Rights and freedoms
The 'Petrov Affair'
03 April 1954
Soviet diplomats (and spies) Vladimir and Evdokia Petrov shock the nation when they defect during the Cold War.
Canberra became a Cold War battleground in 1954 following the defection of Third Secretary of the Soviet Embassy Vladimir Petrov and his wife Evdokia. The Petrov’s were revealed to be Soviet spies; however they defected – changed allegiance – and sought political asylum to remain Australia.
On 19 April 1954 Australians were shocked at the scene of Evdokia Petrov being manhandled by Soviet agents onto a waiting plane at Sydney airport. Many believed she was being led away to certain punishment in the USSR. Evdokia was able to defect the following day when her plane stopped to refuel in Darwin. The Petrov’s went on to settle in Australia.
The saga became known as the ‘Petrov Affair’ and had a lasting effect on Australian politics. The subsequent royal commission investigating Petrov’s evidence of Soviet espionage in Australia captured the nation’s imagination. The defection, and accusations of a political conspiracy, severely damaged the Australian Labor Party, which split 18 months later.