Early Life
Primakov was born in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, and grew up in Tbilisi, Georgian SSR. He was educated at the Moscow Institute of Oriental Studies, graduating in 1953 and did postgraduate work at Moscow State University. From 1956 to 1970, he worked as a journalist for Soviet radio and a Middle Eastern correspondent for Pravda newspaper. During this time, he was sent frequently on intelligence missions to the Middle East and the United States as a KGB co-optee under codename MAKSIM.
Read more about this topic: Yevgeny Primakov
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