Soviet Diplomat Missing, May Be Seeking Asylum

A senior Soviet diplomat who was due to fly home this week has disappeared in Athens and is believed to have sought asylum at a Western embassy, a government spokesman said today.

Greek government spokesman Michalis Stathopoulos said Sergei Bokhane, 50, a first secretary at the Soviet Embassy, was last seen Saturday.

Police sources said Bokhane drove away from his apartment near the Soviet Embassy after telling his wife he would be back soon.

They said his wife reported him missing on Monday. The family was to have flown to Moscow this week on a private visit, the sources said, and Bokhane’s wife returned to the Soviet capital on Wednesday with their 7-year-old daughter.

Bokhane was posted to Athens in 1982.