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Since time immemorial, people have turned away from their comrades and even countries. However, these betrayals were painted in different colors. First, the traitors had various motives, ranging from altruistic to selfish. Secondly, they have different effects, some affect only a certain person, while others, based on mass collusion, affect entire nations.

Finally, betrayals range from somewhat forgivable to notoriously sad. This article lists ten of the most notorious traitors in world history, sorted by severity.

10. Mordechai Vanunu

Mordechai Vanunu worked as a nuclear technician in Israel in the 1980s, when it was claimed that nuclear energy was produced exclusively for civilian use. In 1986, citing his opposition to the WMD program, Vanunu sold details of Israel's nuclear program to the British press, confirming fears that Israel had nuclear weapons.

After that, the Mossad (Israeli political intelligence) lured him to Italy, where he was drugged and captured. He was then returned to Israel and convicted behind closed doors. He spent more than eleven years in solitary confinement, and in total he spent 18 years in prison. After his release, many restrictions were imposed on him, moreover, he was nominated for Nobel Prize of the world in the nomination, "developed" by him: "the only thing I want is freedom."

Still a traitor, Vanunu is the most "harmless" on this list. Having told the world about a government that secretly develops weapons of mass destruction, he is internationally considered a hero of the nuclear age, who received many awards, including a Nobel Prize nomination.

9. Gaius Cassius Longinus

Early in his career, Cassius demonstrated his hatred for tyranny. Over time, as he grew older and gained more and more power, his views only grew stronger. During the great Roman civil war, he sided with the optimates and Pompey, while at the same time fearing that Julius Caesar might become a dictator. He heard about the defeat of Pompey at Pharsalus and fled to the Hellespont, however, on the way he was taken prisoner by Caesar's troops. Caesar was very gracious and appointed him legate. After the war, Cassius spent two years in Rome.

“He has a very hungry look, he thinks too much, and such people are extremely dangerous,” Shakespeare described Julius Caesar. Longinus planned to assassinate the appointed dictator and brought Brutus to his side. After the assassination of Caesar, Antony came to power, and Cassius committed suicide two years later. In Dante's Inferno, he is considered one of three people who are worthy of shame enough to burn in Satan's hell.

8. Judas Iscariot

"The Son of Man said, 'Woe to that man by whom the Son of Man betrays himself! It would have been better for him not to have been born at all." Judas, who had betrayed him, replied: "It's not me, is it, Rabbi?" He replied: "You yourself said everything."

Judas Iscariot is definitely one of the most feared traitors of all time. By the time of the Last Supper, he had already betrayed Jesus to the Sanhedrin for thirty pieces of silver. Then he led them to Jesus in the garden and gave the Son of Man to the soldiers. Later, filled with remorse, Judas returns the money and kills himself. He turned his back on his friend, his mentor, his God.

Today it is often discussed what motivated Judas to betray. Money, Roman patriotism or obsession? There was also discussion about whether he was cursed, and if so, whether it was because of Jesus' betrayal or because of his subsequent suicide. In Dante's Inferno, he was in a deep pit of hell. His name is a recognized symbol of betrayal throughout the Christian world.

7. Ephialtes

Not much is known about Ephialtes, but almost everyone is familiar with his heinous act of treason. Thermopylae is a narrow passage located in Greece. It was here in 480 BC that the Persian army, numbering hundreds of thousands of soldiers (perhaps more than one million), clashed with the Greeks, led by Leonidas, who numbered less than seven thousand, or maybe even just a few hundred.

For two days, the Spartans bravely held back the Persians until the local shepherd, Ephialtes, showed Xerxes narrow road, which will lead to the opportunity to bypass the Greeks from behind. On the third day of the battle, the Persians used this passage, surrounded the Greeks and completely destroyed them. However, the Spartans gave up everything to protect the crossing, even their lives.

The motivation for his action was the promised reward from Xerxes, which he never received. Later he was killed, and the man who did this was rewarded by the Spartans. For a long period of time, Ephialtes was notorious in Greece. His name was synonymous not only with betrayal, but also with a nightmare.

6 Guy Fawkes

As a young Englishman, Guy Fawkes was a Catholic, he sincerely believed in Catholicism. He left England and settled in the Netherlands, where he supported the Spanish Catholics fighting against the Protestants in the Eighty Years' War. Later on his return, he met with Thomas Wintour and Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate the Protestant King James I and his government by blowing up the Houses of Parliament.

This later became known as the Gunpowder Plot. Moved by an anonymous letter, the authorities began to look for a place under the House of Lords and found Fox, who was guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. He was sentenced to death by hanging and quartering, but committed suicide to avoid suffering.

In England there is nursery rhyme, which in translation sounds like this: "Remember, remember November 5, gunpowder, treason and conspiracy. I see no reason why treason can be forgiven."

Every fifth of November is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks, this night is known as Guy Fawkes Night, although the emphasis has now shifted slightly away from high treason. The name of the holiday shows the extent to which Guy Fawkes' name has become synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, perhaps the biggest act of treason in English history.

5 Benedict Arnold

Early in the Revolution, Arnold was a successful American commander, helping to capture Fort Ticonderoga and also playing a significant role in the Battle of Saratoga, considered the turning point of the war. However, Arnold's successes were not noted by anyone, and he was greatly humiliated by his opponents. Feeling contempt for the United States because of this, he made a nefarious offer to the British: he could sell them West Point, a possible key to winning the war.

The plot was uncovered when British spy John Andre was taken prisoner. Arnold fled and joined the British army leading raids against the Americans. According to legend, on his deathbed in London, he regretted his betrayal: "Let me die in this old uniform in which I went through battles. May God forgive me for putting on another one." Yet to this day, Arnold's name remains synonymous with betrayal among both Americans and British.

4. Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger

The Brutus family was known for their hatred of tyrants, and one of their ancestors is known to have deposed the King of Rome. As soon as Mark took office in the Senate, he contacted the optimates. During the great civil war in Rome, Julius Caesar was merciful to him: in fact, he ordered his officers not to fight him for fear of hurting him. After the war, he was reinstated as Caesar's political adviser, but he was soon persuaded by Cassius to take part in one of the most famous assassinations in history.

According to Plutarch, when Caesar saw Brutus among the murderers, he covered his head with a toga and resigned himself to his fate. Legend has it that Caesar's strong feelings towards Brutus are due to the fact that Caesar may have been his father, adding to the heinousness of the crime. Though it's debatable, there was definitely a close relationship between the two of them. He joins Judas and his accomplice Cassius, who are currently in the three mouths of Satan in Dante's "Hell".

3. Wang Jingwei

Wang Ching-wei started out as a member of the leftist Kuomintang Party, a Chinese Nationalist party that existed during the Republic period. He was a close associate of Sun Yat-sen until Sun's death. After that, he unsuccessfully fought with Chiang Kai-shek for power in the party. Despite his regular disagreement with party policy in general and Chiang in particular, he still did not leave the Kuomintang.

Everything changed when the Japanese invaded in 1937. He accepted the Japanese offer to establish a puppet government in Nanjing, which became known as the Reorganized National Government.

"Against the corrupt government and support for the government of Nanjing" - this was the propaganda of Wang Ching-wei, who spoke out against the republic in China and for his imperial Japanese puppet state. Wang died in 1944, and his collaborationist regime ceased to exist after the surrender of Japan. Today he is spoken of as a traitor to the Chinese. Like the names of other famous traitors, his name has become synonymous with betrayal.

2. Vidkun Quisling

Quisling was a Norwegian official in the Ministry of Defense. In 1933, Quisling founded the National Assembly, a fascist party. The Nazis invaded Norway in 1940 and deftly overthrew the Kingdom, recognizing Quisling's national assembly as a puppet government, while the Reichskommissariat held true power. Germany capitulated on 8 May 1945 and Quisling was arrested on 9 May. He was executed, but before that he said: "Trust me, in ten years I will become Olaf's new Saint."

Fortunately, he was wrong. His name is still used today to describe various European puppet regimes that collaborated with the Nazis, and is also used as an insult to any person whose interests foreign state care more than his own.

1. Mir Jafar

Mir Jafar was an ambitious leader and Nawab of Bengal. In 1757, Robert Clive of the East India Campaign made a deal with Mir Jafar. They negotiated the transfer of the Bengal army at the Battle of Plassey in exchange for control of the new puppet state. This new puppet state, led by Mir Jafar, paid huge sums to officials of the East India Campaign.

Two years later, Jafar realized that the British had taken total control of the Indian subcontinent. He tried to ally with the Danes to stop the British, but this did not end well for Mir, and he was overthrown. His "follower" also tried to deprive Britain of dominance, but failed and was also overthrown. Mir Jafar managed to get back the favor of the British, he again took the throne and stayed there until his death in 1765.

Mir Jafar was the last ruler of Bengal when it had any degree of autonomy, and after his death, the British controlled the entire region for two hundred years until it gained "Pakistani independence". Therefore, Mir Jafar and his betrayal of Bengal is seen as the beginning of the British government in India. He is known as a traitor to the true faith, and his name is still synonymous with betrayal in both Bengali and Urdu.

In history, it is often not the names of heroes that remain, but the names of traitors and defectors. These people cause great harm to one side, and benefit to the other. But still, they are despised by both. Naturally, one cannot do without confusing cases when a person's guilt is difficult to prove. However, history has preserved some of the most obvious and classic cases that are not in doubt. Today we will talk about the most famous traitors in history who turned away from their comrades and even countries.

And oud Iscariot

The name of this man has been a symbol of betrayal for about two thousand years. It does not play a role and nationalities of people. Everyone knows bible story when Judas Iscariot betrayed his teacher Christ for thirty pieces of silver, dooming him to torment. But then 1 slave cost twice as much! The kiss of Judas has become a classic image of duplicity, meanness and betrayal. This man was one of the twelve apostles who were present with Jesus at his last supper. There were thirteen people, and after that this number was considered unlucky.

There was even a phobia, fear of this number. The story says that Judas was born on April 1, also on a rather unusual day. But the history of the traitor is rather obscure and full of pitfalls. The fact is that Judas was the custodian of the fund of the community of Jesus and his disciples. There was much more money than 30 pieces of silver. Thus, in need of money, Judas could simply steal it without committing a betrayal of his teacher. Not so long ago, the world learned about the existence of the "Gospel of Judas", where Iscariot is depicted as the only and faithful disciple of Christ.

And the betrayal was committed precisely on the orders of Jesus, and Judas took responsibility for his action. According to legend, Iscariot committed suicide immediately after his act. The image of this traitor is repeatedly described in books, films, legends. Different versions of his betrayal and motivation are considered. Today, the name of this person is given to those who are suspected of treason. For example, Lenin called Trotsky Judas back in 1911. The same one found his "plus" in Iscariot - the fight against Christianity. Trotsky even wanted to erect monuments to Judas in several cities of the country.

Mark Junius Brutus

Born - June 85 BC, Rome, Italy
Died - October 23, 42 BC (43 years old), Philippi, Macedonia

Roman politician, praetor 44 BC. e.

Everyone knows the legendary phrase of Julius Caesar: "And you, Brutus?". This traitor is not as widely known as Judas, but is also legendary. Moreover, he committed his betrayal 77 years before the history of Iscariot. These two traitors are related by the fact that they both committed suicide. Mark Brutus was best friend Julius Caesar, according to some data, it could even be his illegitimate son. However, it was he who led the conspiracy against the popular politician, taking a direct part in his murder.

But Caesar showered his favorite with honors and titles, endowing him with power. But the entourage of Brutus forced him to participate in a conspiracy against the dictator. Mark was among several conspiring senators who pierced Caesar with swords. Seeing Brutus in their ranks, he bitterly exclaimed his famous phrase, which became his last. Wishing happiness for the people and power, Brutus made a mistake in his plans - Rome did not support him. After a succession civil wars and defeats, Mark realized that he was left without everything - without family, power, friend. The betrayal and murder took place in 44 BC, and after only two years Brutus threw himself on his sword.

In ang jingway

This traitor is not so well known among us, but he has bad reputation in China, the largest country in the world. It is often not clear how ordinary and normal people suddenly become traitors. Wang Jingwei was born in 1883, when he was 21, he entered a Japanese university. There he met Sun Yat Sen, a famous revolutionary from China. He influenced the young man so much that he became a real revolutionary fanatic. Together with Sen, Jingwei became a regular participant in anti-government revolutionary uprisings. Not surprisingly, he soon ended up in prison.

Wang served several years there, releasing us in 1911. All this time, Sen kept in touch with him, morally supporting and patronizing. As a result of the revolutionary struggle, Sen and his associates won and came to power in 1920. But in 1925, Sun Yat died, and it was Jingwei who replaced him as leader of China. But soon the Japanese invaded the country. It was here that Jingway committed the real betrayal. In fact, he did not fight for the independence of China, giving it to the invaders. National interests were trampled in favor of the Japanese. As a result, when the crisis broke out in China, and the country most of all needed an experienced manager, Jingwei simply left it. Wang clearly joined the conquerors. However, he did not have time to feel the bitterness of defeat, since he died before the fall of Japan. But the name of Wang Jingwei got into all Chinese textbooks as a synonym for betrayal of his country.

Hetman Mazepa

Born - March 20, 1639, Bila Tserkva, Kiev Voivodeship, Rzeczpospolita
Died - October 2, 1709 (aged 70), Bendery, Ottoman Empire

This man in the new Russian history considered the most important traitor, even the church anathematized him. But in the latest Ukrainian history the hetman, on the contrary, acts as a national hero. So what was his betrayal, or was it still a feat? The Hetman of the Zaporizhian Army for a long time acted as one of the most faithful allies of Peter I, helping him in the Azov campaigns. However, everything changed when the Swedish king Charles XII came out against the Russian Tsar. He, wanting to find an ally, promised Mazepa Ukrainian independence in case of victory in the Northern War. The hetman could not resist such a tasty piece of the pie. In 1708, he went over to the side of the Swedes, but just a year later their combined army was defeated near Poltava. For his betrayal (Mazepa swore allegiance to Peter), the Russian Empire deprived him of all awards and titles and subjected him to civil execution. Mazepa fled to Bendery, which then belonged to Ottoman Empire and soon died there in 1709. According to legend, his death was terrible - he was eaten by lice.

Oh ldrich ames

This high-ranking CIA officer had a brilliant career. Everyone predicted him a long and successful job, and then a well-paid pension. But his life turned upside down, thanks to love. Ames married a Russian beauty, it turned out that she was a KGB agent. The woman immediately began to demand from her husband to provide her beautiful life to fully match american dream. Although the officers in the CIA make good money, this is not enough for the constantly required new decorations and cars. As a result, the unfortunate Ames began to drink too much. Under the influence of alcohol, he had no choice but to start selling secrets from his work. They quickly showed up a buyer - the USSR.

As a result, during his betrayal, Ames gave the enemy of his country information about all the secret agents working in the Soviet Union. The USSR also learned about a hundred covert military operations conducted by the Americans. For this, the officer received about 4.6 million US dollars. However, all the secret someday becomes clear. Ames was exposed and sentenced to life in prison. The special services experienced a real shock and scandal, the traitor became their biggest failure in their entire existence. The CIA has long moved away from the harm that one only person. But he just needed funds for an insatiable wife. That one, by the way, when everything turned out, was simply deported to South America.

In idkun quisling

Norwegian political and statesman, collaborator, national socialist, actively collaborated with Germany during the Second World War.

The family of this man was one of the most ancient in Norway, his father served as a Lutheran priest. Vidkun himself studied very well and chose a military career. Having risen to the rank of major, Quisling was able to enter the government of his country, holding the post of Minister of Defense there from 1931 to 1933. In 1933 Vidkun founded his own political party"National Accord", where he received a membership card for the first number. He began to call himself Föhrer, which was very reminiscent of the Fuhrer. In 1936, the party collected quite a lot of votes in the elections, becoming very influential in the country.

When the Nazis came to Norway in 1940, Quisling suggested that the locals submit to them and not resist. Although the politician himself was from an ancient respected family, he was immediately dubbed a traitor in the country. The Norwegians themselves began to wage a fierce struggle against the invaders. Then Quisling came up with a plan in response to the removal of Jews from Norway, sending them directly to the deadly Auschwitz. However, history has rewarded the politician who betrayed his people as he deserved. On May 9, 1945, Quisling was arrested. While in prison, he still managed to declare that he was a martyr and sought to create a great country. But justice decided otherwise, and on October 24, 1945, Quisling was shot for high treason.

Prince Andrei Mikhailovich Kurbsky

Born - 1528, Muscovy
Died - May 1583 (aged 55), Milyanovichi

Russian commander, politician, writer, translator and philanthropist, the closest associate of Ivan the Terrible. He came from the Smolensk-Yaroslavl branch of the Rurik House, that part of it that owned the village of Kurba in the Yaroslavl region.

This boyar was one of the most faithful associates of Ivan the Terrible. It was Kurbsky who commanded the Russian army in the Livonian War. But with the beginning of the oprichnina of the eccentric tsar, many hitherto loyal boyars fell under disgrace. Among them was Kurbsky. Fearing for his fate, he abandoned his family and in 1563 defected to the service of the Polish king Sigismund. And already in September of the following year, he marched with the conquerors against Moscow. Kurbsky knew perfectly well how the Russian defense and army were organized. Thanks to the traitor, the Poles were able to win many important battles. They set up ambushes, drove people into captivity, bypassing the outposts. Kurbsky began to be considered the first Russian dissident. The Poles consider the boyar a great man, but in Russia he is a traitor. However, we should not talk about betraying the country, but about personally betraying Tsar Ivan the Terrible.

Pavlik Morozov

Born - November 14, 1918, the village of Gerasimovka, Turin district, Tobolsk province, Soviet Russia
Died - September 3, 1932 (13 years old), Gerasimovka village, Tavdinsky urban district, Ural region, RSFSR, USSR

Soviet schoolboy, student of the Gerasimov school of the Tavdinsky district of the Ural region, in Soviet time who gained fame as a pioneer hero who opposed the kulaks in the person of his father and paid for it with his life.

This boy has been in Soviet history and culture had a heroic image. At the same time, he passed under the first number, among children-heroes. Pavlik Morozov even got into the book of honor of the All-Union Pioneer Organization. But this story is not entirely unambiguous. The boy's father, Trofim, was a partisan and fought on the side of the Bolsheviks. However, after returning from the war, the serviceman abandoned his family with four small children and began to live with another woman. Trofim was elected chairman of the village council, while he led a stormy everyday life - he drank and rowdy.

It is quite possible that in the history of heroism and betrayal there are more domestic than political reasons. According to legend, Trofim's wife accused him of hiding bread, however, they say that the abandoned and humiliated woman demanded to stop issuing fictitious certificates to fellow villagers. During the investigation, 13-year-old Pavel simply confirmed everything that his mother had said. As a result, the unbelted Trofim ended up in prison, and in retaliation, the young pioneer was killed in 1932 by his drunken uncle and godfather. But Soviet propaganda created a colorful propaganda story out of everyday drama. Yes, and somehow the hero who betrayed his father did not inspire.

Genrikh Lyushkov

Born – 1900, Odessa, Russian Empire
Died - August 19, 1945 (aged 45), Dalian, Empire of Japan

Prominent figure in the Soviet special services, commissar of state security of the 3rd rank, which corresponds to the rank of lieutenant general. In 1938, fearing imminent arrest, he fled to Manchuria and actively collaborated with Japanese intelligence.

In 1937, the NKVD was fierce, including in the Far East. It was Genrikh Lyushkov who headed this punitive body at that time. However, a year later, a purge began already in the “organs” themselves, many executioners themselves ended up in the place of their victims. Lyushkov was suddenly summoned to Moscow, allegedly to be appointed head of all the camps in the country. But Heinrich suspected that Stalin wanted to remove him. Frightened by reprisals, Lyushkov fled to Japan. In an interview with the local newspaper Yomiuri, the former executioner said that he really recognizes himself as a traitor. But only in relation to Stalin. But Lyushkov's subsequent behavior suggests just the opposite.

The general told the Japanese about the entire structure of the NKVD and the residents of the USSR, about exactly where the Soviet troops were located, where and how defensive structures and fortresses were being built. Lyushkov gave the enemies military radio codes, actively urging the Japanese to oppose the USSR. Arrested on the territory of Japan, Soviet intelligence officers, the traitor tortured himself, resorting to cruel atrocities. The pinnacle of Lyushkov's activity was his development of a plan to assassinate Stalin. The general personally took up the implementation of his project. Today, historians believe that this was the only serious attempt to eliminate the Soviet leader. However, she was not successful. After the defeat of Japan in 1945, Lyushkov was killed by the Japanese themselves, who did not want their secrets to fall into the hands of the USSR.

Andrey Vlasov

Born - September 14, 1901, Nizhny Novgorod
Died - August 2, 1946 (aged 44), Moscow, RSFSR, USSR

Soviet military leader, participant in the Battle of Moscow. He commanded the 2nd shock army, during the Luban offensive operation in 1942 he was taken prisoner by the Germans.

This Soviet lieutenant general was known as the most important Soviet traitor during the Great Patriotic War. Back in the winter of 41-42, Vlasov commanded the 20th Army, making a significant contribution to the defeat of the Nazis near Moscow. Among the people, it was this general who was called the main savior of the capital. In the summer of 1942, Vlasov took over as deputy commander of the Volkhov Front. However, soon his troops were captured, and the general himself was captured by the Germans. Vlasov was sent to the Vinnitsa military camp for captured senior military officials. There, the general agreed to serve the Nazis and headed the "Committee for the Liberation of the Peoples of Russia" created by them.

On the basis of KONR, even an entire "Russian Liberation Army" (ROA) was created. It included captured Soviet soldiers. The general showed cowardice, according to rumors, since then he began to drink a lot. On May 12, Vlasov was captured by Soviet troops in an attempt to escape. His trial was closed, as he could inspire people dissatisfied with the authorities with his own words. In August 1946, General Vlasov was stripped of his titles and awards, his property was confiscated, and he himself was hanged. At the trial, the accused admitted that he pleaded guilty, as he was cowardly in captivity. Already in our time, an attempt was made to justify Vlasov. But only a small part of the charges were dropped from him, the main ones remained in force.

Friedrich Paulus

Born - September 23, 1890, Guxhagen, Hesse-Nassau, Prussia, German Empire
Died - February 1, 1957 (age 66), Dresden, GDR

German commander and commander of the 6th Army, surrounded and capitulated at Stalingrad. One of the authors of the Barbarossa plan.

There was a traitor on the part of the Nazis in that war. In the winter of 1943, the 6th German Army under the command of Field Marshal Paulus capitulated near Stalingrad. His subsequent history can be considered a mirror in relation to Vlasov. The captivity of the German officer was quite comfortable, because he joined the anti-fascist national committee "Free Germany". He ate meat, drank beer, received food and parcels. Paulus signed the appeal "To the prisoners of war of German soldiers and officers and to the entire German people." There, the field marshal announced that he was calling on all of Germany to eliminate Adolf Hitler.

He believes that the country should have a new state leadership. It must stop the war and ensure the restoration of friendship with the current adversaries for the people. Paulus even made a revealing speech at the Nuremberg trials, which surprised his former associates a lot. In 1953, the Soviet authorities, grateful for their cooperation, released the traitor, especially since he was beginning to fall into depression. Paulus went to live in the GDR, where he died in 1957. Not all Germans accepted with understanding the act of the field marshal, even his son did not accept his father's choice, eventually shooting himself due to mental anguish.

To Ictor Suvorov

A writer of wide acclaim in the field of historical revisionism.

This defector also made a name for himself as a writer. Once intelligence officer Vladimir Rezun was a GRU resident in Geneva. But in 1978 he fled to England, where he began to write very scandalous books. In them, the officer, who took the pseudonym Suvorov, quite convincingly argued that it was the USSR that was preparing to strike at Germany in the summer of 1941. The Germans simply preempted their enemy by a few weeks by delivering a preemptive strike. Rezun himself says that he was forced to cooperate with British intelligence.

They allegedly wanted to make him last for the failure in the work of the Geneva department. Suvorov himself claims that in his homeland he was sentenced to death in absentia for his treason. However, the Russian side prefers not to comment on this fact. The former scout lives in Bristol and continues to write books on historical themes. Each of them causes a storm of discussion and personal condemnation of Suvorov.

To Ictor Belenko

Soviet pilot-defector, who became famous as a political refugee.

Few lieutenants manage to go down in history. But this military pilot was able to do it. True, at the cost of his betrayal. We can say that he acted as a kind of bad boy who just wants to steal something and sell it to his enemies at a higher price. On September 6, 1976, Belenko flew a top-secret MiG-25 interceptor. Suddenly, the senior lieutenant abruptly changed course and landed in Japan. There, the aircraft was dismantled in detail and subjected to a thorough study. Naturally, not without American specialists. The plane was, after careful study, returned to the USSR.

And for his feat “for the glory of democracy,” Belenko himself received political asylum in the United States. However, there is another version, according to which the traitor was not such. He just had to land in Japan. Eyewitnesses say that the lieutenant shot into the air with a pistol, not letting anyone near the car and demanding to cover it. However, the conducted investigation took into account both the behavior of the pilot in everyday life and the manner of his flight. The conclusion was unequivocal - landing on the territory of an enemy state was deliberate. Belenko himself turned out to be crazy about life in America, even canned cat food seemed to him tastier than those that were sold in his homeland. From official statements it is difficult to assess the consequences of that escape, the moral and political damage can be ignored, but the material damage was estimated at 2 billion rubles. Indeed, in the USSR, it was necessary to hastily change all the equipment of the “friend or foe” recognition system.

About tto Kuusinen

Born – October 4, 1881, Laukaa, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire
Died - May 17, 1964 (aged 82), Moscow, USSR

Finnish, Russian and Soviet politician, writer, theorist of Marxism, academician of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the so-called. "FDR government" during the Soviet-Finnish war.

And again, a situation where a traitor for some is a hero for others. Otto was born in 1881 and in 1904 joined the Finnish Social Democratic Party. Soon and leading it. When it became clear that the communists in the new independent Finland did not shine, Kuusinen fled to the USSR. There he worked for a long time in the Comintern. When the USSR attacked Finland in 1939, it was Kuusinen who became the head of the puppet new government of the country. Only now his power extended to the few lands occupied by Soviet troops. It soon became clear that it would not be possible to capture all of Finland and the need for the Kuusinen regime was no longer needed. In the future, he continued to hold prominent government posts in the USSR, having died in 1964. His ashes are buried near the Kremlin wall.

To them Philby

Born - January 1, 1912, Ambala, Punjab, British India
Died - May 11, 1988 (aged 76), Russia

This scout lived a long and eventful life. He was born in 1912 in India, in the family of a British official. In 1929, Kim entered Cambridge, where he joined a socialist society. In 1934, Philby was recruited by Soviet intelligence, which, given his views, was not difficult to implement. In 1940, Kim joined the British secret service SIS, soon becoming the head of one of its departments. In the 50s, it was Philby who coordinated the actions of England and the United States in the fight against the communists. Naturally, the USSR received all the information about the work of its agent. Since 1956, Philby has been serving in MI6, until in 1963 he was illegally transferred to the USSR. Here, the traitor intelligence officer lived for the next 25 years on a personal pension, sometimes giving advice.

M ordechai Vanunu

An Israeli nuclear technician who gained notoriety after the disclosure of Israel's nuclear program to the British press.

Mordechai Vanunu worked as a nuclear technician in Israel in the 1980s, when it was claimed that nuclear energy was produced exclusively for civilian use. In 1986, citing his opposition to the WMD program, Vanunu sold details of Israel's nuclear program to the British press, confirming fears that Israel had nuclear weapons.

After that, the Mossad (Israeli political intelligence) lured him to Italy, where he was drugged and captured. He was then returned to Israel and convicted behind closed doors. He spent more than eleven years in solitary confinement, and in total he spent 18 years in prison. After his release, many restrictions were imposed on him, moreover, he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in the nomination, “developed” by him: “the only thing I want is freedom.”

Still a traitor, Vanunu is the most "harmless" on this list. Having told the world about a government that secretly develops weapons of mass destruction, he is internationally considered a hero of the nuclear age, who received many awards, including a Nobel Prize nomination.

Guy Fox

English Catholic nobleman, born in York, the most famous participant in the Gunpowder Plot against the English and Scottish King James I in 1605. In 2002, in a BBC poll of the "100 Greatest Britons", Fox was ranked thirtieth.

As a young Englishman, Guy Fawkes was a Catholic, he sincerely believed in Catholicism. He left England and settled in the Netherlands, where he supported the Spanish Catholics fighting against the Protestants in the Eighty Years' War. Later on his return, he met with Thomas Wintour and Robert Catesby, who planned to assassinate the Protestant King James I and his government by blowing up the Houses of Parliament.

This later became known as the Gunpowder Plot. Moved by an anonymous letter, the authorities began to look for a place under the House of Lords and found Fox, who was guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. He was sentenced to death by hanging and cantonment, but committed suicide to avoid suffering.

There is a nursery rhyme in England, which in translation sounds like this: “Remember, remember November 5, gunpowder, treason and conspiracy. I see no reason why treason can be forgiven.”

Every fifth of November is celebrated with bonfires and fireworks, this night is known as Guy Fawkes Night, although the emphasis has now shifted slightly away from high treason. The name of the holiday shows the extent to which Guy Fawkes' name has become synonymous with the Gunpowder Plot, perhaps the biggest act of treason in English history.

About lay down Gordievsky

Former colonel of the first main department of the KGB of the USSR

Oleg Gordievsky, son of an NKVD officer and graduate of the Moscow Institute international relations cooperated with the KGB since 1963. According to him, he became disillusioned with Soviet politics, so he enlisted as agents of the British MI6 in 1974. There is a version that Gordievsky was betrayed by a Soviet source from the CIA. On May 22, 1985, he was suddenly summoned to Moscow and subjected to interrogation using psychotropic properties. However, the Committee did not arrest him, but took him "under the hood".

The Cap turned out to be not the most reliable - the defector managed to escape in the trunk of an embassy car on July 20, 1985. That same autumn, a diplomatic scandal erupted when the government of Margaret Thatcher expelled more than 30 undercover Soviet embassy workers from Britain. Gordievsky claimed that they were agents of the KGB and the GRU. He also accused a number of high-ranking British intelligence officers of working for the USSR. Former KGB chairman Semichastny said that "Gordievsky did more damage to the Soviet secret services than even General Kalugin," and British historian of the secret services, Cambridge professor Christopher Andrew wrote that Gordievsky was "the most important agent of British intelligence in the ranks of the Soviet special services after Oleg Penkovsky."

There were not so many traitors in the history of Russia, but they were. These people violated the oath, committed high treason, handed over state secrets to a potential enemy, fought against their compatriots.

Andrey Vlasov

Andrei Vlasov can be called a traitor general in Russian history. His name has become a household name. Even the Nazis hated Vlasov: Himmler called him “a runaway pig and a fool,” and Hitler disdained to meet him. In 1942, Lieutenant General Andrei Andreevich Vlasov was commander of the 2nd shock army and deputy commander of the Volkhov Front.

Having been captured by the Germans, Vlasov deliberately cooperated with the Nazis, gave them secret information and advised the German military on how to fight against the Red Army.

Vlasov collaborated with Himmler, Goering, Goebbels, Ribbentrop, with various high-ranking Abwehr and Gestapo officials. He organized the Russian Liberation Army (ROA) from Russian prisoners of war recruited into the service of the Germans. The troops of the ROA participated in the fight against partisans, robberies and executions of civilians, and the destruction of entire settlements.

After the surrender of Germany, Vlasov was captured by Soviet soldiers, taken to the headquarters of Marshal Konev and sent by plane to Moscow. In 1946 he was convicted of treason and hanged on 1 August.

Andrey Kurbsky

Another Andrei in our ranking is Prince Kurbsky. It is customary today to call him "the first dissident." Kurbsky was one of the most influential politicians of his time, was a member of the Chosen Rada, and was friends with Ivan the Terrible himself. When Ivan IV dissolved the Rada and subjected its active members to disgrace and executions, Kurbsky fled to Lithuania.

Today it has already been proven that Kurbsky corresponded with the Lithuanians even before his official betrayal.

Kurbsky's crossing the border is reminiscent in its drama of crossing the border by Ostap Bender at the end of the novel The Golden Calf. The prince arrived at the border as a wealthy man. With him there were 30 ducats, 300 gold, 500 silver thalers and 44 Moscow rubles. This money was not received from the sale of land, since the boyar's estates were confiscated by the treasury and not from the voivodship treasury; if so, this fact would certainly have “surfaced” in correspondence with Ivan IV. Where did the money come from then? It is obvious that it was royal gold, "30 pieces of silver" Kurbsky.

The Polish king granted Kurbsky several estates and included him in the Royal Rada. For the Polish-Lithuanian state, Kurbsky was an extremely valuable agent. When he arrived in Livonia, he immediately betrayed the Livonian supporters of Moscow to the Lithuanians and declassified Moscow agents at the royal court.

From the Lithuanian period of Kurbsky's life, it is known that the boyar was not distinguished by gentleness of morals and humanism, neither in relation to his neighbors, nor in relation to those far away. He often beat his neighbors, took away their land, and even put merchants in vats with leeches and extorted money from them.

Abroad, Kurbsky wrote the political pamphlet The History of the Grand Duke of Moscow, corresponded with Ivan the Terrible, and in 1565 participated in the Lithuanian invasion of Russia. Kurbsky in Russia ruined four provinces and took away many prisoners. After that, he even asked Sigismund to give him a 30,000-strong army and allow him to go with her to Moscow. As proof of his devotion, Kurbsky declared that “I agree that during the campaign he was chained to a cart, surrounded in front and behind by archers with loaded guns, so that they would immediately shoot him if they notice infidelity in him.” Kurbsky spoke the language better than his own honor.

Heinrich Lyushkov

Heinrich Lyushkov was the most senior defector from the NKVD. He headed the NKVD Far East. In 1937, during the beginning of the pre-war Stalinist “purges”, Genrikh Lyushkov, feeling that they would soon come for him, decided to flee to Japan.

In an interview with the local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, Genrikh Lyushkov talked about the terrible methods of work of the NKVD and admitted that he was a traitor to Stalin. In Japan, he worked in Tokyo and Dairen (Dalian) in the intelligence agencies of the Japanese General Staff (in the "Bureau for the Study East Asia", Advisor to the 2nd Department of the Kwantung Army Headquarters).

The former NKVD officer handed over to the Japanese extremely important information about the armed forces of the USSR, the composition and deployment of the Red Army in the Far East, spoke about the construction of defensive structures, handed over Soviet radio codes to the Japanese and even urged them to start a war with the Soviet Union. Lyushkov "distinguished himself" also by the fact that he personally tortured the Soviet intelligence officers arrested in Japan, and also by the fact that he planned an incredible act of impudence - the murder of Stalin. The operation was called "Bear".

Lyushkov proposed to liquidate Stalin in one of his residences.

For the success of the operation, the Japanese even rebuilt a life-size pavilion copying Stalin's house in Matsesta. Stalin took a bath alone - this was the calculation.

But Soviet intelligence did not doze off. Serious help in discovering the conspirators was provided by a Soviet agent codenamed Leo, who worked in Manchukuo. In early 1939, while crossing the Turkish-Soviet border near the village of Borchka, machine-gun fire was opened on a terrorist group, as a result of which three were killed, the rest fled. According to one version, Leo was among those killed.

Lyushkov ended badly. According to one version, after the surrender of the Kwantung Army, on August 19, 1945, Genrikh Lyushkov was invited to the head of the Dairen military mission, Yutake Takeoka, who suggested that he commit suicide. Lyushkov refused and was shot dead by Takeoka. According to another version, he was strangled by Japanese officers while trying to exchange him for the son of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Prince Konoe.

Viktor Belenko

Viktor Belenko, senior lieutenant, pilot of the MIG-25 (at that time it was a superplane, which was hunted by intelligence all over the world). On September 6, 1976, he flew to Japan and asked for political asylum in the United States. After landing, Belenko got off the plane, took out a pistol, fired into the air and demanded that the plane be hidden.

Vladimir Sopryakov, who then served as deputy resident of the KGB in Japan, recalled: “I believe that the plane could have been destroyed. The Japanese were afraid to approach him, so somewhere within 2-3 hours, even a day - there was time for this. But no one dared to do this - the use of weapons on foreign territory is too scandalous.

Later, the investigation found that Belenko met with US representatives in Vladivostok and initially planned to land at an American base, but decided not to risk it and went to land in Japan. In order not to be detected by air defense systems, he walked at an ultra-low altitude.

In Japan, the aircraft was dismantled and carefully studied together with American specialists, and then returned to the Soviet Union. Belenko eventually received political asylum in the United States.

From life in the states, he was delighted. When he first went to the supermarket, he said that he did not believe it, believing that he was being played.

The material damage from Belenko's act was estimated at 2 billion rubles. In the Soviet Union, it was necessary to hastily change the entire equipment of the “friend or foe” recognition system. A button has appeared in the fighter's missile launch system that removes the lock on firing at friendly aircraft. She received the nickname "Belenkovskaya".

In the USSR, the pilot was convicted in absentia under article 64 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR for treason and sentenced to capital punishment (execution).

Oleg Gordievsky

Oleg Gordievsky, the son of an NKVD officer and a graduate of the Moscow Institute of International Relations, has been collaborating with the KGB since 1963.

According to him, he became disillusioned with Soviet politics, so he enlisted as agents of the British MI6 in 1974. There is a version that Gordievsky was betrayed by a Soviet source from the CIA. On May 22, 1985, he was suddenly summoned to Moscow and subjected to interrogation using psychotropic properties. However, the Committee did not arrest him, but took him "under the hood".

The Cap turned out to be not the most reliable - the defector managed to escape in the trunk of an embassy car on July 20, 1985.

That same autumn, a diplomatic scandal erupted when the government of Margaret Thatcher expelled more than 30 undercover Soviet embassy workers from Britain. Gordievsky claimed that they were agents of the KGB and the GRU.

He accused a number of high-ranking British intelligence officers of working for the USSR. Former KGB chairman Semichastny said that "Gordievsky did more damage to the Soviet secret services than even General Kalugin," and British historian of the secret services, Cambridge professor Christopher Andrew wrote that Gordievsky was "the most important agent of British intelligence in the ranks of the Soviet special services after Oleg Penkovsky."

In June 2007, for his service to the security of the United Kingdom, he was consecrated to the Order of St. Michael and St. George by Queen Elizabeth II of Great Britain. The order was presented by the Queen herself.

Sergey Solobozov

The poisoning of a former intelligence officer who went over to the side of the British made us remember the most famous traitors of the Soviet era.

Oleg Penkovsky

Penkovsky passed Soviet-Finnish war. During the Great Patriotic War, his career went uphill - he was a political instructor and instructor on the Komsomol line, and became commander of an artillery battalion. In the 1960s, he rose to the rank of senior GRU officer.

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In 1960, colonel chief intelligence agency worked undercover as Deputy Head of the Foreign Relations Department under the Council of Ministers. In this position, he committed treachery in exchange for a financial reward.

He met with MI6 agent Greville Wynne and offered his services.

Penkovsky returned from his first trip to London on May 6, 1961. He brought with him a miniature Minox camera and a transistor radio. To the West, he managed to transfer 111 Minox films, on which 5500 documents were shot with a total of 7650 pages,

stated in archival documents.

The damage from his actions is amazing. The documents that Penkovsky transmitted to the West made it possible to expose 600 Soviet intelligence agents, of which 50 were GRU officers.

Penkovsky got burned because of his signalman, who was being followed.

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In 1962, Penkovsky was sentenced to death. However, there is a version that he was not shot, but burned alive. It is believed that it was his painful death that another Soviet intelligence officer, Viktor Suvorov, describes in his book "Aquarium".

Victor Suvorov

Suvorov is the pseudonym of the former Soviet spy Victor Rezun. Officially, he worked in Switzerland for Soviet intelligence, and at the same time clandestinely collaborated with the British MI6.

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The scout fled to England in 1978. Rezun claimed that he did not plan to cooperate with British intelligence, but he had no choice: allegedly serious mistakes were made in the work of the intelligence department in Geneva and they wanted to make a scapegoat out of him.

But he was dubbed a traitor not because of his escape, but because of the books in which he described in detail the kitchen of Soviet intelligence and presented his vision historical events.

According to one of them, the cause of the Great Patriotic War was the policy of Stalin. It was he, according to the writer, who wanted to seize the whole of Europe, so that its entire territory would be included in the socialist camp. For such views, Rezun, according to his own statement, was sentenced to death in absentia in the USSR.

Now the ex-scout lives in Bristol and writes books on historical topics.

Andrey Vlasov

Andrei Vlasov is perhaps the most famous traitor of World War II. No wonder his name has become a household name.

In 1941, Vlasov's 20th Army recaptured Volokolamsk and Solnechnogorsk from the Germans, and a year later, Lieutenant General Vlasov, commander of the 2nd Shock Army, was captured by the Germans. He began to advise the German military on how to fight against the Red Army.

However, even with helpful cooperation, he did not arouse sympathy among the Nazis.

According to some reports, Himmler called him "a runaway pig and a fool," and Hitler disdained to meet him personally.

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Vlasov organized the Russian liberation army from among the Russian prisoners of war. These troops participated in the fight against partisans, robberies and executions of civilians.

In 1945, after the surrender of Germany, Vlasov was captured by Soviet soldiers and taken to Moscow. He was accused of treason and hanged.

However, there are those who do not consider Vlasov a traitor. For example, the former editor-in-chief of the Military Historical Journal, retired Major General Viktor Filatov, claims that Vlasov was Stalin's intelligence agent.

Viktor Belenko

Pilot Viktor Belenko escaped from the USSR in 1976. He landed in Japan on a MiG-25 fighter and requested political asylum in the United States.

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Needless to say, the Japanese, together with American specialists, immediately disassembled the aircraft into parts and obtained the secrets of the Soviet friend-foe recognition technology and other military know-how of that time. The MiG-25 supersonic high-altitude fighter-interceptor was the most advanced aircraft Soviet Union. It is still in service with some countries.

The damage from Belenko's actions was estimated at two billion rubles, since the country had to hastily change all the equipment of the "friend or foe" recognition system. A button has appeared in the fighter's missile launch system that removes the lock on firing at friendly aircraft. She received the nickname "Belenkovskaya".

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Shortly after his arrival, he received political asylum in the United States. The permission to grant citizenship was personally signed by President Jimmy Carter.

Later, Belenko assured that he had made an emergency landing in Japan, demanded to hide the plane and even fired into the air, driving away the Japanese, who were greedy for Soviet developments.

In America, Belenko worked as a military aerospace consultant, lectured and appeared on television as an expert.

According to the investigation, Belenko had conflicts with his superiors and in the family. After the escape, he did not try to get in touch with relatives, in particular his wife and son, who remained in the USSR.

According to his subsequent confessions, he escaped for political reasons.

In the US, he found a new family by marrying a local waitress.

Oleg Gordievsky

Gordievsky was the son of an NKVD officer and had collaborated with the KGB since 1963. As he himself said, he became recruited as an agent of the British intelligence service MI6 because of his disappointment in Soviet politics.

According to one version, the KGB learned about Gordievsky's treacherous activities from a Soviet source from the CIA. He was interrogated with the use of psychotropic substances, but was not arrested, but taken on a pencil.

However, the British Embassy helped the KGB colonel escape the country. He left the USSR in the trunk of a British Embassy car on July 20, 1985.

A diplomatic scandal soon erupted. The government of Margaret Thatcher expelled more than 30 undercover Soviet embassy workers from the UK. According to Gordievsky, they were agents of the KGB and the GRU.

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British intelligence historian Christopher Andrew believed that Gordievsky was "the most important British intelligence agent in the ranks of the Soviet secret services after Oleg Penkovsky."

In the USSR, Gordievsky was sentenced to death under the article "Treason to the Motherland." He tried to write to his family - his wife and two daughters. But they were able to go to him only in 1991. However, the reunion was followed by a divorce initiated by his wife.

In his new homeland, Gordievsky published a number of books about the work of the KGB. He was a close friend of Alexander Litvinenko, took an active part in the investigation of his death.

In 2007, for services to Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth II personally presented him with the Order of St. Michael and St. George.

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