On 18 August 2025, the Russian Federal Security Service [FSB] (Omsk office) declassified and released from its archives a batch of materials related to Imperial Japan's bacteriological warfare program and the creation of the notorious Detachment 731. Today we'll be presenting a translation of the initial four-page 'Special Report' described below. Also included in theContinue reading "Japan Prepares for Bacteriological Warfare Against the Soviet Union: New FSB Release"
1943 Report to Moscow on the Frank Questions Being Asked of the Liberators
Throughout 1943, as the German Army stalled and took on massive losses in Soviet territory, Red Army troops were able to eventually push them back and, in the wake of the battles, were rightly embraced as liberators of the inhabitants of those territories the Nazis had been occupying. Soldiers and citizens alike, unsurprisingly, had manyContinue reading "1943 Report to Moscow on the Frank Questions Being Asked of the Liberators"
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 activistsContinue reading "1980: KGB Keeps Nobel Prize out of Ukrainian Writer’s Grasp"
New Russian Navy Project 22350 Frigate Launched in Northern Shipyard – Latest Ship to Carry the Hypersonic Zircon Missile
The USC Northern Shipyard held a ceremonial launch of the frigate Admiral Amelko on 14 August 2025. This is the fifth ship being built by the enterprise for the Russian Navy based on the Project 22350 design of the United Shipbuilding Corporation's [USC] Northern Design Bureau. The arsenal of Project 22350 frigates allows them toContinue reading "New Russian Navy Project 22350 Frigate Launched in Northern Shipyard – Latest Ship to Carry the Hypersonic Zircon Missile"
Zvezdochka Shipyard Rolls Out Russian Navy’s Newest Weapons Transport Vessel
A ceremony was held on 14 August 2025 for the Project 20181 Akademik Makeyev reinforced ice-class weapons transport departing the slipway. The ceremony was held at the Zvezdochka Ship Repair Center. As noted by the United Shipbuilding Corporation [USC] public affairs office, the vessel was developed by the Almaz Design Bureau by order of theContinue reading "Zvezdochka Shipyard Rolls Out Russian Navy’s Newest Weapons Transport Vessel"
Stalin’s Eldest Son: Captured, Interrogated, Killed
Yakov Dzhugashvili, the oldest child of Josef Stalin, could never be said to have enjoyed an easy life. After his mother died when he was less than one year old, his father dumped him off to be reared by her family while he went off to be Stalin, doing Stalinesque things as only he couldContinue reading "Stalin’s Eldest Son: Captured, Interrogated, Killed"
Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Kursk
Today marks the 25th anniversary of the tragic sinking of the K-141 Kursk, the Northern Fleet's Project 949A nuclear submarine. The general picture is still clear in the minds of those who were "around "in the trade" when it took place - the first major Russian Navy exercise in a decade, while sailing submerged inContinue reading "Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Kursk"
Arctic Ocean Area Closures for Russian Navy Missile Launches Scheduled for 18-20 August 2025
On 11 August 2025, the Russian Federation Ministry of Defense filed three maritime closure areas that encompass the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Kara Sea, and Cheshskaya Guba to ensure safe lanes for missile launches from 18 to 20 August, with a local time window of 1300-2100 GMT each day. While the Russian-issued advisory offered noContinue reading "Arctic Ocean Area Closures for Russian Navy Missile Launches Scheduled for 18-20 August 2025"
Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow – Part 2
The question of the dissolution of the USSR was decided in the last four months of its existence, after the August coup and before the meeting of the heads of the USSR republics in Alma-Ata in December. Some historians feel that one of the key reasons for the collapse of the Union was the relationsContinue reading "Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington, Kyiv, and Moscow – Part 2"
Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington and Moscow – Part 1
On December 26, 1991, the Council of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR adopted a declaration ending 69 years of the existence of the Soviet Union. This was the result of the Belovezh Accords of December 8, when the leaders of the RSFSR, the Ukrainian SSR, and the Belarus SSR signed aContinue reading "Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington and Moscow – Part 1"
Translating History 