Mark Govlich Captain GB (1936). Country: Russia

1. Early Life and Revolutionary Activity
2. Career in the Cheka and GPU
3. Advancement in the NKVD
4. Downfall and Death

Early Life and Revolutionary Activity

Mark Ilyich Govlich, born Golvinder, was born in Yekaterinoslav, Ukraine, in 1902. His father was a tailor, and he attended a Jewish state school until the fourth grade. From October 1917, Govlich actively participated in the Red Guard and engaged in party, trade union, and youth organizations. During the period April 1918 to January 1919, he worked underground.

Career in the Cheka and GPU

In April 1919, Govlich joined the Cheka, the Soviet secret police. He served as a military investigator, head of the Intelligence Department of the Special Section, and head of the Special Section of the 14th Cavalry Division. From 1922 to 1925, he held the position of deputy head of the Counter-intelligence Department of the Yekaterinoslav provincial GPU.

Following his studies at the Higher Borderline School of the OGPU, Govlich became the assistant head of the Kamenets-Podolsk Border Guard Detachment. He later worked in the intelligence department in various cities, including Kharkov, Stalino, and Zinovievsk. From 1930 to 1934, he served as head of the Intelligence Department of the Dnipropetrovsk operational sector and later of the regional GPU and NKVD.

Advancement in the NKVD

In 1934, Govlich became head of the Special Police Department (SPO) of the NKVD in Kharkov. From January to June 1937, he worked as deputy head of the 4th Department (SPO) of the NKVD of the Ukrainian SSR. However, in June 1937, he was removed from this position and arrested for 30 days.

After his release, Govlich became head of the NKVD in the Amur Oblast in September 1937. He received the Order of the Red Star and the "Honorary Worker of the Cheka-GPU" badge.

Downfall and Death

In June 1938, Govlich was removed from his post, and in July, he was expelled from the Communist Party. On July 29, 1938, he was arrested and later executed on the orders of a visiting session of the Supreme Court of the USSR Military Collegium. He was never rehabilitated.