"Gohar and Gevork Vartanyan: the spies from the cold" by Carlo Coppola
Armenia—long a crucible of elite talent for Soviet intelligence—gave birth to one of the most effective spy couples of the Cold War. Goar Vartanyan (1926–2019) and her husband Gevork were “illegal” agents who foiled a Nazi operation that could have altered the course of the Second World War: the planned assassination of Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill in Tehran. The German plot, codenamed Operation Long Jump, was dismantled by a group of teenagers known as the “Light Cavalry,” led by the sixteen-year-old Gevork and including the fifteen-year-old Goar. Riding bicycles through Tehran, these youths—many from the local Armenian diaspora—tracked down and neutralized one of the Germans’ key radio transmitters, collapsing the operation before it could be launched.
The Vartanyans’ success exemplifies the extraordinary professional caliber that Armenian-born operatives contributed to Soviet intelligence, drawing on multilingualism, cultural fluency, and seamless integration. Their record remains unparalleled: over more than thirty years of service, they were never exposed. After the war, the couple assumed the identities of “Anita” and “Henri,” settling in Italy in the 1970s under the cover of wealthy Iranian merchants. This legend enabled them to cultivate networks that reached the highest circles of politics and business. A widely circulated post-Soviet anecdote—reported by Russian historians (source: Sputnik)—even suggests that the Vartanyans may have encountered or frequented a young, fast-rising entrepreneur destined to dominate Italy’s public life: Silvio Berlusconi. Whether apocryphal or not, the story underscores the breadth of access they achieved in Italy.
In the 1980s, the Vartanyans operated in West Germany, securing critical intelligence on planned NATO missile deployment sites. For his services, Gevork was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union in 1984. More broadly, the Armenian contribution to Soviet intelligence was decisive. Alongside the Vartanyans and their handler Ivan (Ogannes) Agayants—later a general—stand figures such as Yakov Davtyan (the first head of the NKVD’s foreign department), Ruben Katanyan (chief of Soviet foreign intelligence), and Gaik Ovakimyan (head of the Soviet residency in New York in the 1930s–1940s).
What makes the Vartanyans’ story a unique case study is not only the longevity of their careers, but their ideological and professional integrity. Despite decades spent living as affluent merchants, they were never seduced by luxury or the comforts of their carefully crafted legend. They lived and worked for an idea, not for personal gain. The proof is telling: upon their final return home in 1986, all the material assets accumulated under their cover fit into a simple pair of travel suitcases. This absolute dedication—matched by exceptional skill—ensured that their mission was never marred by failure. Even today, much of Goar and Gevork Vartanyan’s lives remain classified, a reminder that for true professionals, secrecy does not end with retirement.
Carlo Coppola
