1956 was a difficult year for the Soviet Union. February saw Khrushchev’s Secret Speech, and within months, the Warsaw Pact nations were made aware of Stalin’s overall shabby behavior, to put it lightly. Poland was particularly vocal through its media in badmouthing Soviet culture, fashion, and life in particular. On 26 September 1956, Soviet EmbassyContinueContinue reading “1956: Soviet Embassy in Poland Alerts CPSU to Rising Anti-Soviet Sentiments in Polish Press”
Category Archives: Human Rights
1962: Lies about Stalin-Era Illegal Executions Come Back to Haunt the KGB
On 6 March 1953, a massive warm front struck otherwise icy northern Europe, and wound its way east- and westward, eventually circling the globe. The reason for the warmer than normal air temperatures was the massive sigh of relief simultaneously exhaled from the entire population of the Soviet Union upon learning that Josef Stalin wasContinueContinue reading “1962: Lies about Stalin-Era Illegal Executions Come Back to Haunt the KGB”
Census Takers Executed by Soviet Authorities in 1938 for Unwittingly Revealing Millions of Ukrainians Were Lost to the Holdomor
Hopes were certainly high when Stalin declared a census be taken in 1937 across the entire Soviet Union. As the illustration above shows, gigantic success was anticipated for socialism in the USSR. But as the results started rolling in, Soviet leadership was in for a few surprises. One of the questions asked was whether orContinueContinue reading “Census Takers Executed by Soviet Authorities in 1938 for Unwittingly Revealing Millions of Ukrainians Were Lost to the Holdomor”
1940: Kickoff of Soviet Country-Wide Repressions Against Lithuanian Opposition Leaders
The following is a translation of the four-page Top Secret covert activity plan of the Lithuanian Department of State Security, dated 7 July 1940, calling for the arrest and elimination of the leadership of “anti-state” parties. This would be the first of a series of repressive activities by Soviet internal affairs and state security agenciesContinueContinue reading “1940: Kickoff of Soviet Country-Wide Repressions Against Lithuanian Opposition Leaders”
1980: KGB Keeps Nobel Prize out of Ukrainian Writer’s Grasp
During the lifetime of the USSR, Ukrainian culture and national identity were subjected to brutal oppression by the Soviet authorities, and especially by the USSR State Security Committee (KGB). This special service was the main instrument of political control and repression, carrying out large-scale operations to discredit, persecute and destroy Ukrainian patriots, intellectuals and activistsContinueContinue reading “1980: KGB Keeps Nobel Prize out of Ukrainian Writer’s Grasp”
Moldova Announces Complete Declassified Deportation Archive to be Made Public in July
The popular Moldovan news website Point.md today cited reporting from tv8.md on the declassification of tens of thousands of files on Moldovan citizens deported, most significantly from the Stalin era. Because the website’s report is currently only available in Romanian and Russian, we have taken it upon ourselves to provide an English translation for thoseContinueContinue reading “Moldova Announces Complete Declassified Deportation Archive to be Made Public in July”
Here’s Why LGBT+ is Russia’s Main Domestic Enemy – Carnegie Politika
Photo: Getty Images Another in our series of translations of the latest Carnegie Politika articles. Resolving the Gay Question. Why was LGBT+ designated the main domestic enemy in Russia during the era of the Special Military Operation? Unlike the Soviet approach, Putin’s neo-Victorianism is not directed against same-sex relations as such, or even the peopleContinueContinue reading “Here’s Why LGBT+ is Russia’s Main Domestic Enemy – Carnegie Politika”
Part Five and Final: Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander
We continue our translation of the Russian-language record of the December 1946 interrogation of SS Standartenführer Anton Kaindl who, at the time of his arrest in May 1945, was the commandant of the infamous Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Due to its length, the translation is being published bit by bit throughout the week. In Part One Kaindl described his early yearsContinueContinue reading “Part Five and Final: Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander”
Part Four: Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander
We continue our translation of the Russian-language record of the December 1946 interrogation of SS Standartenführer Anton Kaindl who, at the time of his arrest in May 1945, was the commandant of the infamous Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Due to its length, the translation is being published bit by bit throughout the week. In Part One Kaindl described his early yearsContinueContinue reading “Part Four: Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander”
Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander: Part 2
We continue our translation of the Russian-language record of the December 1946 interrogation of SS Standartenführer Anton Kaindl who, at the time of his arrest in May 1945, was the commandant of the infamous Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Due to its length, the translation is being published bit by bit throughout the week. In Part OneContinueContinue reading “Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander: Part 2”
Translating History 