It's always an interesting exercise to reflect on just what happened to plant an 18-year-old West German lad in the cockpit of a Cessna to attempt to land on Kremlin grounds on this day in 1987, when the Cold War was still at its height. Was it a test of Gorbachev's will amid a growingContinue reading "Rust on Red Square: Celebrating the Anniversary of the Day a Cessna Buzzed the Soviet Kremlin"
Casting Blame for the Chernobyl Disaster: Foreign Students in Ukraine Chime In
On 30 April 1986, less than four full days after the explosion that rocked the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Station, an official with the 5th Directorate of the Ukrainian KGB penned a Secret report based on human intelligence sources regarding wild rumors on the source of the catastrophe that had been already been spreading throughout theContinue reading "Casting Blame for the Chernobyl Disaster: Foreign Students in Ukraine Chime In"
Ukrainian KGB Tries to Keep Track of Panicky Foreigners Days After the Chernobyl Disaster
On 26 April 1986, the landscape of Pripyat, in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, would change forever. Pripyat was home to the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, whose Number 4 reactor exploded that day, setting off a chain of horrific events that would cause insurmountable damage and impact tens of thousands of innocent lives. Never oneContinue reading "Ukrainian KGB Tries to Keep Track of Panicky Foreigners Days After the Chernobyl Disaster"
From Russia With Angst – Someone Else’s Deal: What Russia Wants From the US-Iran Nuclear Deal – Carnegie Politika
One last fresh Carnegie Politika article that we felt were worth translating and posting. Hope you enjoy them. Back to the standard fare tomorrow. Someone Else's Deal: What Russia Wants From the US-Iran Nuclear Deal Moscow is not thrilled about the prospect of sanctions on Tehran being lifted, but if a deal is inevitable, itContinue reading "From Russia With Angst – Someone Else’s Deal: What Russia Wants From the US-Iran Nuclear Deal – Carnegie Politika"
Whither Moldova? – Time for Deals: How Moldova Wound Up Between Trump and Putin – Carnegie Politika
Photo: Getty Images Today we bring another excellent piece from Carnegie Politika, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). Remember, if you're interested in watching and learning about the history unfolding before your eyes, consider subscribing to CEIP’s news feeds or podcasts. We bring our unauthorized translations of Carnegie Politika's excellent journalism to ourContinue reading "Whither Moldova? – Time for Deals: How Moldova Wound Up Between Trump and Putin – Carnegie Politika"
Declassified Soviet Eyewitness Testimony to the Lübeck Bay Tragedy
Earlier this month, the Russian FSB declassified and published a set of documents that offer eyewitness survivor testimony to the Lübeck Bay tragedy, and event that claimed the lives of thousands of prisoners of war. On 3 May 1945, with only a few days left before Germany's final capitulation, the Royal Air Force conducted bombingContinue reading "Declassified Soviet Eyewitness Testimony to the Lübeck Bay Tragedy"
Materials on Soviet Nazi Collaborator from Pyatigorsk Declassified
The FSB Directorate for Stavropol Krai, together with the regional investigative department of the Investigative Committee of Russia, recently declassified archival documents about the accomplice of the Nazi occupiers, Olga Gindler, a native of Pyatigorsk of German descent. According to the document owners, their publication is being carried out as part of measures to counterContinue reading "Materials on Soviet Nazi Collaborator from Pyatigorsk Declassified"
Russian Spy Agency Claims NATO Preparing Campaign to Oust Zelensky
The Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation (SVR) claims to have information from its human intelligence sources on an upcoming effort by NATO leadership to see Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky discredited and ousted from office based on a high-level disinformation campaign. The information, which supposedly arrived at SVR Headquarters in late 2024, was publishedContinue reading "Russian Spy Agency Claims NATO Preparing Campaign to Oust Zelensky"
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 yearsContinue reading "Part Five and Final: Declassified Interrogation of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Commander"
Putin or Stalin – Force or Legitimization: Why Putin Needs Direct Talks – Carnegie Politika
Photo: Getty Images The following is a translation of a remarkable Russian-language article from Carnegie Politika, from the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). If you follow current global events but do not subscribe to CEIP's news feeds or podcasts, do yourself a favor and make that happen today. The article presented today is clearlyContinue reading "Putin or Stalin – Force or Legitimization: Why Putin Needs Direct Talks – Carnegie Politika"
Translating History 