In the 1980s, towards the end of the Cold War, a Soviet intelligence agent (better known as a KGB officer) decided to betray his homeland—his name was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of a KGB officer, Gordievsky began his career in espionage while stationed in Copenhagen, where he witnessed the economic prosperity and personal freedoms enjoyed by the citizens of a European capital. The Soviet invasion and brutal repression in Prague in 1968 shattered any remaining belief Gordievsky had in the Soviet project. 

While still in Copenhagen, Gordievsky began contacting MI6, the British intelligence service, in the 1970s. His luck took a favorable turn in 1982 when the KGB appointed him as an agent in London. It was MI6 that provided Gordievsky with real but low-value intelligence to pass on to the Soviets, helping to solidify his credibility in the eyes of the KGB. However, in May 1985, the Soviet intelligence service recalled Gordievsky to Moscow after receiving a tip-off from an informant—Gordievsky's double-crossing had been discovered.

MI6 agents, including future "M" John Scarlett, devised a high-risk extraction plan: code-named "Operation Pimlico" (named after a luxurious London neighborhood). Naturally, Gordievsky was under KGB surveillance, making the plan's execution far from simple. On July 19, Gordievsky boarded a train to Leningrad, eventually reaching Vyborg, a town near the Russian-Finnish border, where MI6 agents hid him in the trunk of a small car. To navigate the various checkpoints, the British agents relied on diplomatic plates to prevent vehicle inspections at the border. This seemingly simple strategy worked flawlessly. 

From Helsinki, Gordievsky flew to London, and MI6 changed his codename from NOCTON to OVATION. A Soviet court sentenced him to death in absentia, but Gordievsky remains alive, residing in Surrey and enjoying an annual pension. His escape to freedom had been a resounding success.