Former Soviet Spy Hopes for Reunion

LONDON — A former Soviet double agent who defected six years ago said Thursday that the KGB has abandoned round-the-clock surveillance of his family in Moscow, raising his hopes for a reunion.

“It may be just a first sign that they are rethinking their attitude,” Oleg Gordievsky said.

Gordievsky, 53, was KGB station chief in London when he began working for British intelligence in the early 1970s. He defected in 1985 when his superiors became suspicious.

His wife, Leila, and daughters Maria and Anna were never able to get out of Moscow.

Leila divorced Gordievsky after the KGB promised her they would leave her alone if she ended the marriage, she said. She said that as long as the KGB kept an eye on her, she knew that her husband was alive.