On Sunday, 18 March 2018, Vladimir PUTIN ran for the Russian presidency for a fourth time and won easily in the first round, claiming 77% of votes cast (by 68% of the electorate), in a contest that was neither free nor fair. His most prominent opponent, following the murder of Boris Nemtsov, was Alexei NAVALNY, … Continue reading Only a Trial will do This Time
23 January 1991* (Pb 223) demonstration
Moscow Party Committee to CPSU Central Committee. Report on a vast anti-Gorbachev demonstration in the centre of the Soviet capital following the January events in Lithuania. [R 20 January 1991, Pb 223] total of 2 pp. ==================================== [page one of two] Return to the Protocol sector of the CPSU Central Committee General Department[vertical text on … Continue reading 23 January 1991* (Pb 223) demonstration
11 March 1975* (547-A) Matzo
KGB memorandum from Andropov, copy for Chernenko. Confiscation of matzo in parcels sent from abroad. [R 11 March 1975, 547-A] ============================ For Comrade K.U. Chernenko only [1] [Stamp] The agreement of the CPSU Central Committee has been obtained,reports Comrade Galkin, V.E., 1 Sector of CPSU Central Committee General Department [dated & signed] 12 March 1975 … Continue reading 11 March 1975* (547-A) Matzo
5 September 1968* (2012-A) Red Square
KGB memorandum to Politburo describing the 25 August Red Square demonstrators, signed by Andropov, Shchelokov (Minister of Internal Affairs) and Malyarov (USSR Procurator’s Office) 5 September 1968 [R 5 September 1968, 2102-A], total of 2 pp. ============================ [page one of two] Secret To the CPSU Central Committee Recently, especially in connection with events in Czechoslovakia, … Continue reading 5 September 1968* (2012-A) Red Square
The post-Soviet Archives (1993)
Organisation, Access, and Declassification == Theodore Karasik ==National Defense Research Institute (RAND Corporation) [Published 1993] INTRODUCTION The post-Soviet archives examined in this monograph are organized into six separate groups: [1] the Russian state archival system; [2] the Russian foreign ministry archives; [3] the Russian Presidential Archive; [4] the Committee for State Security (KGB) archives; [5] … Continue reading The post-Soviet Archives (1993)
How the Soviet Archives were opened and shut
Michael Ledeen, FREEDOM BETRAYED, 1996 Chapter Three (pp. 69-70) [T]he West should have insisted on a proper accounting, if not for the millions of collaborators, certainly for the ruling elites. […] we should have understood the vital importance of making public the historical record of Communist tyranny. […] For a few brief months after the … Continue reading How the Soviet Archives were opened and shut
“Let History Judge” (Medvedev) 1967-1969
<< September 1967 to February 1969 >> see 14 November 1967 (no number) Hoover Institution annotation: [1] Memorandum to the CPSU Central Committee from V. Stepakov, Chief of the Propaganda Department, S. Trapeznikov, Chief of the Department of Research and Educational Institutions, and V. Shauro, Chief of the Department of Culture, re the manuscript "Under … Continue reading “Let History Judge” (Medvedev) 1967-1969
Essays, Articles, etc. (1977-2016)
Vladimir K. Bukovsky (1943-2019) << A selection >> "Punitive Psychiatry", Foreword to Sidney Bloch and Peter Reddaway, Russia's Political Hospitals, 1977 "The Peace Movement and the USSR", Commentary, 5 January 1982 "Support the Nicaraguan Resistance", New York Times, 18 April 1985 "Is Glasnost a Game of Mirrors?" New York Times, 22 March 1987 "Night of … Continue reading Essays, Articles, etc. (1977-2016)
12 December 1980* (St 241/41) Syria
Soviet military mission to visit Syria. Discussions to be held about use of Syrian ports by Soviet navy, landing of Soviet spy planes at Syrian airports, and stationing of aviation and artillery units there. Contains request to Central Committee (No 3395, 9 December 1980) which includes details of six delegation members, and 22 November 1980 … Continue reading 12 December 1980* (St 241/41) Syria
Bukovsky laid to rest (November 2019)
On Tuesday, 19 November 2019, Vladimir BUKOVSKY was buried in Highgate Cemetery, north London, after a service conducted by an Orthodox priest at the chapel nearby. Among those who spoke later at the funeral reception in Lauderdale House were Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatar nation; journalist and veteran Soviet dissident Alexander Podrabinek; and … Continue reading Bukovsky laid to rest (November 2019)
“How I copied these documents” (V.K. Bukovsky)
In 2008, doubts were cast on the value and, even, the authenticity of the documents copied in Moscow by Bukovsky in the second half of 1992. Bukovsky himself replied to the second criticism. ===================== If I remember correctly, I had [a] Toshiba notebook (which died long ago and I threw it away), but to which … Continue reading “How I copied these documents” (V.K. Bukovsky)
24 August 1979* (St-173/49) Biden
Arrangements for a visit by a group of US Senators, led by Joseph Biden (Dem.-Delaware) to the USSR between 25 and 30 August [Russian: 24 August 1979, St 173-49], total 4 pp. =================== [page one of four] Workers of all Lands, Unite! COMMUNIST PARTY OF THE SOVIET UNION. CENTRAL COMMITTEE [Text along left-hand margin] Must … Continue reading 24 August 1979* (St-173/49) Biden
Vladimir Konstantinovich BUKOVSKY, 1942-2019
Belebei (USSR), 30 December 1942 — Cambridge (UK), 27 October 2019. Vladimir BUKOVSKY, once dubbed “a hero of almost legendary proportion among the Soviet dissident movement” by the New York Times, died of cardiac arrest in Addenbrookes Hospital, in Cambridge, England at 9:30 pm (Greenwich Mean Time) on 27 October 2019. He was 76. His … Continue reading Vladimir Konstantinovich BUKOVSKY, 1942-2019
Secret Chernobyl (1986-2019)
In Judgment in Moscow, Vladimir BUKOVSKY writes in passing with irony and scepticism of the Western reaction, in April 1986, to the explosion at the Chernobyl reactor and the behaviour of the Soviet leadership led by the "new Chichikov", Mikhail Gorbachev. Again and again, he notes disbelievingly, Western commentators urged that the new head of … Continue reading Secret Chernobyl (1986-2019)
The Abuse of Psychiatry (1970-1989)
The abuse of psychiatry for political purposes was widespread in the Soviet Union. When the release of political prisoners began in 1987 it became apparent that one third of their number were detained, often indefinitely, in psychiatric prison hospitals. All ten documents in this archive concerning this practice may be found in the thematic section … Continue reading The Abuse of Psychiatry (1970-1989)
“Judgment in Moscow”, on sale (May 2019)
“The movers and shakers of today have little interest in digging for the truth. Who knows what one may come up with? You may start out with the Communists and end up with yourself.” Vladimir BUKOVSKY ♦ Paperback, hardback and e-book versions available ♦ “The most important work to appear for decades on the Soviet … Continue reading “Judgment in Moscow”, on sale (May 2019)
The Soviet Union and Afghanistan (CWIHP)
Documents from the Bulletins of the Cold War International History Project (CWIHP) Compiled and republished November 2001 (79 pp.) Compare section 9.2 in this archive -- USSR and Afghanistan, 1974-1992 * BULLETIN 3 (Fall 1993) Soviet Policy in Afghanistan, 1979: A Grim Assessment 12 April 1979 -- Politburo, excerpt 149 from minutes, including 1 April … Continue reading The Soviet Union and Afghanistan (CWIHP)
July 1992* [RF Presidential Archive] Poland
RF Presidential Archive. List of eight documents reflecting Politburo discussion and action in relation to Poland, between August 1980 and September 1982. [Russian: Jul 92] For translations of these documents see this website and section 9.4 The USSR and Poland. ================= LIST Of documents from the Archive of the President of the Russian Federation 25 … Continue reading July 1992* [RF Presidential Archive] Poland
The Past on Trial (1992) CPSU
-- Russia one year later -- Richard PIPES «The Washington Post» (16 August 1992) In the morning hours of 7 July 1992 an unusual spectacle unfolded in the center of Moscow, off Staraya Ploshchad, where until recently the all-powerful Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) had had its headquarters: In … Continue reading The Past on Trial (1992) CPSU
