The following is a list of defectors from the Commonwealth of Independent States. The Commonwealth is an intergovernmental organization formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union as its legal successor. This list of defectors is not to be confused with Soviet defectors.
| Defector | Profession/ Prominence |
Birthplace | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kanatjan Alibekov | Bioweapons chief | Kazakhstan | 1992 | Former director of Biopreparat; defected to the United States |
| Stanislav Lunev | GRU agent | Russia | 1992 | Defected to the U.S.; revealed the existence of KGB weapons caches in the West |
| Vasili Mitrokhin | KGB agent | Russia | 1992 | KGB archivist who was shocked by records of Soviet political repression; defected in Riga, Latvia to the British embassy |
| Sergei Tretyakov | SVR agent | Russia | 2000 | Defected in New York City to the CIA; Deputy Resident Station Chief in New York City; revealed many political and intelligence secrets from Russia; sudden death occurred in Sarasota County, Florida, on June 13, 2010; foul play has been alleged |
| Alexander Litvinenko | FSB agent | Russia | 2000 | Exposed crimes ordered by Russian president Vladimir Putin; defected in London, United Kingdom; assassinated |
| Denis Sharonov | Former agriculture minister of the Komi Republic | Russia | 2022 | Defected to the U.S. via Kyrgyzstan, the United Arab Emirates, and Mexico to avoid conscription in the Russian Army following the invasion of Ukraine, which he blamed on his falling out with officials of the regional government |
| Maksim Kuzminov | Pilot | Russia | 2023 | Attack pilot of the 319th Separate Helicopter Regiment of the Eastern Military District; defected to Ukraine in a Mi-8AMTSh helicopter during the Russian invasion |
See also
References
- Sauer, Pjotr (9 June 2023). "'One big adventure': the Russian minister who fled the draft to drive trucks in the US". The Guardian.
- Kostenko, Josh Pennington,Maria (2023-09-04). "'Let's give it a try,' recalls Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine in his military helicopter". CNN. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - Nikolaienko, Matthew Luxmoore and Nikita. "Russian Pilot Describes Defection to Ukraine, Urges Others to Follow". WSJ. Retrieved 2023-11-16.