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Legendary Soviet spy Gohar Vartanian dies aged 93

The work of Gohar Vartanian and her husband during the 1943 Tehran Conference inspired the 1981 Soviet-French-Swiss political thriller Teheran 43

Gohar Vartanian Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

Gohar Vartanian

© Stanislav Krasilnikov/TASS

MOSCOW, November 25. /TASS/. Legendary Soviet spy Gohar Vartanian, who took part in a secret operation to ensure the security of the 1943 Tehran Conference, died in Moscow on Monday at the age of 93, chief spokesman of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Sergei Ivanov told TASS.

"She passed away today," he said.

Gohar Leonovna Vartanian was born on January 25, 1926 in Leninakan (now Gyumri), Armenia. In early 1930s, her family moved to Iran. At the age of 16, she joined the anti-fascist group of her future husband, Gevork Andreevich Vartanian. In 1943, as part of this group, she took part in an operation to ensure the security of the 1943 Tehran Conference, a wartime strategy meeting of Joseph Stalin, Franklin Roosevelt, and Winston Churchill.

In 1951, the Vartanians were evacuated to the Soviet Union and successfully graduated from the Yerevan Institute of Foreign Languages in 1956. The couple kept working abroad as deep-cover agents for more than 30 years, until 1986.

"Gohar Leonovna retired in December 1986," Ivanov said. "During her retirement, she continued active work to train young specialists, passing on her rich experience."

The work of Gohar Vartanian and her husband (under aliases Henri and Anita) during the Tehran Conference inspired the 1981 Soviet-French-Swiss political thriller Teheran 43. The film is based on events surrounding Operation Long Jump, during which Nazi Germany attempted to assassinate the Big Three leaders during the Tehran Conference.

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