History & Persons

Yaroslav Listov17.08.2026

The 130th anniversary of the birth of Iona Emmanuilovich Yakir (1896–1937), a Red Army commander of the 1st rank and one of the most talented military leaders of the Russian Civil War, is being commemorated this year. Yakir was born in Chișinău into the family of a pharmacist. He studied chemistry at the University of […]

Yaroslav Listov14.08.2026

On Aug. 13, 1871, Karl Paul Friedrich August Liebknecht was born in Leipzig—a man whose name would become a symbol of uncompromising struggle for freedom and justice. The son of Wilhelm Liebknecht, one of the founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Karl absorbed socialist ideas from an early age. Trained as a […]

Andrey Vedyaev10.08.2026

June 15, 2026, marks the 112th anniversary of the birth of Yuri Vladimirovich Andropov, one of the most remarkable figures of the Soviet political elite and the only head of the Soviet security services ever to rise to the leadership of both the Communist Party and the state. The circumstances surrounding the birth of the […]

Andrey Vedyaev09.08.2026

On December 5, 2025, Yuri Petrovich Vlasov would have turned 90. To generations of sports fans, he was simply the strongest man on Earth – the 1960 Olympic champion, a four-time world champion, six-time European champion and five-time Soviet champion. He set 29 world records during his career. But Vlasov represented something bigger than physical […]

Andrey Vedyaev07.08.2026

As the Cold War hardened into a global contest, intelligence became one of the principal arenas of confrontation. The Wolf Constellation Markus Wolf belonged to the generation of German anti-fascists who helped build and defend the German Democratic Republic (GDR), the first socialist state established on German soil. For four decades, these men and women […]

Dmitry Litvinov03.08.2026

The 90th Anniversary of the beginning of the Spanish Civil War: the Republic’s response. The Republic’s Fatal Hesitation The attitude of the Republican government toward the approaching military uprising can be summed up in one sentence: they knew that a conspiracy was underway, but they underestimated its scale and the determination of those preparing it. […]

Dmitry Litvinov02.08.2026

The 90th Anniversary of the Outbreak of the Spanish Civil War: The Rebels Take the Offensive. The Beginning of the Spanish Civil War The uprising began in the city of Melilla, in Spanish Morocco, an hour ahead of schedule. Many soldiers and officers who remained loyal to the Republican government were killed, followed by a […]

Andrey Vedyaev01.08.2026

One day in 1980, a handsome young man walked into the Soviet Embassy in Rome. Introducing himself as a sailor in the United States Navy, he calmly announced that he wished to emigrate to the Soviet Union. The officials in the consular section could scarcely believe what they were hearing. Suspecting that the visitor might […]

Yaroslav Listov30.07.2026

Seventy years ago, in the final days of July 1956, the world changed. How the USSR Defeated Britain and France A former colony delivered a resounding slap in the face to its imperial rulers. Standing before a crowd in Alexandria’s Al-Manshia Square, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced the nationalization of the Suez Canal. He […]

Yuri Chekalin28.07.2026

“Hasten to Do Good”: Fyodor Haass — The Man Who Restored Humanity to the Condemned. There are names that survive not because they are associated with power, wealth, or spectacular victories. Their legacy cannot be measured in palaces, official titles, or monuments. They leave behind not possessions, but transformed human lives. Fyodor Petrovich Haass was […]

How a Chemistry Student Defeated the Tsarist Generals

155 Years Since the Birth of Karl Liebknecht

The Andropov Code

Russian Strongmen

Markus Wolf and the Intelligence War of the Cold War

The Spanish Civil War at 90: the Republic’s Response

The Spanish Civil War at 90: the Rebels’ Post Victories

The Cry of the Albatross, or Spy Games

The Last Stand of the Colonial Powers

The Man Moscow Followed

How a Chemistry Student Defeated the Tsarist Generals

Netanyahu Calls Britain an “Islamic Country with Nuclear Weapons”

Where Is All That American Oil Really Going?

Why We’re a Problem