A brief Top Secret cipher telegram was sent by Soviet agent VADIM from London on 10 December 1941, three days after the US naval base at Pearl Harbor was attacked by Japan. The report cites an 8 December wire sent by Halifax, in which he outlines a conversation with US Assistant Secretary of State DeanContinueContinue reading “1941: Soviet Agent Reports West Wants USSR to Declare War on Japan to Open Military Bases in Far East for the Americans”
Tag Archives: russia
1978 KGB Classified Document Pushes Bizarre Warnings Ahead of 1980 Moscow Olympic Games
We’ve all seen our share of crazy-pants conspiracy theories over the past decade, but they all pale in comparison to the dossier compiled by Yuriy Andropov’s KGB in 1978 during the run-up to the Moscow-held 1980 Olympics. The Top Secret report, “Concerning plans of Western intelligence services and foreign anti-Soviet organizations in connection with theContinueContinue reading “1978 KGB Classified Document Pushes Bizarre Warnings Ahead of 1980 Moscow Olympic Games”
Two German Spies Alert the Soviets to Germany’s War Preparations: Alta, Ariyets, and Barbarossa
On December 29, 1940, a decrypted report from Berlin landed on Stalin’s desk. “Meteor,” a resident of the intelligence directorate of the Red Army General Staff reported from Berlin: “‘Alta’ has reported that Hitler gave the order (learned from ‘Ariyets’ in highly informed circles) on preparations for war with the USSR, which is planned toContinueContinue reading “Two German Spies Alert the Soviets to Germany’s War Preparations: Alta, Ariyets, and Barbarossa”
1986: Gorbachev Reacts to US Mass Expulsion of Soviets on Heels of Reykjavik Summit
1986 was an exciting year in the world of foreign policy, especially for the Americans and Soviets. Here’s a brief rundown of events that sets the tone for this article: March 7: The United States orders the Soviet Union to reduce staff members of the Soviet, Ukrainian, and Belorussian missions to the United Nations toContinueContinue reading “1986: Gorbachev Reacts to US Mass Expulsion of Soviets on Heels of Reykjavik Summit”
Top Secret 1974 Politburo Records on the Solzhenitsyn Issue: Exile? Imprison? Expel?
By January 1974, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was already well known throughout most of the Soviet Union as a rabble-rouser, trouble-maker, ne’er-do-well, and pretty good author. When he quietly sent his weighty manuscript for ‘Gulag Archipelago’ off to the YMCA Press to be published in Paris and New York City, many inside Kremlin circles were shocked, toContinueContinue reading “Top Secret 1974 Politburo Records on the Solzhenitsyn Issue: Exile? Imprison? Expel?”
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 manyContinueContinue 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 activistsContinueContinue reading “1980: KGB Keeps Nobel Prize out of Ukrainian Writer’s Grasp”
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 theContinueContinue reading “Zvezdochka Shipyard Rolls Out Russian Navy’s Newest Weapons Transport Vessel”
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”
Translating History 