According to very recent reporting, Hungary will release thousands of secret agent and informant files from the socialist era on November 4. The following is translated from a 30 Septembner 2026 Russian-language news article. Researchers claim that virtually every resident of Hungary will be able to find the names of relatives or acquaintances in theseContinue reading "Difficult Converations Ahead – Hungary Prepares for Explosive Release of Declassified Archives"
1943: Killing Kommissar Kube, Hitler’s Man in Occupied Belarus
Wilhelm Kube was not a nice man, but the same could be said of so many others before and after him who donned the swastika armband. He is the author of the infamous quote, "What plague and syphilis are to humanity, are Jews to the white race." That should be proof enough of the sortContinue reading "1943: Killing Kommissar Kube, Hitler’s Man in Occupied Belarus"
1937: NKVD’s Ethnic Cleansing of Soviet Poles Begins
On August 20, 1937, the NKVD’s "Polish Operation" began. It was one of many "national operations" carried out during the Great Terror, targeting ethnic Poles who were Soviet citizens, as well as anyone else who might have had some connection to Poland. It was initiated by Secret NKVD Order No. 00485, dated August 9, 1937,Continue reading "1937: NKVD’s Ethnic Cleansing of Soviet Poles Begins"
1955: Zhukov Advises CPSU on Soviet Troop Withdrawal from Austria, Bolsters the Warsaw Pact
On 15 May 1955, the Austrian State Treaty was signed, thereby re-establishing Austria as a free, independent, and democratic sovereign state after World War II. The treaty was signed by the Allied occupying powers (the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France) and the Austrian government, and officially ended the joint foreignContinue reading "1955: Zhukov Advises CPSU on Soviet Troop Withdrawal from Austria, Bolsters the Warsaw Pact"
Manuscripts Don’t Burn: The Secret 1926 Soviet Interrogations of Mikhail Bulgakov
By the mid-1920s, fledgling author Mikhail Bulgakov was already a marked man in the eyes of Soviet authorities due to his critical and satirical views of the Bolshevik regime. In April 1926, agents from the OGPU (the Soviet secret police and erstwhile precursor to the KGB) raided his Moscow apartment. During their search, the authoritiesContinue reading "Manuscripts Don’t Burn: The Secret 1926 Soviet Interrogations of Mikhail Bulgakov"
1939: Robbery, Murder, and Rape – More Bad News for Voroshilov, Downplayed as “Negative Incidents”
Whew. At some point, one would think Voroshilov would stop reading the incoming reports from the Ukrainian and Belorussian Fronts regarding out-of-control Red Army troops committing grievous crimes "against the backdrop of the excellent political and moral state of the units." This time, a Top Secret report from the Office of the Chief Military ProsecutorContinue reading "1939: Robbery, Murder, and Rape – More Bad News for Voroshilov, Downplayed as “Negative Incidents”"
1939: Infantry Deserters a Problem for the Red Army After Invading Poland
When it rains, it pours for Marshall of the Soviet Union Kliment Voroshilov. Having done little to quell insubordination and a lack of military discipline and morale in the ranks, as the year 1939 draws to a close, he is facing the very real and growing issue of desertion. As we'll see in the followingContinue reading "1939: Infantry Deserters a Problem for the Red Army After Invading Poland"
1939: Voroshilov Excuses Soviet War Crimes Against Polish Civilians as a Misunderstanding
One runs out of words when trying to explain the thought process of a decorated Marshal of the Soviet Union dismissing the unlawful summary execution of at least nine Polish civilians as a "mistake and a misunderstanding" that took place against the backdrop of "combat operations and acute class struggle." Another slap on the wrist,Continue reading "1939: Voroshilov Excuses Soviet War Crimes Against Polish Civilians as a Misunderstanding"
1939: Voroshilov Issues Slaps on the Wrist for Negligence that Led to the Death of Four Soviet Airmen
Disclaimer: The central photo of this image was created with AI. On September 22, 1939, four Soviet Polikarpov I-15 biplane fighters from the 35th Fighter Aviation Regiment crashed near Sinyavka, Belarus, shortly after taking off from Nabushevo airfield. The flight of six I-15s and one I-16 was ordered to redeploy to Baranavichy during the SovietContinue reading "1939: Voroshilov Issues Slaps on the Wrist for Negligence that Led to the Death of Four Soviet Airmen"
1939: Stalin’s Biggest Enemy During the Soviet Invasion of Poland Was the Red Army Itself
We can thank Carl von Clausewitz for the concept of the fog of war. But leave it to the Red Army to provide us with shining examples of the fog of logistics, which may have come close to derailing what otherwise should have been a walk-in-the-park invasion of Poland in 1939. Toss in a subsequentContinue reading "1939: Stalin’s Biggest Enemy During the Soviet Invasion of Poland Was the Red Army Itself"
