Paul Dukes was sent into Russia in 1918, shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution. His role was to keep the British spy networks in place during the Red Terror, when the Cheka secret police were killing large numbers of opponents of the communist regime. Dukes operated under a variety of covers, the most daring of which was as a member of the Cheka itself. On his return the British government publicised his role to prove their case against the Bolsheviks, knighting him publicly and awarding him the Victoria Cross.