Mustafa Golubich Serbian terrorist, Soviet intelligence officer. Country: Serbia

Biography of Mustafa Golubic

Mustafa Golubic was a Serbian terrorist and Soviet spy. Born in 1891 in the small village of Stoci in Herzegovina, which had been under Turkish rule for 500 years, Golubic gained popularity in Belgrade when he jumped into the water from a terrifying height - from a bridge over the Sava River. His bravery caught the attention of the leader of the Serbian military organization (chetniks), Vojislav Tankosic, who was one of the key figures of the "Black Hand". In the investigation files of the activities of the "Black Hand" (conducted in Austro-Hungary in 1917), Golubic is described as one of the most active members of the alliance, involved in the most notorious actions, including the "Sarajevo assassination".

At the beginning of World War I, Golubic joined the Serbian army as a non-commissioned officer. In April 14, 1915, the Royal Serbian mission, through the Main Directorate of the General Staff, requested the commander of the Turkestan Military District to send volunteers of Serbian, Croatian, and Slovenian nationalities to the active Serbian army. In August 1915, Serbian army officer Semiz Lushan and non-commissioned officers Iosif Milicevic and Mustafa Golubic arrived in Turkestan for agitation among Yugoslav prisoners of war. However, the number of volunteers was small, only 321 people.

From this point on, there were rumors and speculations among the Yugoslavs who knew Golubic. Some hinted that he was recruited by the Tsar's security guard in Russia in 1915 and worked for them until October 1917. There is no documentary evidence to support this claim, but there are indirect confirmations that he became associated with the Masons during that time - Golubic was a scholarship holder of a Masonic lodge at the Law Faculty in Switzerland.

Since 1920, Golubic worked for the OGPU and Comintern. In a questionnaire filled out in Moscow in 1938, Mustafa Muhammadovich Golubic wrote that he was divorced and had not seen any relatives for more than 12 years.

Golubic made numerous, albeit unsuccessful, attempts to prove to the Moscow authorities the unquestionable usefulness of the "Black Hand" and insisted on his connections with them. This was criticized in Golubic's OGPU service characteristics: "A negative trait of Golubic is his penchant for involving himself in any matter related to politics. For example, suggesting a connection with the organization 'Black Hand' despite the categorical instruction to focus solely on his own work." In his personal file, it was noted: "As a rule, he relies on people of his own nationality (Serbs) in his work. This is probably due to his national sentiment, extensive acquaintance with Serbian circles, and especially with the circles of the 'Black Hand' organization, of which Golubic was a member and to which Golubic has certain sympathies."

Golubic's colorful biography also includes significant actions of Soviet intelligence - involvement in the organization of an assassination attempt on Lev Trotsky in Mexico, as well as operations to abduct "enemies of the Soviet people" such as Generals Kutepov and Miller (leaders of the Russian All-Army Union with headquarters in Paris). Although Golubic did not consider himself a Soviet officer and did not hold any military rank, his compatriots persistently referred to him as a colonel or even a NKVD general in their records.

His fellow countrymen enthusiastically tell legends about him - for example, that Golubic was a friend of Stalin and that the leader smoked "Herzegovina-Flor" tobacco because Golubic brought it from his homeland in Herzegovina. There are also stories about him stealing a tank in England and his connection with Hollywood movie star Greta Garbo. Interestingly, in Lyon, he did indeed steal the blueprints of a new airplane - French intelligence was left empty-handed. Golubic's breakthrough moment as a spy came in the spring of 1941. It was Golubic, on the orders of the Center, who led the entire "Belgrade intrigue" - with the help of his associates (including the "Black Hand"), he initiated the proposal to the Soviet leadership to conclude a treaty, the prelude to which was the March coup.

For the "master of conspiracy" Mustafa Golubic, the Belgrade coup on March 27, 1941, and the Soviet-Yugoslav treaty were his last major operation. During the coup, he barely concealed himself, making it easy to identify and track him down. He was handed over to the Gestapo on June 7, 1941, in Belgrade, where he was captured while asleep. After three weeks of torture, he was executed on June 26. Before his execution, he was tied to a bench - he could no longer walk or stand.