Yan Chernyak

Yan Chernyak (6 April 1909 – 19 February 1995) was a World War II era spy who led a network of several dozen people in Nazi Germany working for the Soviet Union's military intelligence GRU. He was nicknamed "man without a shadow" for his ability to move around undetected.

He was made a Hero of the Russian Federation (List of Heroes of the Russian Federation (C)) in December 1994, two months before he died on 19 February 1995.

Chernyak is credited with "obtaining information used to devise the first Soviet radar, which formed part of Moscow's air defenses during Nazi raids in 1941, according to a statement from the Russian army's general staff. Chernyak also was ``instrumental in developing the Soviet Union's nuclear weapons program, the statement said. Details of his spy activities remain secret. After World War II, and until retiring in 1969, Chernyak was a translator for the official Soviet news agency, Tass. Earlier this month, he received the Hero of Russia award, the nation's highest honor."