Vadim Birstein

Dr. Vadim J. Birstein is a historian and geneticist. He is the author of over 300 scientific papers and books and has written two scholarly historical works, "The Perversion of Knowledge: The True Story of Soviet Science" and "SMERSH, Stalin's Secret Weapon: Soviet Military Counterintelligence in WWII". He received the inaugural "St. Ermin's Intelligence Book Award" in 2012 for SMERSH.

Author Archives: Vadim Birstein

Skier in a Hat

On November 4, 2016, the National Unity Day, a gigantic monument of Prince St .Vladimir, who Christianized Kiev Rus in 988, was unveiled on the Boroditsky Square in front of the Kremlin. At the opening celebration President Vladimir Putin, Russian Patriarch Kirill, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, head of the Foreign Intelligence Service Sergei Naryshkin, Minister of Culture Vladimir… Read More »

History Redefined as Propaganda

Vladimir Medinsky, Russian Minister of Culture and “Doctor” of Sciences, continues to insist on his understanding of history as propaganda instead of science. On November 3, 2016, he said on Russian TV: “My opponents do not like my concept. I say that historical events and figures should be assessed from the point of view of the national interests… Read More »

Russians for Trump

Donald Trump’s victory in the US prompted cheers of Russian officials. On November 9, during a plenary session of the Russian Duma (Parliament), Vyacheslav Molotov’s grandson, Vyacheslav Nikonov, known for his nationalist and anti-American statements, addressed to the audience: “Dear friends, dear colleagues, three minutes ago Hillary Clinton acknowledged her defeat in the presidential elections of the United… Read More »

Day of Remembrance

On October 30, the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repressions, in Moscow  many more people participated in the Memorial Society ceremony “Returning Names” than in previous years. People waited in a line for four hours for their turn to read the names of the victims executed during the Great Terror (1936-38). Traditionally, the ceremony has taken place in… Read More »

Raoul Wallenberg is Dead

On October 27, 2016, Swedish tax authorities issued a formal death certificate for Raoul Wallenberg acting on a request of his family to settle his estate. The family said in a statement to the press: “The family lived in hope and despair – hope that their efforts would bear fruit and Raoul would return, despair as their hopes… Read More »

Academicians Push Back

There were never two opinions: Medinsky’s dissertation for all historians is a pure joke. Even when someone tried to defend him, he pointed out literally that [Medinsky] is a patriot, and he must be protected from the Liberals. –Dr. Ivan Babitsky, Dissernet The previously described situation with the Doctor Dissertation of Vladimir Medinsky, Russian Minister of Culture, continues… Read More »

Ivan Gets a Makeover

The official replacement of historical facts by patriotic myths continues unabated. On October 14, 2016, on the order of the local governor and against the will of the locals, an equestrian statue of Czar Ivan the Terrible was erected in the city of Orel in Central Russia. The governor noted that Orel was founded on Ivan the Terrible’s order… Read More »