Dhaka, March 23 -- Oleg Gordievsky, the Soviet KGB officer who played a crucial role in shaping the course of the Cold War by secretly passing intelligence to Britain, has died at the age of 86.

Gordievsky passed away on March 4 in England, where he had lived since defecting in 1985. Police confirmed Saturday that his death is not being treated as suspicious.

Historians regard Gordievsky as one of the most significant spies of the Cold War era. His intelligence, particularly in the 1980s, helped prevent a dangerous escalation of nuclear tensions between the Soviet Union and the West.

From KGB Insider to British Spy

Born in Moscow in 1938, Gordievsky joined the KGB in the early 1960s, serving in Moscow, Copenhagen, and eventually Londo...