Bazhan O., Zolotariov V.

«… I did the dirtiest work in the CHEKA» (Solomon Solomonovich Bruk)

Abstract: The article traces the process of formation and career growth of the Soviet punitive institution representative – the Investigative People's Commissariat of Internal Affairs of the USSR S.S.Bruk. It also highlights the corporate behavior of employees of the NKVD secret political department in the days of the Great Terror. During the study, the authors relied on historical-genetic, historical-comparative methods and social psychology methodological tools. Conclusions. The personal and archival-criminal case of the NKVD investigator Solomon SolomonovichBruk, as well as other archival documents of the Soviet state security bodies allow to analyze the quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the personnel potential of the Cheka-DPU-NKVD. Since the creation of the Soviet secret police, there have been difficulties in recruiting people with at least secondary education to this organization. Replenishment of Chekist structures in the 1920-ies and 1930-ies took place at the expense of demobilized servicemen, Komsomol and trade union activists, and party-Soviet activists. The activities of an employee of the Soviet state security agencies in the 1920-ies and 1930-ies were negatively affected by legal nihilism, internal regulatory acts, and difficult responsibilities; overload at work (brevity of the time allotted for the investigation of a criminal case), tension that is associated with great physical and mental strain. For 17 years, Solomon Brukmade a career from an untrained KGB member as a Komsomol activist to a trained officer of the secret political department of the NKVD of the USSR with a specialization in investigation and specialist in intelligence and operational combinations. The basis of the investigative activity of the State Security Captain S. Bruk, who was involved in mass punitive actions of the Soviet government (case «IED», «Spring», «Ukrainian military organization», «Polish military organization », case of the United Trotskyist-nationalist bloc (combat organization) in Ukraine), was not a combination of law and morality, but the provocative work with the agents, excess of official positionadministrative and managerial responsibilities, blackmail, participation in the massacre of convicts.

Keywords: Solomon SolomonovichBruk, NKVD of the Ukrainian SSR, case of «IED», «Spring», «Ukrainian military organization», «Polish military organization», Case of the United Trotskyist-nationalist bloc (combat organization) in Ukraine)

  Full-text PDF    https://doi.org/10.15407/kraieznavstvo2021.01-02.083     Citation

• Bazhan O. (Institute of the History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Kyiv, bazhanclio@ukr.net) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2328-4512
• Zolotariov V. (Kharkiv National University of Radio Electronics, Kharkiv, v.zolotaryov@gmail.com) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6414-755X

Cite:
Bazhan O. (2021). «… I did the dirtiest work in the CHEKA» (Solomon Solomonovich Bruk). Local Lore Studies, (№1-2) 83-104. (In Ukrainian). doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/kraieznavstvo2021.01-02.083

References:

1. Bazhan, O., Zolotarov, V. (2013) Pershyi sekretar VUChK (Storinky biohrafii starshoho maiora derzhavnoi bezpeky Oleksandra Rozanova) . Kraieznavstvo, 2, 197-205. [in Ukrainian].
2. Bilokin, S. (2012). Sprava «Spilky vyzvolennia Ukrainy» y perspektyvy yii dalshoho vyvchennia. Istoriohrafichni doslidzhennia v Ukraini, 22, 385-442. [in Ukrainian].
3. Borchuk, S. Isai Falkevych (1883–1937) – revoliutsioner, prokuror, tsenzor, holova pravlinnia «URE», «prykhovanyi trotskist» (2012). Z arkhiviv VUChKHPU-NKVD-KHB, 1, 226-242. [in Ukrainian].
4. Brytenkova, L. (2016). Kapurzyn Yvan Fedorovych y naslednyky, kuptsu, fabrykantu-samovarshchyky (konets XIX – nachalo XX vv.). Letopys tulskoho predprynymatelstva. Tula. [in Russian].
5. Plekhanov A. (Ed.) (2007) F.E. Dzerzhynskyi - predsedatel VChK-OHPU. 1917-1926. Moscow: MFD: Materyk. [in Russian].
6. Kravchenko, N. (2013). Reabilitovanyi istoriieiu: Zvada Hnat Hnatovych. Hileia: naukovyi visnyk, 77, 63-65. [in Ukrainian].
7. Nashe mynule. (1993). Kyiv.[in Ukrainian].
8. Petrov, N., Yansen, M. (2000) «Stalynskyi pytomets» - Nykolai Yezhov. Moscow. [in Russian].
9. Prystaiko, V.I., Shapoval Yu.I. (1995). Sprava «Spilky vyzvolennia Ukrainy»: Nevidomi dokumenty i fakty. Kyev: Intel. [in Russian].
10. Shapoval, Yu., Zolotarev, V. (2017) «Hylotyna Ukraynu»: narkom Vsevolod Balytskyi y eho sudba. Moscow: Polytycheskaia entsyklopedyia. [in Russian].
11. Danyliuk Yu. (Ed) (2005) Znevazhena Klio: Zb. st. In-t istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy. [in Ukrainian].
12. Sniehirov, H.(1990). Naboi dlia rozstrilu (Nenko moia, nenko...). Liryko-publitsystychna rozvidka. Kyev. [in Ukrainian].
13. Tumshys, M., Zolotarev, V. (2017). Evrey v NKVD SSSR. 1936-1938. Oput byohrafycheskoho slovaria. Moscow: Unyversytet Dmytryia Pozharskoho. [in Russian].