
.
In 1980-85 Preobrazhenskiy worked under cover as a TASS
TASS
TASS or Tass may refer to:* Telluride Association Sophomore Seminar, a six-week educational opportunity for minority high school students* Telegraph Agency of the Soviet Union, TASS is the transliteration of the Russian abbreviation for it...
correspondent at the KGB station in Tokyo. He recruited Chinese scholars for the Soviet Scientific and Technical Intelligence. In July 1985, the Japanese police arrested him at a meeting with his Chinese agent, and he was transferred back to Moscow. He described these events in book “The Spy Who Loved Japan” published in 1994.
Writer and journalist
In 1991 Preobrazhenskiy left the KGB and started writing books and articles about Russian state security services and on various political subjects. In 1993-2002 he worked as a columnist for the Moscow Timesnewspaper .He fled to the United States in January 2003, after several episodes of harassment by Russian state security services. He was granted political asylum in March 2006
He is a regular speaker on the Voice of America
Voice of America
Voice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
and was a lecturer at Columbia, Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities. He was an invited speaker at The Intelligence Summit
The Intelligence Summit
The Intelligence Summit is an annual conference run principally by John Loftus and funded an organization he controls, the Intelligence and Homeland Security Educational Center ....
. His last book is "KGB/FSB's New Trojan Horse: Americans of Russian Descent"
His statements
He had numerous meetings with former FSB officer Alexander LitvinenkoAlexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko was an officer who served in the Soviet KGB and its Russian successor, the Federal Security Service ....
and commented on his assassination:
- I have no hesitation to say that he was murdered by Vladimir PutinVladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
, who considered him to be his personal enemy. Putin is very vulnerable to criticism. He has the inferiority complexInferiority complexAn inferiority complex, in the fields of psychology and psychoanalysis, is a feeling that one is inferior to others in some way. Such feelings can arise from an imagined or actual inferiority in the afflicted person...
. And Litvinenko knew a lot about Putin, about his drawbacks, about his connections with some political forces which are not disclosed even now, because Litvinenko knew Putin personally. And Putin was the person who dismissed Litvinenko from the FSB.
According to Konstantinov, Putin initially worked in the 5-th KGB department that was responsible for suppression of internal dissent in the country
English
- Interview with Preobrazhensky
- Does Putin believe in God?
- Putin's Espionage Church, an excerpt from his forthcoming book, "Russian Americans: A New KGB Asset"
- Russia and Islam are not Separate: Why Russia backs Al-Qaeda
- North Korean Lobby in Russia
- Russian Espionage on China
- Resurgent KGB
- Top Spy Kovalyov Knows Russians Need To Confess
- Through Russia with Kim Jong Il
Russian
- His interview, RFE/RL
- Interview about his new book, Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
- Russian Orthodox Church and KGB His interview, Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
- Poisonings of priests in Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia, Part I
- Poisonings of priests in Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia, Part II
- Poisonings in Russian Orthodox Church outside of Russia (more detail)
- Discussion of his articles about Russian Orthodox Church http://www.grani.ru/opinion/abarinov/m.121553.html http://grani.ru/Society/Religion/m.121995.html
His books
- Unknown Jaapan. Преображенский К.Г. Неизвестная Япония. - М.: АО "Япония сегодня", 1993. - 286 с.: ил.
- KGB in Japan. Spy who loved Tokio. Преображенский, Константин Георгиевич. КГБ в Японии. Шпион, который любил Токио. - М. : Центрполиграф, 2000. - 455, [2] с., [4] л. портр. : ил. - (Секретная папка). http://www.chtivo.ru/chtivo=3&bkid=24682.htm