Ken Alibek explains (in Biohazard) what happened when a Soviet bio-weapons researcher did not return from a trip abroad:
“Who gave him permission to go?”
“I did,” I said. “But I told you about it.”
Shortly after Pasechnik’s initial request, I had informed Kalinin of the invitation from the French company. I had full authority to grant permission for such trips, but Kalinin had told me to keep him abreast of staff movements.
“I don’t remember that,” Kalinin shot back, glancing at Bykov. “You didn’t tell me a thing!”
I felt an involuntary shudder. Kalinin was making it perfectly clear that I was on my own. He looked uncomfortable nonetheless.
Bykov seemed suddenly to enjoy the awkward position in which his rival had been placed. A veteran of Kremlin power struggles, he knew how to take advantage of such situations.
Skipping ahead:
“Well, we think we know where he is.”
“How did you find him?”
“We used a psychic,” Yermoshin explained.
“We showed him a photo of Pasechnik, and he stared at it for a long time until he told us that your man was on some sort of island, a big island, very close to the sea.”
“An island?” I said, puzzled.
“Yes of course,” Yermoshin went on.
“And he said there was a large old building, with two or three men working with him.”
I started to smile. I had never dreamed the KGB was interested in extrasensory perception.
Skipping way, way ahead:
In January 1995, long after I had defected, I was invited by the British government to discuss biodefense issues. During a break, several British officers came up to me and we began to talk through an interpreter about Pasechnik, whom I had not seen since 1989. The mood was light, and I casually told them the story of the KGB and its psychic. They didn’t laugh.
“But that’s exactly where we had him,” one of the officers said. “We wanted to keep him secure, so we brought him to an old house on the coast.”
The KGB psychic was either remarkably talented or he had remarkably good contacts. Even at the time, I suspected that Yermoshin had been ordered to let me in on the psychic’s “secret” to check my reaction. Bykov or Kalinin must have been determined to catch me up. If I had not shown surprise at the news about the island, it would have been proof of guilt. I was angry with Yermoshin for agreeing to be part of such a clumsy trick.
Their reaction:
A consensus was reached quickly. Everything relating to secret defense work at Pasechnik’s facility would have to be destroyed. The Institute of Ultra-Pure Biopreparations would become civilian in fact as well as in name. This would leave a major hole in our program, but there was no alternative.
[…]
“There’s only one thing to do. He has to be killed.”
[…]
One of the KGB colonels spoke up. “I’d like to stop this discussion,” he said softly.
“Nobody is going to say anything about killing here.”
A chill came over the room. I think we all got the message: if an assassination was required, the KGB needed no advice from amateurs.