Russia’s Serbsky Institute has rejected any grounds for the charges against YURY DMITRIEV, renowned historian and Head of the Karelia branch of the Memorial Society. Even an institute notorious for its use of punitive psychiatry in Soviet times was not willing to take part in the politically motivated attempt to imprison Dmitriev for up to … Continue reading Serbsky Institute dismisses charges. Next hearing, 14 March
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Japanese daily’s two items about Dmitriev
The mass-circulation Japanese daily Sankei Shimbun opened a series of 80 articles to mark the centenary of the October 1917 Revolution with two items (25-26 October 2017) concerning the Dmitriev Affair: "The prisoners who disappeared. Over five days 1,111 people were shot in the forest" and "The historian who discovered where the victims of Stalin … Continue reading Japanese daily’s two items about Dmitriev
Who wants to rewrite the history of Sandarmokh—and why?
Since its discovery in 1997, Sandarmokh has become a place of pilgrimage for the descendants of those killed in Stalin’s Great Terror, for local villagers, for historians and for public figures. An International Day of Remembrance has been held at Sandarmokh every year since then, attended by delegations from various parts of Russia and from … Continue reading Who wants to rewrite the history of Sandarmokh—and why?
Stalin’s long shadow
"In March 1953, after Stalin's death, the chief editor of the weekly Literaturnaya Gazeta Konstantin Simonov wrote that the main task of Soviet literature henceforth would be to understand Stalin's role in Russian history. He had no idea how right he would be!" writes Alexander Cherkasov. "It was literature that fostered the growth of interest … Continue reading Stalin’s long shadow
The man saving us all
"There are lives that seem remarkable, but if you look closely, you’ll see that another could have done as well," writes Russian author Sergei Lebedev. "There are lives, however, that are an ideal fit. You can’t imagine anyone else doing the same. Yury Dmitriev is one of those. "Journalists have called him Khottabych (or even … Continue reading The man saving us all
The Dmitriev Affair 