Roman Vatslavovich Malinovsky (Russian: Рома́н Ва́цлавович Малино́вский; 18 March 1876 – 5 November 1918) was a prominent Bolshevik politician before the Russian revolution, while at the same time working as the best-paid agent for the Okhrana, the Tsarist secret police. They codenamed him 'Portnoi' (the tailor).
He was a brilliant orator, tall, red-haired, yellow-eyed and pockmarked,[1] "robust, ruddy complexioned, vigorous, excitable, a heavy drinker, a gifted leader of men."[2]
- ^ Montefiore 2007, p. 205
- ^ Wolfe, Bertram D. (1966). Three Who Made a Revolution, A Biographical History (includes an entire chapter on the Mlainovsky case, drawn entirely from original Russian language sources). Hardmondswoth, Middlesex: Penguin. p. 601.