George Blake, a double-agent who gave the Russians information about more than 400 British and American spies, has died at the age of 98, according to the Kremlin. “Colonel Blake was a brilliant professional of a special kind and courage,” Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote in a statement. “In the years of his difficult and intense service, he made a truly invaluable contribution to ensuring strategic parity and preserving peace on the planet.” Blake was born in the Netherlands and eventually became a high-ranking British spy during the Cold War. He turned while imprisoned in North Korea and began working for the Soviets, but was discovered and sentenced to 42 years in jail. After three years he escaped with the help of ex-inmates and fled to Moscow, where he divorced his wife and remarried. Blake authored two books about his life, No Other Choice and Transparent Walls.
