Vladimir Stoyanov Zaimov (8 December 1888 – 3 June 1942) was a Bulgarian general who acted as a Soviet spy in the Kingdom of Bulgaria. He was made

Hero of the Soviet Union The title Hero of the Soviet Union (russian: Герой Советского Союза, translit=Geroy Sovietskogo Soyuza) was the highest distinction in the Soviet Union, awarded together with the Order of Lenin personally or collectively for ...

for his actions against the Axis forces.

Biography

Vladimir Zaimov was born on 8 December 1888 in

Kyustendil Kyustendil ( bg, Кюстендил ) is a town in the far west of Bulgaria, the capital of the Kyustendil Province, a former bishopric and present Latin Catholic titular see. The town is situated in the southern part of the Kyustendil Valley, ...

Stoyan Zaimov Stoyan Stoyanov Zaimov (Bulgarian:Стоян Стоянов Заимов; 1853-1932) was a Bulgarian educator, writer and revolutionary; closely associated with the April Uprising. Biography In the late 1860s, while studying at a school in Sta ...

, an

April Uprising The April Uprising ( bg, Априлско въстание, Aprilsko vastanie) was an insurrection organised by the Bulgarians in the Ottoman Empire from April to May 1876. The regular Ottoman Army and irregular bashi-bazouk units brutally su ...

participant. In 1907 he graduated from Royal Officers’ College and from 1912 to 1913 served in the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars refers to a series of two conflicts that took place in the Balkan States in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan States of Greece, Serbia, Montenegro and Bulgaria declared war upon the Ottoman Empire and defe ...

and

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. In 1927 he helped built

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

in his native country and by 1934 he was in charge of Military League. A year later, he was relocated to a reserve in which later on he was imprisoned. On 16 October the same year he became

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

and became

Military alliance A military alliance is a formal Alliance, agreement between nations concerning national security. Nations in a military alliance agree to active participation and contribution to the defense of others in the alliance in the event of a crisis. ...

secretary as well. From 1935 to 1936 he was charged with an assassination attempt on General

Damyan Velchev Damyan Velchev or Velcev ( bg, Дамян Велчев) (4 March 1883, Gabrovo – 25 January 1954) was a Bulgarian politician and general. From 1925 to 1935 he was the leader of the Military League (1919–1947), an organization of Bulgarian off ...

, but the charges were dropped due to the lack of evidence. When the war started, he was given orders by the Soviet

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. A ...

to resist the German occupation, but was later on arrested on 22 March 1942 on the charges of espionage and was sentenced next day. On 3 June 1942 he asked for a pardon from

Boris III Boris III ( bg, Борѝс III ; Boris Treti; 28 August 1943), originally Boris Klemens Robert Maria Pius Ludwig Stanislaus Xaver (Boris Clement Robert Mary Pius Louis Stanislaus Xavier) , was the Tsar of the Kingdom of Bulgaria from 1918 until hi ...

, but was declined and that day executed. In May 1945 he was rehabilitated by the

Sofia Court House The Sofia Court House ( bg, Съдебна палата, ''Sadebna palata,'' literally Palace of Justice) is a building in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, accommodating several courts in the city. Stylistically a simplistic yet monumental struct ...

at the People's Tribunal of the Fatherland Front. In 1944 he was awarded the rank of

colonel general Colonel general is a three- or four-star military rank used in some armies. It is particularly associated with Germany, where historically general officer ranks were one grade lower than in the Commonwealth and the United States, and was a ra ...

(posthumously).Заимов Владимир // Советский энциклопедический словарь. редколл., гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. 4-е изд. М., "Советская энциклопедия", 1986. стр.445 In 1972, Zaimov's reports and documents were declassified. After that, his contribution was re-evaluated and he became

Awards

Order of Bravery The Order of Bravery ( bg, Орден за Храброст) is a Bulgarian order which existed during the Kingdom of Bulgaria and currently exists in the Republic of Bulgaria. It was the second highest in the Kingdom of Bulgaria and is the fourt ...

Order of the Red Banner The Order of the Red Banner (russian: Орден Красного Знамени, Orden Krasnogo Znameni) was the first Soviet military decoration. The Order was established on 16 September 1918, during the Russian Civil War by decree of th ...

Order of Lenin The Order of Lenin (russian: Орден Ленина, Orden Lenina, ), named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was established by the Central Executive Committee on April 6, 1930. The order was the highest civilian decoration b ...

– May 30, 1972 (posthumously)Герои Советского Союза – граждане зарубежных стран // Герои Советского Союза. Краткий биографический словарь в 2-х тт. Том 2. предс. редколл. И. Н. Шкадов. М., Воениздат, 1988. стр.846 *

– May 30, 1972 (posthumously)

References

Sources

* Владимир Заимов (1888–1942) // Герои-интернационалисты / сост. В. В. Тян. М., «Просвещение», 1991. стр.120–129 {{DEFAULTSORT:Zaimov, Vladimir 1888 births 1942 deaths Bulgarian generals Foreign Heroes of the Soviet Union People from Kyustendil Executed spies People convicted of spying for the Soviet Union World War II spies for the Soviet Union Recipients of the Order of Lenin Recipients of the Order of the Red Banner 20th-century executions by Bulgaria Executed military leaders Bulgarian military personnel of the Balkan Wars Bulgarian military personnel of World War I Bulgarian military personnel of World War II