Savchenko, Sergei Romanovich

(1904–1966)

   After almost two decades of service in the Border Guards Directorate, Savchenko was transferred to the Ukrainian NKVD in 1938 as Lavrenty Beria purged the security service. During the Great Patriotic War, Savchenko worked behind Nazi lines in the Ukraine and was promoted to lieutenant general in 1945. He was highly decorated, receiving the Order of Lenin and the Order of the Red Banner, among other decorations. From 1949 to 1953, he served as chief of foreign intelligence. Savchenko was a mediocre chief; he had no previous experience in foreign espionage, and he was concerned about arousing the ire of Beria. After Joseph Stalin’s death and Beria’s purge in 1953, Savchenko was demoted. In 1955 he was ousted from the KGB for incompetence.