Evening star., 1949-12-04
Three White Russians
Tell YugosIav Court
OF Foreign Contacts
By the ksseeiotsd Press


Three more self-exiled White
Russians accused Of belonging to
. Soviet spy ring described under
persistent questioning in a three
man district court today their
contacts with alleged foreign
agents.
Ten Russians. who fed their
country after the 1917 revolution,
are accused Of aiding German oc-
cupation forces in Yugoslavia,
then lending their services to
Russia against Tito.
Ex-Czarist Captain Testifies.
The three defendants who tes-
tined today were:
Vladimir Ogniev, 81, former
captain in the Czarist army. He
served as chairman of Sarajevo's
White Russian colony in the last
war.
uya Zerebeko. young Russian
born Yugoslav university gradu-
ate who was captured by the Ger
mans at one time and escaped. He
served in the Yugoslav army a
short time after the war, then
worked for the Russian-led Com
inform when it had its headquar-
ters in Belgrade.
Anatoh Polyakoving, Russian
born engineer who testified he was
In frequent contact with UNRRA
Omitted Nations Rehabilitation
and Reconstruction Administra-
tion) when that agency was pour
ing in large-scale relief for Yugo-
slavia's immediate postwar needs.
Ogniev acknowledged that he
collaborated with the Germans
during the war as an official Of
the White Russian colony. He also
admitted holding conversations
with agents Of the Russian secret
police and the Russian consulate
in Belgrade. but he denied acting
as a spy for the Soviet Union. He
said the Russian agents asked him
mostly about conditions in his part
Of Yugoslavia.
Tested Public Reactions.
Zerebeko testified he tested the
reaction Of the 'man-in-the-
street" in Belgrade to the Comm
forms ousting Of Marshal Tito II
months ago. He said he did this
on orders from Pavle Yelissiyev,
former Belgrade correspondent for
Tass. official Soviet news agency.
Yelissiyev has been described at
the trial as a Soviet intelligence
agent.
Zerebeko said he also carried
anti Yugoslav propaganda to
Sarajevo for distribution and re-
ported on conditions there,
Like the other defendants be-
fore him. Zerebeko declared he
did not consider these actions
hostile to Yugoslavia, but only q
service for his native country.
The third defendant. Ing. ad-
mitted that he worked for the
German occupiers during the war,
for the Soviet agents after it,
and even at one point or the
'imperialists." This latter activ-
fly. he said, was when he fur
nished reports to UNRRA on the
progress Of Yugoslav reconstruc-
ton. He contended these reports
were used for "spy work"
None Admits Financial Gain.
None Of the defendants, thus
far, has acknowledged any finan-
cial gain. Most Of them said, they
were inveigled or threatened into
doing the work.
One intended defendant. the |
Rev. Vladislav Nehljudov, a Rus |
sian Orthodox priest, was an
nounced suicide just before the
trial began. The prosecution to-
day made public bits Of notes
which it said were pinned to his
shirt when he was found hanging
by a moose in his cell.
The notes declared alone of
my own will, I am putting an
end to things" They declared
Nehljudov's innocence. The notes
were released In reply to stories
In Paris newspapers that the
priest had been killed.