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 theContinueContinue reading “Zvezdochka Shipyard Rolls Out Russian Navy’s Newest Weapons Transport Vessel”
Tag Archives: history
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 couldContinueContinue 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 inContinueContinue reading “Commemorating the 25th Anniversary of the Sinking of the Kursk”
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 relationsContinueContinue 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 aContinueContinue reading “Russia and Ukraine, 1991: Declassified Phone Conversations Between Washington and Moscow – Part 1”
On This Date: 1942 Message on Red Army Cowardice on the Stalingrad Front
In a 1942 message written to the Military Councils of the Armies of the Stalingrad Front, Commander of Troops General-Lieutenant Vasiliy Gordov voiced his frustrations over the fact that individual soldiers, and sometimes even entire units, were known to retreat from battle without authorization, only to face no punishment from higher headquarters. Pointing out thatContinueContinue reading “On This Date: 1942 Message on Red Army Cowardice on the Stalingrad Front”
On This Date: 1942 Report from Zhukov on Early Days of Rzhev Offensive Operation
The summer 1942 Battle of Rzhev was one of a number of fierce and bloody battles that began the previous January, and would not let up until the following March. There is still heated debate regarding the entire campaign’s toll to the Red Army and the Wehrmacht – many suggest the numbers of Red ArmyContinueContinue reading “On This Date: 1942 Report from Zhukov on Early Days of Rzhev Offensive Operation”
On This Date: 1944 Report from Beria on Security Operations to Destroy Armed Ukrainian Partisan Formations
Special Folder Top Secret Copy No. 1 5 August 1944 According to the NKVD-NKGB of the Ukrainian SSR, recently, in connection with the advance of the Red Army units to the West and the departure of individual units of the NKVD troops stationed in the areas of the Rivne region, the OUN (Organization ofContinueContinue reading “On This Date: 1944 Report from Beria on Security Operations to Destroy Armed Ukrainian Partisan Formations”
Korean War: Kicking Off the Soviet Propaganda Program
Translating History winds down its look at Korean War with four new translations, the last of our documents from this batch. Today’s post features evidence that most of the world was siding with the United Nations version of events, that the North Koreans invaded South Korea as puppets of the USSR. The Soviets, seeing theContinueContinue reading “Korean War: Kicking Off the Soviet Propaganda Program”
Russia’s Largest Supplier of Speedboats for Military and Coast Guard Struggles with its “Unfriendly” Foreign Components
A report published in June 2025 by the Almaz Central Marine Design Bureau reveals that there are still challenges that continue to stymie the Russian Federation’s efforts to completely phase out imported components, especially in the realm of shipbuilding. Almaz highlights foreign components its own design and production of high-speed boats for the Russian MinistryContinueContinue reading “Russia’s Largest Supplier of Speedboats for Military and Coast Guard Struggles with its “Unfriendly” Foreign Components”
Translating History 