Vladimir Nikolayevich Petrov

Vladimir Nikolayevich Petrov (1915, Krasnodar oblast, Russia - 1999) was at various times an academic, philatelist, prisoner, forced laborer, political prisoner, adventurer, factory worker and soldier. He was at various times a Russian, American, and man of no country, though he was brought up in the USSR and died in the United States. Most of the information concerning his life originates from his personal memoirs, entitled Soviet Gold and My Retreat from Russia and collected in the published work Escape from the Future.

Early life

Petrov was born in Russia in 1915 during the last days of the Tsar. He studied at the University of Leningrad, living in his words "the meager existence of a young student" Soviet Gold, "Prisons of the City of Lenin" (p. 15) where he was arrested on the night of February 17, 1935 by the NKVD.Soviet Gold, "The Big House" (p. 31) He was arrested at age 19 as part of the mass purges which followed in the wake of the assassination of Sergey Kirov.Soviet Gold, "Prisons of the City of Lenin" (p. 31) He was imprisoned and tortured for months before being formally charged with a crime.

The crimes he was charged with were, as related in his autobiography:

<blockquote>1. Writing of anti-soviet character (my diaries).<br>2. Possession of counter-revolutionary...
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