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A recently released Turkish intelligence report concerning Trotsky

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To uncover more information about OGPU agent Davranof, I recently revisited Georges Agabekov’s book OGPU: The Russian Secret Terror [OGPU: Gizli Rus Terörü], which I had read a few years earlier. Georges Sergeyevich Agabekov (1896–1937) was a prominent agent and intelligence officer who worked for the OGPU. He held senior positions within the organisation before defecting to the West in 1930, where he disclosed critical information about Soviet espionage activities. In this book, published following his defection, he notably exposed Soviet intelligence operations in Central Asia and the Middle East.

Agabekov’s book also contains noteworthy information about the OGPU’s operations in Istanbul. It reveals that the OGPU used the city as a base for its espionage activities in the Near East, providing detailed accounts of its operations there. The author specifically examines the OGPU’s activities in Turkey in the context of Trotsky’s exile and the role played by Soviet agents during this period. The book also discusses the organisational structure of the OGPU’s clandestine networks in Istanbul and their influence on neighbouring countries in the region.

However, as the book covers developments only up to 1930—the year Agabekov defected to the West—it makes no mention of an agent named Davranof (whether this was his real name or a pseudonym) operating in Istanbul at that time. This strengthens the likelihood that Davranof began working for the OGPU in Istanbul after Agabekov’s revelations, that is, post-1930.

Agabekov’s disclosures led to the large-scale exposure of Soviet intelligence networks in the Near East and Central Asia, resulting in the arrest of numerous agents. It is well established that, following this devastating blow, the OGPU was compelled to make sweeping changes to its cadre of agents in these regions. It may reasonably be suggested that new operatives and strategies were introduced to replace the compromised agents and to address the resulting security vulnerabilities.

Having established that Davranof was most likely an OGPU agent who began operating after Agabekov’s disclosures — that is, post-1930 — I carried out online research using open sources. During this investigation, I found traces of a Nikola Davranof engaged in commercial activities in Istanbul.

The first document I came across was a piece of commercial correspondence from 1934 — dated two years after the intelligence report we examined — relating to a coal purchase. The letterhead indicates that Nikola Davranof operated in Galata, with his Istanbul branch based in Kürkçü Han and his coal depot located in Kuruçeşme. Significantly, the intelligence report’s reference to Davranof providing information about the wife of "one of the coal depot owners in Fındıklı" suggests that we are indeed on the right track.

Letter dated 19 December 1934

I also found online an image of another letter from 1935, written on the same letterhead. This letter was sent to the Balıkesir Chamber of Commerce concerning the sale of Soviet wood shavings used for packing eggs.

Letter dated 21 March 1935

In online newspaper archives, I also came across advertisements for Davranof’s company. An advert published on page 16 of the 27 October 1932 edition of Akşam newspaper shows Davranof engaged in coal sales. In this advert, Nikola Davranof’s name is mistakenly given as "M. Davranof" due to a typographical error. Nevertheless, the telephone number and address match the details found in the letterheaded correspondence from 1934 and 1935.

Akşam newspaper, 27 October 1932, p. 16

The same advertisement was published in Cumhuriyet newspaper on 21 October, 27 October, and 8 November 1932; in Milliyet on 24 October and 7 November 1933; and in Akşam on 20 October 1933.

An official notice addressed to the Beyoğlu Sixth Notary, published on page 9 of the 8 April 1936 edition of Cumhuriyet newspaper, confirms that Davranof was still operating in Istanbul at the time.

Cumhuriyet newspaper, 8 April 1936, p. 9

An advertisement published on page 12 of the 15 September 1937 edition of Son Posta newspaper reveals that Davranof had moved his business to Mahmutpaşa and had begun selling imported plywood.

Son Posta newspaper, 15 September 1937, p. 12

It appears that Davranof later shifted his focus to the venetian blind business, with his advertisements continuing to appear in the local press until mid-1940. However, I found no trace of any advertisements or news items predating 1932. Nevertheless, I was able to find online an image of a letter envelope from April 1943, bearing Davranof’s letterhead and the same Mahmutpaşa address.

A letter sent to Germany in a Nikola Davranof-headed envelope (April 1943) [*]

Based on all this evidence, we can reasonably conclude that Davranof most likely began operating in Istanbul as an OGPU agent under the guise of a Soviet coal merchant in 1932 or shortly before. Although he periodically changed the sector in which he operated, it appears that he continued his activities at least until 1943. Nevertheless, given the incomplete nature of the available data, we cannot make any definitive claims.

In conclusion, it is highly probable that the OGPU agent Davranof mentioned in the intelligence report and the Nikola Davranof we traced through open sources are one and the same person. It seems rather unlikely that more than one individual with the surname Davranof was living in Istanbul at that time. Moreover, the use of commercial businesses as fronts was a tactic frequently employed by Soviet agents.

[*] The fact that the letter was sent to Germany — which at the time was under Nazi rule — raises significant questions. However, I will not dwell on them here, as I have almost no data that would allow for a meaningful discussion.

To be continued