At the end of the war, scout Maria Polyakova became a true legend, inspiring many generations of Russian spies. This fragile and defenseless girl was able to achieve success where, it would seem, strong men were faced with insurmountable obstacles. What led Maria Polyakova? What ideals did she pursue? And why is she considered one of the best spies of the past?
Unexpected offer
Maria Polyakova was born in the cultural capital of Russia, St. Petersburg. It happened on March 27, 1908, in a simple Jewish family. From childhood, the girl showed herself as a very gifted student. By her 20s, she was proficient in four languages: Spanish, French, Czech and German.
On the personal front, she was also doing well. Maria Polyakova was the beloved wife and mother of a beautiful girl named Zlata. At the beginning of 1925, she got a job at KIM (Communist Youth International). She also considered submitting documents to a medical institute.
However, fate decided to throw a special gift to Polyakova. So, in June 1932 she was summoned to the carpet in the Central Committee of the Komsomol. The conversation that took place there forever changed the girl’s life - she was supposed to become a Soviet spy.
Scout Maria Polyakova
After a little reflection, Maria agreed with the proposal of the leadership of the Komsomol Central Committee. In 1932, her first secret assignment began. The young spy was destined to become an assistant to an illegal resident in Germany.
Already in those years, the situation in the Nazi country was very tense and required constant monitoring by the Soviet Union. As for Mary, she had to supervise meetings with mishandled agents, collect secret data, pay informants and recruit volunteers into the Red Army.
Maria Polyakova returned home only in 1934. The GRU command appreciated its abilities and sent for further training to the school of scouts. Two years later, in 1936 she was again sent to work abroad. Which is true, this time in Switzerland.
For a year of working undercover, she was able to create a reliable network of agents working in the USSR. This allowed her in 1937 to steal and transport drawings of new weapons to her homeland, thanks to which the Nazis could not use it as a military advantage.
The Second World War
Throughout the war, Maria Polyakova worked at the Central Intelligence Apparatus. She coordinated the actions of the young scouts, giving them commands and instructions. Along the way, the GRU prepared it for possible work as an illegal resident, in case the Germans nevertheless break into Moscow.
At the end of World War II, she worked as a teacher at the school of intelligence. In 1956 she retired. The great scout died on May 7, 1995, exactly 50 years after the Germans signed the Surrender Act.