Alexey Botyan - biography, photographs. Legendary intelligence officer Alexey Botyan What then is the secret of longevity

The legendary intelligence officer Alexey Botyan showed the MK reporter what a real saboteur and illegal immigrant at the age of 95 is capable of.

There are no former intelligence officers

He agrees to everything without hesitation. Where will we meet? Where can you tell me? At what time? And whenever you want. Tea or coffee? What will you pour? Colleagues from the Foreign Intelligence Service say that he is always like this - he will not argue about any trifles (we could learn this from him!). But when it comes to his political views, to his assessment of historical events, you will not find a more principled person here.

I look at him - simple, open, smiling. Add yours to the board. The great art of a scout is to be able to simultaneously be yourself and at the same time someone more, which no one is aware of.

I notice a chessboard on the table.

Maybe a game? - I ask unexpectedly even for myself.

Let's play! - and immediately rushes to arrange the pieces.

I can’t even believe that I’ll be playing with Alexei Botyan himself. With the scout-saboteur who saved Krakow. With an illegal intelligence officer who has lived several lives in a foreign land under different names and under the cover of different legends. With the prototype of Major Whirlwind (the main character of the novel by Yulian Semenov and the television film of the same name).

Botyan plays with amazing speed. It’s as if he doesn’t have a brain, but a computer. And he doesn’t like it when his partner thinks for a long time. Because he himself is too temperamental, and considers slowness of mind to be something like a vice or, at worst, a disease. This approach of his could be understood if he himself were a young man. And here... 95 years! Just think about it! The same age as the February Revolution of 1917, by the way...

- Alexey Nikolaevich, do you often play chess?

Trying. It's like exercise for the mind. So that your head always remains bright.

- How do you generally train your memory and attentiveness?

Nothing special. But I read the press, listen to the radio to know all the news and be aware of the political situation. This is my responsibility as a scout.

- Even when you’re retired?

There are no former intelligence officers. I always have to know what's going on around me.

- Looking back, what mission do you consider to be the most important?

All the tasks I had to do were important. But I would probably put the salvation of Krakow first. Although, maybe this is because it is allowed to talk about him, but not yet about others. (Smiles.)

Help "MK"

The ancient castle housed a large supply of explosives intended to blow up Krakow as part of Hitler's project to destroy Slavic cities. Botyan's detachment entered the castle and destroyed it along with a supply of explosives.

- You never told how you managed to convince the German guarding the castle to let you in there.

Even when I was in intelligence school, in war conditions we were hastily taught three main things - to blow things up, overcome obstacles and negotiate. So I was able to convince a former Tsar's officer to help me infiltrate the castle and set a timer there.

-Can you convince anyone of anything?

No. Only in the right case.

- It seems like you dreamed of becoming a scout from the cradle...

As a child, I wanted to become a pilot. Definitely not a scout. I had no idea they even existed.

- And you never regretted that you never became a pilot?

No. I had a very interesting life, and I would not exchange it for any other. Although everything happened. Not only was I awarded...

- The latter is not written about in encyclopedias...

There was a period when I remained unemployed. This was due to the reform of the intelligence services. You've probably heard such names as Sudoplatov (during the war years, the head of the 4th, sabotage, department of the NKVD, and after Stalin's death - deputy head of the intelligence department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. - Auth.) and Eitingon (commanded the NKVD task force, which included Abel and which was engaged in the capture and conversion of saboteurs; in 1945, he was appointed deputy head of department “C” of the NKVD, who was entrusted with obtaining intelligence on the creation of nuclear weapons. - Auth.). In 1953 they were accused of conspiracy, expelled from the party, and illegally repressed. Their subordinates were recalled from abroad and, so to speak, tested for reliability. Most were dismissed from the authorities without explanation. I was one of them. A common thing these days. (Laughs.)

- Have you been looking for a job for a long time?

I was immediately hired at the Prague restaurant as a senior administrator. By that time, I knew Czech perfectly. My responsibilities included organizing banquets and gala parties. In those years, titles, positions, and awards were washed away in Prague. Scientists, government members, and cultural figures celebrated their anniversaries here. I helped them make the celebration perfect. I did this for a year and a half.

- Didn’t you grumble about fate? By that time, you had already received many awards, and then - oops! - and a restaurant...

Firstly, a scout knows how to work with anyone, anywhere. Secondly, I really enjoyed it. My then boss (not in intelligence, but in Prague) said that I greatly improved discipline among the waiters. I built them in the mornings. Like in the army. I checked who had stained cuffs and whose trousers were not ironed. As punishment, he was sent to the basements of “Prague” to work as loaders. As a result, I had an ideal team of waiters, and they later thanked me for the good preparation.

- Did the clients know that you were a spy?

Of course not. They only knew that if Botyan took over their banquet, the dishes would not be over-salted, they would definitely not forget to serve hot food to the guests, and they would not mix up the forks and knives.

- When you were called back to intelligence, did you immediately agree?

Certainly. What grievances can there be?! It was such a time, that’s all. Although I must admit that I received more as an administrator in Prague than on business trips abroad.

Beloved woman of “Lieutenant Alyosha”

- Alexey Nikolaevich, how many wives did you have, according to legend and in truth?

Only one. A very beautiful woman, Czech. She died two years ago... And I miss her very much.

- How did you meet her?

I was an illegal immigrant in the Czech Republic at that time. This was after the war. I got there without knowing the Czech language and posing as a Czech.

That is, having already been awarded many times, having accomplished everything for which you were given the title of honorary citizen of the city of Ilzhi (during the war years, Botyan carried out a daring operation to capture the city of Ilzhi, during which arrested Polish patriots were released from prison. - Auto.),did you start from scratch in a foreign country?

It turns out that it is so. I was an intelligence major. By that time I knew Polish (I was born in Belarus and studied at a Polish school). And he introduced himself as the Czech Dvorak, whom fate had thrown into Poland. He said that he was a prisoner of war. Such a legend. At that time, all this did not arouse suspicion among anyone. There were many such destinies in post-war Europe. I entered a technical school and began studying to become an engineer.

- How did you learn the language?

At night. I remember how I wrote an essay about the work of Czech writers and poets, without really knowing the language. Now I can quote any of them by heart. (Begins to read poetry in Czech.)

- What tasks did you perform from the very beginning?

At first there was only one task - to get used to it. I got a job. At that time, I wasn’t even funded, and I lived on what I earned. And so, already an engineer, I met Gelena. We quickly got married. She baked excellent pies.

- Were you often called to the USSR? How did the wife react to absences?

They rarely called, because every time they had to come up with a legend: why am I going? I said that I still have Czech relatives in the Soviet Union. One day I was called from the Center on the occasion of my award ceremony in Moscow. I told Helena that I had to go to my sick relatives. I stayed in Moscow, she got worried and started looking for me. And imagine, I wrote a letter to the Soviet embassy. I asked you to help me find my husband! The heads of the intelligence department immediately ordered me to return.

- How did she find out that you were a Soviet intelligence officer?

I left for the USSR without warning. One day they came to her and asked - will you go for your husband? She said - I'll go. She was told to get ready.

- And you didn’t even ask where?

No. She just asked what things she could take. And then they put her in a car and brought her and her daughter to the Soviet border. The border guard tells her: “Botyan has come for you.” She answered: “I don’t know that.” And then my daughter saw me and screamed: “Daddy, daddy.” That border guard immediately understood everything.

- So she didn’t even know your real last name?

No. Then I had to explain it to her. Not all, of course. She was quick-witted, so she understood a lot herself.

- When you found out that you were a scout, did you make a scandal?

Well, why? She reacted very calmly. Where could she go? (Laughs.) But in fact, I think that it is important for any woman, first of all, to be with the man she loves and it is not so important who he is by profession.

- But you actually deprived her of the opportunity to choose.

Yes, but she was never offended. In Moscow she worked as a dentist, we had an apartment and raised a daughter. By the way, we changed the documents - daughter Irena became Ira, Helena became Galya. And we wrote down that Ira was born in Moscow.

- But then there were other business trips?

Yes. And I went with my family. My wife already understood that I was fulfilling an important mission. She also had a legend, but she did not become a scout.

- Did you have to learn a new language again and start everything from scratch?

That's our job. He even worked as a mechanic in mines... He was a lot of people, but we can’t talk about that yet. I earned good money, by the way, and there was even a period when I refused the allowance due to me as an intelligence officer.

- When did your daughter find out who you really are?

Hard to say. Everything happened by itself. She is now 61 years old. Last year, she and I went to the Czech Republic. Our house still stands there. I tell her: “Look, Ira, this is where you climbed when you were 4 years old.”

- I know that you have another beloved woman - your granddaughter.

Yes Yes. She likes to ask me about intelligence. But she didn’t dare become a scout herself. Now, maybe my grandson will follow in my footsteps.

Botyan's secret hobbies

Airborne unit in Kubinka. Alexey Botyan is a dear guest here. I promised to come for a long time and finally arrived, despite the severe frost. He asks to be allowed to compete in shooting with young officers. He picks up an unfamiliar pistol. Knocks out... 29 out of 30! The officers lose the score. Alexey Nikolaevich, looking at their shooting, quietly says: “If I had shot like that, I wouldn’t have lived to see this age.”

- It turns out you have perfect vision?

Good. The main thing is that the hand is holding a gun. She didn't flinch. Did you see how he fired at them?

- How often did you have to shoot people?

So there was a war. If you don't kill, he will kill you. This is the law. Once I saved the commander of a partisan detachment. The first one managed to shoot at the shooter who was aiming at him. After the war there was no need to use weapons. There were no such tasks, no such need.

- And do you go in for sports?

I play volleyball every week. I go on Tuesdays. Eh, today is just Tuesday. The day is gone. Do you want to go to volleyball with me? There are only young people there. When I am among young people, I am the same as them. I try to keep up. They probably love me. In any case, they take care of me - when I get tired, they come up and say, take a rest. And I responded with another game.

- I wouldn’t be surprised if, besides volleyball, there are some other sports hobbies...

I ride my bike all summer. I have an exercise bike at home. I am convinced that when a person moves, he lives. I once caught hares with my bare hands. Caught three. He was very active. It's not the same now. Now I prefer to watch sports programs - boxing, football. Although it is still very difficult for me to sit still.

- I can imagine how difficult it was for you when the artist Shilov recently painted your portrait.

Yes, it’s difficult to pose with my temperament. There were several sessions. I endured it. I was flattered that I was the third intelligence officer (after Vartanyan and Blake) whose portrait was drawn by Shilov. And I liked the way he portrayed me.

- Did everyone in your family live long?

My grandfathers lived for 80 years. I went to the cemetery and saw inscriptions on the graves with dates. So it turns out that I am a record holder in my family. I myself didn’t expect to live this long.

- What then is the secret of longevity?

God knows. I live normally, like everyone else. I eat the same way. I love something pretty. But I never overeat. I've never smoked before. And my legs never hurt. Now, of course, I run a little less fast than in previous years. Age still makes itself felt.

- Do you like to have a glass of cognac?

Better than moonshine. Real Belarusian! But he was never drunk.

- Never at all?

Never. And this is really important. Because no one can say - you made a promise to me yesterday when you were drunk and forgot.

- What do you think is the most important thing in a person?

Honesty. And if you take on something, do it. Follow through. And you should never envy anyone or hold a grudge. I always knew that I had to achieve everything myself, and not hope that someone would hand me everything on a platter.

You have survived so many rulers, intelligence has changed before your eyes... Do you think the time will come when this service will not be needed at all?

Some say: “Everything used to be different in intelligence.” Yes, everything is the same at all times, I assure you. And intelligence will always be needed. This means that people of my profession will be needed.

By the way, our game of chess has been played. Draw. But it was a serious fight and a strong opponent. Happy anniversary, Alexey Nikolaevich!

Eva Merkacheva, photo: SVR press bureau, Moskovsky Komsomolets

In January 1945, Alexey Nikolaevich Botyan and his sabotage group saved the Polish city of Krakow from destruction. In the three-part film "Major Whirlwind" (1967), this feat is accomplished by Red Army reconnaissance major Andrei Burlakov. But unlike the movie hero and character in Yulian Semenov’s story of the same name, the real intelligence officer Botyan did not break into Hitler’s bunker and did not blow up the cable “which contained the death of Krakow.” His story has a different plot. Which? Retired Colonel Alexey Botyan, who will celebrate his 90th birthday on February 10, told Izvestia about this. Georgy Stepanov talked to him.

- question: Did the filmmakers invite you as a consultant?

Answer: No. I was an employee of the 4th Directorate of the NKVD. It was created during the war to conduct partisan and sabotage and reconnaissance operations behind enemy lines. It was headed by the legendary security officer Pavel Sudoplatov. Yulian Semenov wrote his story based on materials from the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff, and not from ours. The film is undoubtedly wonderful. Major Whirlwind is a collective image; several groups took part in saving Krakow. Both mine and Evgeny Bereznyak’s (another prototype of the Whirlwind, now lives in Kyiv - Izvestia). We were faced with a single task - to ensure the rapid advance of Soviet troops towards Krakow. You could say that Major Whirl and I were doing a common cause.

“They called me “partisan Alyosha”

- Q: How did you end up in occupied Polish territory?

A: In the spring of 1944, the front moved west. It was decided to move several partisan units there. They crossed the border on April 4 with a detachment of the partisan “father”, chief of staff Viktor Karasev. I was his assistant. Due to continuous bombing we marched at night. Problems arose when someone was injured: they had to turn to the locals, mainly priests, for help. It was easier for me - I knew the language, literature, history, and the realities of the country. In Poland they called me “partisan Alyosha.” Sometimes I put on a railway worker's uniform - they didn't bother me. Karasev had 400 fighters. We split into three groups and, having dispersed, reached vast swampy forest areas at the end of April.

- Q: How did you get to the vicinity of Krakow?

A: On May 1, Karasev received a command from the Center to send me to this area with a small group. I selected 28 people, including two radio operators. One day we came across the Akovites (a detachment of the Home Army, which was subordinate to the London government of Stanislav Mikolajczyk - Izvestia). We were received very unfriendly. Their commander, lieutenant, having heard Polish speech from my lips, still did not believe that I was a Belarusian. “We don’t need you,” he repeated. “We will free ourselves from the Germans without you.” Then he softened. The Akovites even shared bread and cigarettes. But the partisans of the BH - the Khlopsky Peasant Battalions - were much more loyal to us. Not to mention the soldiers of the Communist-led Army of the People...

- Q: Did you help them?

A: It happened. There was a German garrison in the regional town of Ilzha. People from the Army of the People asked us to help free the underground members who were imprisoned in a local prison. At first I doubted: the group was faced with the task of reaching Krakow without losses. They carried out reconnaissance, cut off the Germans' telephone communications and entered the city at nightfall. My guys locked the Nazis in the barracks with machine-gun fire. And the Poles pulled their comrades out of prison, destroyed the post office, bank, and emptied warehouses. The whole night the city was in our hands. Then we moved further - to Czestochowa. On the 20th of May the group crossed the Vistula. By the way, there is an obelisk in Ilzha. On it is a bronze plaque mentioning the group of “Lieutenant Alyosha”.

- Q: You were preparing an operation to destroy the Gauleiter of Krakow, Hans Frank, the “executioner of Poland”...

A: We managed to recruit his valet - Jozef Puto. He was given a pistol with a silencer and an English chemical mine. But literally on the eve of the assassination attempt, units of the Red Army broke through the front, and Frank hastily fled to Czestochowa. The Gauleiter was lucky. My reconnaissance group relocated to Nowy Sacz, a city in the Polish Tatras. It was called "the key to Krakow."

"A historical monument, of course... But what else was left?"

- Q: How did the plan to save Krakow come about?

A: Initially, the task was different. It was necessary to ensure the unhindered advance of the Red Army. Every day the Germans were attacked, ambushed, trains were blown up wherever possible - south and east of Krakow. Polish partisans helped us. At the end of 1944, my group accidentally captured a cartographic engineer from the headquarters of the Wehrmacht rear units - the Pole Zygmunt Ogarek. With him are maps of the defensive structures of Nowy Sacz.

It turned out that in the local Jagiellonian Castle, the ancient residence of the Polish kings, the Germans had built a huge ammunition depot. They brought in wagonloads of explosives, shells, and cartridges. They were going to mine the bridges across the river Dunajec, Roznovska

yu dam and cultural monuments of Krakow. And when retreating - blow it up. As a result, everything would have been flooded, and the Red Army would not have passed through.

- Q: In a word, did you decide to destroy the castle itself?

A: A historical monument, of course... But what else was left? Ogarek, whom we had recruited, found a Polish communist who, under the guise of a loader, brought a mine into the castle and placed it in the stacks of shells. The explosion occurred on January 18, 1945 early in the morning. The Nazis died - hundreds. Across surviving bridges and unflooded areas, the Red Army entered Krakow without hindrance. Saving him is the most important thing I have done in my life.

“Party officials were embarrassed that in 1939 I was a non-commissioned officer in Pilsudski’s army.”

- Q: But you were never awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Why?

A: The first time I was introduced to the Star was back in 1943. That summer, the Nazis decided to create a powerful anti-partisan center. A group of “specialists” arrived from Berlin to the town of Ovruch, Zhitomir region. The punitive forces stopped in the building of a well-guarded Gebitskommissariat (in German, “Gebit” means region. - Izvestia). We were helped by a man named Yakov Kapluk, who served as a stoker there. The Germans trusted him unconditionally. For weeks, he and his wife transported explosives to the Gebitskommissariat - a total of 150 kilograms. I laid it in three places. The explosion occurred on the night of September 9. More than 80 Nazis died under the ruins - entirely representatives of the command staff.

In Moscow they began to check all this. They delayed it for a long time and eventually gave it the Order of the Red Banner. The second time, in 1965, a group of former partisans and military leaders made a collective request to the KGB about me - only 200 signatures. And I again received the Order of the Red Banner. Our party workers were embarrassed that in 1939 I was a non-commissioned officer in Pilsudski’s army. By the way, in the winter of 1941, as part of the OMSBON (a separate special purpose motorized rifle brigade - Izvestia), I took part in the defense of Moscow. He took the tongue.

"The Poles would rather be friends with the Germans, but against Russia"

- in: The current Polish authorities do not favor Russia too much...

A: It has been like this since time immemorial. They would rather be friends with the Germans, but against Russia. They see us as the only culprits for the division of Poland under Catherine II.

- in: In Estonia they are going to demolish a monument to a Soviet soldier...

A: Barbarians. I would have dealt with them like a guerrilla. Like with bandits.

- Q: What are you doing now?

A: In 1983, I retired from the authorities, but until 1989 I helped and collaborated. I thought about going to someone as a referee. I decided: “Why? The pension is not bad, enough to live on.” Now I play volleyball twice a week. I'm afraid to fall - who knows? And so, when necessary, I will receive the ball, pass the ball... The hardening has been preserved. In 1978, former partisans invited me to Ukraine, to Cherkassy, ​​to hunt ducks. He grabbed a gun, 25 rounds of ammunition. They settled on an island, and they put me in the reeds. I beat them all, these hunters. Shot down 25 ducks. And during the war I used a 9-mm parabellum, not a TT, which was too heavy. For me, the main thing is accuracy and targeted shooting.

Alexey Nikolaevich Botyan

Born on February 10, 1917 in the Belarusian village of Chertovichi, Vilna province (80 kilometers west of Minsk). In March 1921, this part of Western Belarus became part of Poland. After graduating from school, Botyan was drafted into the Polish army, where, commanding the crew of an anti-aircraft gun, he took part in battles with the Germans in September 1939. He shot down three Junkers near Warsaw. When the eastern regions of Poland were occupied by Soviet troops, Botyan became a citizen of the USSR. He worked as a teacher in an elementary school. Then he was sent to study at the NKVD intelligence school. In November 1941 he was transferred behind the front line. On the territory of Belarus and Ukraine, his special group conducted reconnaissance and sabotage work behind enemy lines.

After the end of the war, Botyan worked in the central apparatus of foreign intelligence. He was repeatedly involved in carrying out assignments abroad, in particular in the Czech Republic. Consulted members of the Vympel special forces unit. He was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, medals, and the badge “Honorary State Security Officer.”

Speaks German, Polish and Czech. Alexey Nikolaevich has two great-grandsons - 12 and 4 years old.

There is a holiday at the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation - colleagues congratulate the legend of the domestic special services Alexey Nikolaevich Botyan Happy anniversary. On February 10 he turns 100 years old!

He was born in the village of Chertovichi, 78 km from Minsk. After the Polish-Soviet war, the village ended up on Polish territory. On September 1, 1939, the Second World War began for the Belarusian Alexei Botyan, a non-commissioned officer of the anti-aircraft division of the Polish Army. On the same day, his crew managed to shoot down the first Junkers. “I fought for several months, but Soviet troops occupied our region, preventing the Nazis from capturing it, and I unexpectedly became a citizen of the USSR. I taught at an elementary school, but in 1940 I was sent to Moscow to study. And since I already knew Polish, Belarusian, Russian, and German, they offered to enroll in an intelligence school. In November 1941, I was transferred behind the front line as part of a special group,” recalls Alexey Nikolaevich.

For many years his life was a secret. Only in the 21st century. Only a small part of it has been declassified. And then the country learned that the legendary Major Whirlwind was not a fiction writer Yulian Semenov. He has a prototype. True, not one - several groups saved Polish Krakow in 1945, and the image of the Whirlwind is a collective one.

Scout A. Botyan, October 1941. Photo: From the family archive

"Partisan Alyosha"

“In the spring of 1944, when the front was moving to the West, it was decided to move a number of partisan detachments and special groups to the occupied territory of Poland. My group crossed the border as part of a detachment dads Karaseva. They called me “partisan Alyosha,” says Botyan. The group had the task of ensuring the unhindered advance of the Red Army. They set up ambushes and blew up trains. “Polish partisans helped us. At the end of 1944, my group captured a cartographic engineer from the headquarters of the Wehrmacht rear units - a Pole Zygmunt Ogarek. With him are maps of the defensive structures of Nowy Sacz. It turned out that in the Jagiellonian Castle, the ancient residence of the Polish kings, the Germans had built a huge ammunition depot. They brought in wagonloads of explosives, shells, and Faust cartridges. What was alarming was that supplies were being quickly replenished. The war was coming to an end, and the Nazis, it was felt, were preparing some serious action.” The Germans planned to mine the bridges over the Dunajec River, the Roznow Dam and cultural monuments of Krakow in order to blow them up during the retreat. “Then the group carried out an operation to mine the warehouse. The explosion in the castle occurred on January 18, 1945 at 5:20 am. Thus, the destruction of Krakow was prevented, and our army entered the city along the surviving bridges.”

This and other operations of Alexei Nikolaevich are included in textbooks for training special forces. The archives of the Foreign Intelligence Service contain a lot of materials about Alyosha’s sabotage. Just look at the explosion of the SS headquarters in the Zhitomir region - almost a hundred officers who had gathered (irony of fate!) for a meeting on the fight against partisans were destroyed. “We were helped by a man named Yakov Kapluk, who served there as a stoker. The Germans trusted him. For weeks, he and his wife transported explosives—a total of 150 kg—to the Gebitskommissariat. I laid it in 3 places. The explosion occurred on the night of September 9, 1943.” Having disrupted the operation to clear several regions of Ukraine, Botyan saved tens of thousands of lives of civilians.

Scout

After the Victory, the Center decided that Botyan would make an excellent illegal immigrant. “I was given the task: as a Czech repatriate, to “return” from Western Ukraine to the Sudetenland, which was transferred to Czechoslovakia after the war. There, get an education, make a career and infiltrate Western intelligence services, which showed great interest in uranium ore deposits.” Under the name Leo Dvorak Botyan arrived in the city of Ash. He studied at a mining technical school and got a job in a uranium mine. “In Asha I met a local beauty Gelenoy Vinzel. We fell in love and got married. With the help of Czech connections in the uranium industry, I infiltrated one of the Western intelligence services and began to supply information.”

The career of an illegal intelligence officer was almost cut short in 1953 - Botyan was unexpectedly summoned to Moscow. Then they repressed Head of the 9th (reconnaissance and sabotage) department of the USSR Ministry of Internal Affairs P. Sudoplatov, began to fire his subordinates. Having learned that the career intelligence officer had a foreign wife, Botyan was also fired. “With the help of intelligence friends, I had to illegally smuggle my wife and daughter from Czechoslovakia Irina. Only then did Helena find out who I really was. According to Soviet documents, she became Galina Vladimirovna Botyan" Alexey Botyan got a job as a head waiter at the Prague restaurant, where his excellent knowledge of languages ​​came in handy. “And a year and a half later, when the passions subsided, the management returned me to the service. Galina Vladimirovna also underwent special training. My wife and I returned to Czechoslovakia. The operation continued. Then there were business trips to other countries...”

But this period of Alexei Nikolaevich’s life is still classified as “Sov. secret": in which countries, under what names the Soviet illegal immigrant appeared, it is impossible to tell yet. It is only known that Colonel Botyan “settled” in the Union in 1985. He took part in the creation of the legendary, passed on his experience. By the way, he trained the fighters who stormed Amin’s palace in Kabul in 1979. “I myself asked several times to work in Afghanistan, but they didn’t let me in.” Botyan retired in 1989.

Hero

The intelligence officer's merits were not immediately appreciated. Alexei Nikolaevich was twice nominated for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But both times, instead of a star, he was given the Order of the Red Banner: his superiors were embarrassed by his short non-commissioned officer career in the Polish army. Justice triumphed only on May 10, 2007: by decree of the President of the Russian Federation, retired Colonel Alexei Botyan was awarded the title of Hero of Russia. Handing him the “Gold Star”, Vladimir Putin said: “The most beautiful city in Europe - ancient Krakow was preserved for Poland and for the entire world culture, largely thanks to your personal courage.”

The Star searched for him for so long. Photo: Foreign Intelligence Service

“A few years ago, as long as my legs allowed, I met with my junior service comrades at least once a week. We played volleyball and table tennis. And I still love to play chess.” Botyan has not given up over the years: back in 95, when he came to a meeting with soldiers of one of the airborne units, he shot 29 points out of a possible 30 with a pistol at a shooting range! So Alexey Nikolaevich celebrates his 100th birthday in a fighting mood, as if confirming the thesis that “there are no former intelligence officers.”

MOSCOW, February 10 - RIA Novosti. The legendary Soviet intelligence officer, Hero of Russia Alexey Botyan, who during the Great Patriotic War made a great contribution to the liquidation of the Nazis and the salvation of a huge number of civilians in the Soviet Union and Poland, celebrates his 101st birthday on Saturday.

Botyan became the prototype for the main character of the book by Yulian Semenov and the film of the same name "Major Whirlwind", dedicated to the operation carried out in 1945 to save the Polish city of Krakow from destruction by the Nazis.

SVR Director Sergei Naryshkin sent congratulations to Botyan on his own behalf and on behalf of all employees of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service.

“For many Russians, you are a legendary intelligence officer, who has more than one military feat to his credit, including saving the beautiful city of Krakow from destruction by the Nazis. For us, your colleagues, you are an example of high professionalism and selfless service to the Fatherland,” the telegram says , the text of which is given in the message of the SVR press bureau.

“I am very glad that you are cheerful, energetic, surrounded by the care and love of your family and colleagues. And in chess you still have the first youth category!” Naryshkin noted. “And the main thing I want to wish you is: good health, good spirits, vital energy, longevity and, of course, happiness,” added the director of the SVR.

In the Polish army

Alexey Nikolaevich Botyan was born on February 10, 1917 into a peasant family in the village of Chertovichi on the primordially Belarusian lands, which the Poles considered theirs in the 20s of the last century.

After graduating from school, Botyan was drafted into the Polish army, in which, commanding the crew of an anti-aircraft gun, from the first days of September 1939 he participated in battles with the Nazi occupiers. Thus, Botyan is considered the first of the intelligence officers who entered into battle with fascism from the very beginning of World War II. In the battles near Warsaw in September 1939, Botyan shot down three German aircraft.

In 1939 he was drafted into the Polish army, served in anti-aircraft artillery units in Vilna, and rose to the rank of non-commissioned officer. He took part in battles against Nazi troops in September 1939. According to some reports, he shot down three German aircraft as the commander of an anti-aircraft gun crew. After the occupation of Poland by the Nazis with a military unit, he went out to meet the Red Army units and surrendered. He returned to his native village, completed teacher training courses and worked as a teacher in an elementary school, and received Soviet citizenship.

Intelligence and sabotage

In May 1940, he was sent to serve in the NKVD of the USSR and enrolled in an intelligence school. In July 1941, he was enlisted in the Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade for Special Purposes, subordinate to the 4th Directorate of the NKVD of the USSR.

During the Battle of Moscow, Botyan participated in various special operations behind the Nazi lines, who by that time had come close to the capital. Together with other security officers, Botyan was repeatedly transferred behind the front line to conduct reconnaissance, destroy communications and communication lines of the enemy.

In November 1941, as the commander of a reconnaissance and sabotage group, he was transferred behind the front line. Participated in the defense of the capital. In January 1943, he was sent for the second time deep behind enemy lines in the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. He acted there both independently and as part of large partisan detachments.

Under the direct leadership of Botyan, an operation was carried out to blow up the German Gebitskommissariat in the city of Ovruch, Zhitomir region of the Ukrainian SSR, when an inspection from Germany was there. As a result of this operation, on September 9, 1943, nearly a hundred Nazi officers were killed. Having disrupted a strategic operation to “clean up” several regions of Ukraine, Botyan saved tens of thousands of civilian lives.

Operations in Poland

In May 1944, on instructions from the Center, at the head of a group of almost 30 people, Botyan made the transition to Poland, with the task of organizing reconnaissance of the enemy’s location and movement in the area of ​​​​the city of Krakow. Thanks to his good knowledge of the Polish language and culture of the local population, as well as his organizational skills, he was able to organize interaction and joint military operations with such different political forces as parts of the Home Army, the Ludowa Army and the peasant Chlopski Battalions.

In particular, Botyan’s group carried out a daring operation to capture, together with units of the Ludovo Army, the city of Ilzha, during which arrested Polish patriots were released from prison and a large amount of weapons and equipment was seized. Later, a monument to the heroes of that battle was erected in Ilzha, on which, along with the names of the Poles, the names of the Soviet fighters of Botyan’s group were engraved.

Saved Krakow

Botyan's group managed to settle in the Krakow area and launch extensive reconnaissance and sabotage activities. At the end of 1944, the group’s fighters captured a Pole, engineer-cartographer Zygmund Ogarek, who was mobilized into the Nazi army and served in the rear units of the Wehrmacht. Ogarek gave valuable testimony about a warehouse of explosives in the Jagiellonian Castle, which was supposed to be used to destroy the historical center of Krakow, the Roznow Dam and bridges over the Dunajec River.

Botyan managed to introduce a Polish patriot into the castle under the guise of a loader, who planted a time bomb. At the height of the Red Army's offensive on the morning of January 18, 1945, the mine was detonated. A huge enemy warehouse flew into the air. The enemy was unable to mine and destroy the objects planned for explosion in Krakow. And on January 19, the advanced units of the 1st Ukrainian Front burst into Krakow under the command of Marshal Ivan Konev.

In the last months of the war, Botyan's group operated behind enemy lines in the occupied territory of Czechoslovakia.

Star of the Hero of Russia

After the end of the war, Alexey Botyan successfully worked in intelligence for many years, and was repeatedly recruited to carry out complex and responsible assignments abroad. Consulted employees of the special forces foreign intelligence group of the USSR KGB "Vympel". He retired with the rank of colonel.

For the results achieved, Botyan was repeatedly awarded military and other state awards. He was awarded two Orders of the Red Banner, the Order of the Red Banner of Labor and the Order of the Patriotic War, 1st degree, many medals, as well as the “Honorary State Security Officer” badge.

For the courage and heroism shown in the operation to liberate Krakow during the war, and for preventing its destruction by the Nazis, Botyan was awarded the title of Hero of Russia in May 2007.

The book by Yulian Semenov and the film “Major Whirlwind” tell only about one episode of the war - the salvation of Polish Krakow. It is based on true facts from the life of the special services. The image of the hero himself, a fearless Soviet intelligence officer, has become collective. However, among several sabotage groups operating in Krakow in January 1945, Lieutenant Botyan’s detachment was recognized as the most effective.

FROM THOSE FOR WHOM HE FOUGHT
The prototype of the hero of the film “Major Whirlwind” - Alexey Botyan - has been “moving” into the forests in the spring for many years now - moving to a dacha in Lyubuchany, in the Chekhov district. Local residents have no idea who lives next door to them. Not because the former intelligence officer is “encrypted” by virtue of his profession. He's just not a public person by nature. Modesty did not allow the state security colonel, who saved thousands of lives during the war and even an entire city - Polish Krakow, to defend well-deserved awards in his time. Twice they nominated Alexey Botyan for the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, twice, due to some hasty decisions, the highest state award was replaced with the Order of the Battle, and then the Red Banner of Labor. Only at the beginning of the 21st century did justice prevail. On May 9, 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the award, and then presented Alexey Botyan with the Star of the Hero of Russia. 62 years after the feat.

VORTEX TRAIL
Alexey came to World War II when his native Vilna province, at that time part of Western Belarus, belonged to Poland. He was drafted into the Polish army, served in air defense and even shot down three Junkers. When the Red Army occupied Eastern Poland in September 1939, he returned to his village Chertovichi, which again became Belarusian. And just before the start of the Great Patriotic War, a young elementary school teacher who had completed pedagogical courses and was elected secretary of the Komsomol organization was sent to the capital’s NKVD sabotage and intelligence school. In November 1941, as part of a special group, Botyan operated behind enemy lines in the Moscow region, participated in the defense of Moscow, then ended up in partisan formations in Belarus and Ukraine and for many years in Europe.
“I took part in battles everywhere, but I’m restless,” says Alexey Nikolaevich. “But during the entire war I wasn’t even wounded.” Lucky!
The professional qualities of a personnel intelligence officer are confirmed by victories in the most complex multi-pass operations. In September 1943, Alexey Botyan organized an explosion in an anti-partisan center near Zhitomir, which killed more than 80 punitive forces. In January 1945, a group of reconnaissance officers under the command of Lieutenant Botyan disrupted a major enemy operation to destroy the city of Krakow. The monstrous plan of the Germans became known to Botyan through operational agents and “tongues”. In Nowy Sącz Castle there was a huge warehouse of explosives that supplied the German army, including the latest anti-tank grenades - Faustpatrons. Krakow, along with other settlements, and two more dams on mountain rivers were destined to become ruins. The enemy's agony could cost the lives of thousands of Soviet soldiers and civilians. If it weren’t for the English mine, skillfully planted in the warehouse by Botyan’s group.

RESIDENT'S FATE
Botyan means Stork in Belarusian. The bearer of this soaring surname had an impeccable command of Russian, Polish, German and Czech in addition to his native language. In the midst of people and events, he absorbed them easily. The abilities were passed on from his father, who left before the war to work in Germany, and from there by boat to Argentina. The son saved Krakow during the war, and the father saved his village. The Nazis wanted to burn its inhabitants alive, allegedly for their connection with the partisans, but from among the doomed, Nikolai Botyan boldly stepped forward and, in pure German, stood up for the elderly and children. Managed to convince. More than one scenario can be created about what befell Alexey Botyan (and we know only part of what has been declassified). Artists would probably be interested in the ability to transform from one image to another, psychologists - strength of spirit, motivated by a heightened sense of duty. And how many professions Botyan himself mastered in almost 40 years of intelligence work! Before becoming “Major Whirlwind,” he was an anti-aircraft gunner and a teacher. After the war, having “returned” as a Czech repatriate from Western Ukraine to Czechoslovakia, he got a job as a mechanic on the railway, graduated from a mechanical engineering college, and in Czech, worked as a mechanic, a foreman, then in uranium mines... There were business trips to other countries...

THE WHOLE WORLD REMEMBERS THEIR FACES
Alexey Nikolaevich does not give in to age. Every week he plays volleyball with veterans. Shoots at the target without missing a beat. Meets with schoolchildren, cadets, cadets. At one time, Botyan participated in the creation of the Vympel anti-terrorist special unit. Recently, my great-grandson Alexey tried on a soldier’s beret at the military-patriotic center. Now he serves in the Presidential Regiment, and Colonel Botyan, looking at him, sometimes remembers the film “Officers”, where the cadet grandson wanted to be like his grandfather... He himself was always eager to go to the front line. At one time, already at a very advanced age, he wrote a report on his readiness to serve in Afghanistan, offering his own experience of partisan work. Relatives protested. For many years, on the May holidays, Alexey Nikolaevich traditionally meets with veterans of the OMSBON - the Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade for Special Purposes, in which he had the opportunity to fight. There is also the Partizanskaya Polyana, where veterans gather, and the Presidential Reception in the Kremlin, where a combat intelligence officer is always invited. When Botyan was awarded the St. Andrew the First-Called Award, he came out to thank him for the high award, and the speech boiled down to one thing - if the Motherland calls, I am ready to get back into action.

Dossier
Alexey Nikolaevich Botyan - Soviet intelligence officer, veteran of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Hero of Russia, one of the saviors of the city of Krakow. In 1940 he was sent to serve in the NKVD of the USSR, and in 1941 he graduated from intelligence school. In July 1941, he was enlisted in the Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade for Special Purposes, subordinate to the 4th Directorate of the NKVD of the USSR (head of the department - P. A. Sudoplatov). In November 1941, as commander of a reconnaissance and sabotage group, he was transferred behind the front line. Participated in the defense of Moscow. In 1942 he was sent deep behind enemy lines, to the western regions of Ukraine and Belarus. He acted there both independently and as part of large partisan detachments. He was deputy for intelligence to the commander of the partisan unit of Hero of the Soviet Union Viktor Aleksandrovich Karasev.