Viktor Chebrikov
| Viktor Chebrikov Виктор Чебриков |
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|---|---|
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| 6th Chairman of the Committee for State Security (KGB) | |
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In office 17 December 1982 – 1 October 1988 |
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| Premier |
Nikolai Tikhonov Nikolai Ryzhkov |
| Preceded by | Vitaly Fedorchuk |
| Succeeded by | Vladimir Kryuchkov |
| Full member of the 26th, 27th Politburo | |
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In office 23 April 1985 – 20 September 1989 |
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| Candidate member of the 26th Politburo | |
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In office 26 December 1983 – 23 April 1985 |
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| Member of the 27th Secretariat | |
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In office 30 September 1988 – 20 September 1989 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Viktor Mikhailovich Chebrikov 27 April 1923 Dnipropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 2 July 1999 (aged 76) Moscow, Russian Federation |
| Nationality | Soviet and Russian |
| Political party | Communist Party of the Soviet Union |
| Other political affiliations |
Communist Party of Ukraine |
| Signature |  |
Viktor Mikhailovich Chebrikov (Russian: Виктор Михайлович Чéбриков; 27 April 1923 – 2 July 1999) was a Soviet Union public official and security administrator and head of the KGB from December 1982 to October 1988.
Born in the industrial city of Dnipropetrovsk in eastern Ukraine on 27 April 1923, he finished military school in 1942 and served in World War II as a battalion commander. After the war Chebrikov wanted to continue his military career, but was refused by the prestigious Frunze Military Academy because of his bad eyesight; abandoning his military ambitions, he earned an engineering degree, joined the Communist Party in 1950, and embarked on a political-administrative career, rising through the Ukrainian party ranks until he became First Secretary of the Dnipropetrovsk Party Committee in 1961. In 1967, he was brought to Moscow as personnel manager for the Central Committee. He was Deputy chairman of the KGB under Yuri Andropov from 1968-1982. They began an anti-corruption drive that continued until Andropov's death. Following a brief period under Konstantin Chernenko, Chebrikov was appointed head of internal security under Mikhail Gorbachev.
Through information supplied by American spy Aldrich Ames, Chebrikov was able to dismantle the network of CIA operatives in his country. Chebrikov was highly respected for his skills among his American counterparts; according to Kenneth E. deGraffenreid, the senior White House intelligence official in the Reagan years: "One has to say that this (Chebrikov's years as KGB chief) was the heyday of the KGB in terms of foreign intelligence. In terms of intelligence production -spies, and dishing the Americans on the secrets- they were going strong right up to the end. We uncovered 80 spies during those years. These guys were on the make, and there was no question about their influence."
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