Pyotr Patrushev

Pyotr Egorovich Patrushev (; 26 May 1942 – 28 March 2016 ) was a Russian author who escaped the Soviet Union by swimming to Turkey across the Black Sea border in 1962.

Early life and education Patrushev was born in Kolpashevo, Tomsk Oblast, on 26 May 1942. His father, Egor Grigorievich Patrushev was a Second World War soldier who was killed in action one month before Patrushev's birth. Due to the potential difficulty in crossing the border by land, he swam 35 kilometers across the Black Sea to Turkey. and was on the KGB's wanted list for 27 years.

Life in Australia In 1964, he was granted a residence permit in Australia. Patrushev became a broadcaster, journalist, conference interpreter and translator in the West, working for the BBC in London and later for the Radio Liberty in Munich and San Francisco, as well as writing for Australian newspapers, radio and television. He has worked as a Senior Consultant, CIS and Eastern Europe for (Chatswood-based) Conflict Resolution Network. As a top level Russian translator and interpreter he was a member of AIIC, the International Association of Conference Interpreters and the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters. He interpreted for Russian and Australian Heads of State i.e. (Vladimir Putin, John Howard), Prime Ministers, Members of the Cabinet, etc.

Patrushev's commentaries in the Sydney Morning Herald and on the national radio and television established him as one of the pre-eminent commentators on Soviet and Russian affairs. His work as an interpreter with American and Russian scientists in the 80’s and 90’s in the areas of brain/mind interaction provided him with a wealth of material for his book Project Nirvana.

During this period, Patrushev was interviewed by Caroline Jones on her Radio National program, The Search for Meaning.

Reportedly, when Patrushev visited his native Soviet Union in 1990 for the first time in 28 years - "the country which, only a few weeks before his return, overturned the death penalty imposed on him for his dramatic escape abroad all those years ago" He had made the trip to visit relatives, mainly in his native Siberia, and make contacts for the network, which teaches conflict resolution skills under the auspices of the United Nations Association of Australia. Until his death, he lived in Jervis Bay, in the state of New South Wales, Australia, with his wife and son.