Russia: Information on the relationship between Intourist, the KGB and KGB-successor agencies
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | RUS18035.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Russia: Information on the relationship between Intourist, the KGB and KGB-successor agencies, 1 July 1994, RUS18035.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aced10.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A 1992 reference source states that Intourist is a "state organization for policing foreign tourists" (Wilson and Bachkatov 1992, 107).
According to a researcher on Russia for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Munich, during the Soviet era Intourist guides were required to write reports detailing what foreigners said while visiting the Soviet Union (26 July 1994). Intourist management vetted these reports and passed on those considered to be significant to the KGB (ibid.). Before Mikhail Gorbachev came to power in 1985, Intourist reports determined whether foreigners could obtain entry visas the next time they applied to enter the Soviet Union, but by the late 1980s these reports were considered to be of far less importance (ibid.).
There is no information currently available to the DIRB to indicate the relationship between Intourist and KGB-successor agencies.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Researcher on Russian affairs, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) Research Institute, Munich. 26 July 1994. Telephone interview.
Wilson, Andrew and Nina Bachkatov. 1992. Russia and the Commonwealth A to Z. New York: Harper Perennial.
Other Sources Consulted
Foreign Broadcast Information Service (FBIS). Indexes: January 1992-April 1994.
Oral sources.