Lavrentiy Beria

Born in Merkheuli,Georgia near the Black Sea in 1899

Drafted into the Russian Imperial Army and saw brief action during World War I before deserting in 1917 to take part in the Russian Revolution. Received an architectural degree from a technical college in Baku in 1919 but became a member of the Bolshevik Party and joined the Check, the Bolshevik Secret Police. Was sent back to his native Georgia where he spied on friends and family and anyone else who was less than supportive of the Bolshevick Revolution. As a result of his reports, hundreds of people were executed.

Quickly climbed his way up through the ranks of the Cheka, th GPU, the OGPU and later the NKVD. Ruthlesslessly blackmailed officials in order to gain political backing and promotions.

Would often set up his superiors with married women and then expose the affairs, ruining them and then taking their posts when they resigned in disgrace. Was even more ruthless with his use of violence.

Was appointed head of Soviet intelligence by Vladimir Lenin, with the backing of Josef Stalin. Was supportive in Stalin's bid for the head of the Comunist Party and was rewarded by Stalin, who appointed Beria with a membership on the Central Committee of the Communist Party. Beria loyally set out to eliminate all of Stalin's potential rivals or enemies, targeted thousands of them for death. Stalin, extremely paranoid, ordered several purges of his own hitmen, including OGPU head Felix Dzerzhinsky who was killed by his successor Vyacheslav Menzhinsky, then Genrikh Yagoda and then Nicolai Yezhov. Stalin feared that each bloodthirsty liquidator that he empowered was more powerful than him. Beria was yet another of these murderers and in one of his first actions upon ascending to the head of the NKVD, Lavrenti ordered the execution of five officals high in command in the Ukraine.