Meeting of residents

The meeting of residents is the largest failure in the history of the Soviet special services and the reason for the resignation of the head of the Intelligence Agency (GRU RKKA) Y. K. Berzin .

The culprit is George Mink , assistant to A.P. Ulanovsky , the head of the residency of communications in Denmark ; which, contrary to the ban, continued to involve the Communists in the intelligence work . As a result, the Danish police in Copenhagen arrested in February 1935, in a safe house, where an ambush was arranged, four employees of the Center and ten foreign military intelligence agents. There was no need for their stay in this apartment: the Center’s employees were residents in other countries, they were traveling in Denmark, and they went to the apartment to “see friends” (they allegedly arrived at the meeting). The only consolation in this story was that, " ... since the arrested cannot expose any cases against Danish interests (there were no such cases), it must be assumed that the Danes will not find grounds for any claims against the Soviet state ... ". The residency of communications in Denmark was defeated, and all illegal mail from the Third Reich had to be sent to Moscow through other channels and through other countries.

The investigation showed that, despite the instructions of A. Kh. Artuzov on the inadmissibility of involving communists in intelligence work, five associates of the residency of A. P. Ulanovsky were members of the Danish Communist Party and, moreover, one of them was a police informant . The illegal apartment of the illegal resident was taken under police surveillance and an ambush was organized. In a report to the People’s Commissar of Defense A. Kh. Artuzov noted: “ Obviously, the custom of visiting all your friends, as in their homeland, can be eradicated with great difficulty. The most characteristic moment in the whole matter is that our workers, who worked well in fascist Germany, upon arrival in a “neutral” country neglected the elementary rules of conspiracy . ". Having examined the report, K. E. Voroshilov imposed a resolution: “ From this message, which is not quite intelligible and naive, it is clear that our foreign intelligence is still limping on all four legs. Comrade Artuzov also gave us little in the sense of improving this serious matter ... ” After the failure of Copenhagen, the head of the Intelligence Agency, J. K. Berzin, submitted a report on dismissal, which was satisfied; S.P. Uritsky was appointed in his place.