Belebei (USSR), 30 December 1942 — Cambridge (UK), 27 October 2019. Vladimir BUKOVSKY died of cardiac arrest in Addenbrookes Hospital, in Cambridge, England at 9:30 pm (Greenwich Mean Time) on Sunday, 27 October 2019. He was 76. His health had been poor in recent years. After his expulsion from the USSR in December 1976, he … Continue reading Vladimir Bukovsky, 1942-2019
The persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses (1970-1986)
By the mid-1970s the Chronicle regularly published a section reporting on “The persecution of [religious] believers”. Often it was further subdivided between Adventists, Pentecostalists and Baptists, joined from time to time by Orthodox Christians and Catholics in Moldova. References to the harassment of Jehovah’s Witnesses are far less frequent, as the following examples show. (There … Continue reading The persecution of Jehovah’s Witnesses (1970-1986)
Self-immolation: A protest of despair (1968-2019)
On 10 SEPTEMBER 2019, 79-year-old activist Albert Razin set fire to himself in Izhevsk, capital of the Udmurt Republic (Volga Federal District) in protest against the policy of the national government concerning languages and linguistic minorities within Russia. No fire extinguisher was near to hand and he died later in hospital. This horrendous act recalls … Continue reading Self-immolation: A protest of despair (1968-2019)
Guided Search
250 names of places, people, publications and organisations are shown in the Guided Search section of the right-hand column. (Аnother eighty are being recorded.) ♦ Soviet Republics and cities (see also Maps) The described events all took place in the USSR and its 15 constituent Union Republics. e.g. Uzbek SSR. (Certain Autonomous Republics (ASSR) within … Continue reading Guided Search
Soviet Germans want to leave for the Federal German Republic, July 1974 (32.8)
<<No 32 : 17 July 1974>> Many Germans living in the USSR are trying to obtain permission to leave for the Federal German Republic. It is believed that about 40,000 Soviet Germans are asking to leave. A collection entitled “Re Patria” [10] has come out and states that its goal is the elucidation of the … Continue reading Soviet Germans want to leave for the Federal German Republic, July 1974 (32.8)
Traditional Days of Protest in the Soviet Union, December 1976 (43.2)
<< No. 43 : 31 December 1976 >> 30 OCTOBER 1976 POLITICAL PRISONERS' DAY In 1976 Political Prisoners’ Day was observed for the third time. [1a] In camps and prisons the traditional hunger-strikes took place on that day; over sixty people took part. Among them were: ● the women prisoners Irina Stasiv-Kalynets, Oksana Popovich, Irina … Continue reading Traditional Days of Protest in the Soviet Union, December 1976 (43.2)
Trials of Recent Years, 3 October 1969 (16.5)
<<No 16 : 31 October 1970>> On 3 October 1969 the Leningrad City Court (consisting of O.V. Karlov, chairman; V.M. Shimanov and V.I. Chistov, people's assessors; A.Ya. Dosugov, Procurator [State prosecutor]; and G.V. Feigina and E.N. Trofimovskaya, counsels for the defence) considered in closed session the case of Galina Vladimirovna Silivonchik (CCE 15.8 [her surname … Continue reading Trials of Recent Years, 3 October 1969 (16.5)
Political Trials around the Soviet Union, August 1970 (15.4)
<<No 15 : 31 August 1970>> [1] In Leningrad a military tribunal of the Baltic Military District has tried a number of military engineers (CCE 10.5 and CCE 11.5). The charges, under Article 70 of the Russian Criminal Code, concerned the formation of the "Union of Struggle for Political Rights". The court sentenced Gennady Gavrilov … Continue reading Political Trials around the Soviet Union, August 1970 (15.4)
Investigation in the case of naval officer G. V. Gavrilov and others continues, June to September 1969 (11.5)
«No 11 : December 1969» On 20 June 1969, a KGB detective squad searched the flat of S. I. Soldatov in Tallinn. The search warrant, signed by Captain Bodunov, a senior investigator, indicated that citizen Olga Bondarenko had testified that Soldatov had been meeting a stranger in her flat. Confiscated during the search were personal … Continue reading Investigation in the case of naval officer G. V. Gavrilov and others continues, June to September 1969 (11.5)
Second attempted self-immolation in the Ukraine, 10 February 1969 (8.6)
«No 8 : 30 June 1969» The Chronicle has already reported the self-immolation of Vasily Ye. Makukha [CCE 6.9, item 2], who died in hospital from his burns . On 10 February 1969 Nikolai Berislavsky, a 45-year-old teacher from Berdyansk, father of three children and ex-inmate of Stalin's camps, attempted to burn himself to death … Continue reading Second attempted self-immolation in the Ukraine, 10 February 1969 (8.6)
News in brief, June 1969 (8.14)
«No 8 : 30 June 1969» [1] In mid-May 1969, workers at the Kiev Hydroelectric Station in the village of Beryozka met to discuss the housing problem: many of them are even now still living in prefabricated huts and railway coaches despite the authorities' promises to provide housing. The workers declared that they no longer … Continue reading News in brief, June 1969 (8.14)
The Trial of Yakir and Krasin, December 1973 (30.1)
«No 30 : 31 December 1973» On 27 August 1973 in the Lyublino district people's court in Moscow judicial proceedings commenced in the case of Pyotr Yakir and Victor Krasin, indicted for criminal anti-Soviet activities under Article 70, para. 1, of the RSFSR Criminal Code. The judge was Mironov, deputy chairman of the Moscow City … Continue reading The Trial of Yakir and Krasin, December 1973 (30.1)
A Chronicle of Case Number 24 (pt 2), July 1973 (29.8)
<<No 29 : 31 July 1973>> THE BELGORODSKAYA CASE Irina Belogorodskaya was arrested on 3 January 1973 in Moscow. According to her husband Vadim Delaunay, investigator Zhuchkov, who was handling the Belogorodskaya case, stated that her arrest was linked to the appearance of No 27 of A Chronicle of Current Events, even though the investigators … Continue reading A Chronicle of Case Number 24 (pt 2), July 1973 (29.8)
A Chronicle of Case No 24 [pt 1], December 1972 (28.2)
<<No 28 : 31 December 1972>> The USSR Committee for State Security (KGB) continues to occupy itself with what is called "Case No 24". This first attracted attention in mid-January 1972 when a series of searches and arrests were made (see CCE 24.2 {p. 6, pdf}) in Moscow, Kiev, Vilnius, and other cities . Today … Continue reading A Chronicle of Case No 24 [pt 1], December 1972 (28.2)
The Death of Yury Galanskov, November 1972 (28.2)
«No 28 : 31 December 1972» On 2 November 1972 YURY GALANSKOV died at the age of 33 in the Mordovian camp complex (in institution ZhKh 385-3). *** Yury Timofeyevich Galanskov was born in 1939 in Moscow, into a family of workers. From 1959 onwards he took part in readings by young poets in Mayakovsky … Continue reading The Death of Yury Galanskov, November 1972 (28.2)
The deportation of Solzhenitsyn, 13 February 1974 (32.1)
<<No 32 : 17 July 1974>> On 13 February, after a prolonged and large-scale persecution campaign in the press, Alexander Isayevich Solzhenitsyn was deported from the Soviet Union. The immediate cause was the publication of his GULag Archipelago by the YMCA Press (CCE 30.16).[a] The circumstances surrounding the publication of this book, as well as … Continue reading The deportation of Solzhenitsyn, 13 February 1974 (32.1)
Red Square at Noon – Gorbanevskaya letter, 28 August 1968 (3.3)
«No 3 : 30 August 1968» The most outspoken protest against the aggression in Czechoslovakia was the sit-down demonstration which took place in Red Square at 12 noon on 25 August 1968. A letter from one of the participants in the demonstration, Natalya Gorbanevskaya, gives detailed information about this event: "To the chief editors of … Continue reading Red Square at Noon – Gorbanevskaya letter, 28 August 1968 (3.3)
The trial of Ilya Burmistrovich, 21 May 1969 (8.2)
<<No 8, 30 June 1969>> On 21 May 1969, the Moscow City Court examined the case of ILYA BURMISTROVICH, accused under Article 190-1 of the Russian Criminal Code. Burmistrovich was charged with circulating works by Yuly Daniel — Moscow Speaking, Hands, Atonement and The Man from MINAP — and the following works of Andrei Sinyavsky: … Continue reading The trial of Ilya Burmistrovich, 21 May 1969 (8.2)
Survey of samizdat, December 1968 (5.1)
«No 5 : 31 December 1968» Samizdat is a specific medium for exercising freedom of expression in our country. During the last few years samizdat has evolved from a predominant concern with poetry and fiction towards an ever greater emphasis on journalistic and documentary writing. This is particularly true of 1968. In this year samizdat … Continue reading Survey of samizdat, December 1968 (5.1)
On this day …
On 4 November 1972, the poet Yury Galanskov died in the prison hospital at Barashevo in Mordovia. He was 33 years old. Together with Alexander Ginzburg and two others, Galanskov was prosecuted and convicted at a closed trial in January 1968.
Persecution of Believers, March 1978 (CCE 48.16), pt 2
[1] CATHOLICS IN MOLDAVIA [2] ADVENTISTS [3] PENTECOSTALISTS [4] BAPTISTS [3] Pentecostalists In 1973 Pentecostalist A. V. Chertkova (b. 1927), was sent to a psychiatric hospital. During the course of several years Chertkova had been trying to obtain accommodation in Alma-Ata [Kazakh SSR]. She did not manage to get either a room or a place … Continue reading Persecution of Believers, March 1978 (CCE 48.16), pt 2
Persecution of Believers, March 1978 (CCE 48.16), pt 1
[1] CATHOLICS IN MOLDAVIA [2] ADVENTISTS [3] PENTECOSTALISTS [4] BAPTISTS [1] Catholics in Moldavia There are 15,000 Catholics in Moldavia. They are Germans, Poles and Ukrainians. Communities of Catholics exist in Beltsy, Bendery, Tiraspol, Rashkovo, Grigorovka, Andriyashevka and other towns and villages. In the only Catholic chapel open in Moldavia the priest, Vladislav Zavalnyuk, is … Continue reading Persecution of Believers, March 1978 (CCE 48.16), pt 1
Events in Estonia (1968-1987)
See reports in A Chronicle of Current Events (1968-1982) in English translation https://chronicle-of-current-events.com/tag/estonian-ssr/ and in USSR News Update (1978-1991), «Вести из СССР» (in Russian) https://vesti-iz-sssr.com/tag/%d1%8d%d1%81%d1%81%d1%80/ Note These reports are tagged on the two websites, in the entries for 'Estonian SSR' in "Guided Search" and ЭССР in "Tags", respectively, in the right-hand column of the page. … Continue reading Events in Estonia (1968-1987)
The Arrests in Tallinn, May 1975 (38.3)
<<No 36 : 31 May 1975>> CCE 35 has already reported on the series of arrests in Tallinn. According to more precise information, the following people were arrested on 13-14 December 1974 in Tallinn: Dr Arvo Varato (40 years old); engineer Matti Kiirend (36 years old); Kalju Mattik (41 years old), lecturer at the Polytechnic … Continue reading The Arrests in Tallinn, May 1975 (38.3)
The Eighteenth of April, 1975 (36.2)
<<No 36 : 31 May 1975>> On 18 April 1975 searches were carried out at the homes of Valentin Turchin, chairman of the Soviet Amnesty International group, and at those of Amnesty group-members Vladimir Albrekht (Moscow) and Mykola Rudenko (Kiev). The searches took place in connection with case number 41045/48-75. No information was given as … Continue reading The Eighteenth of April, 1975 (36.2)
The Arrest of Andrei Tverdokhlebov, 18 April 1975 (36.1)
<<No 36 : 31 May 1975>> On 18 April 1975 Andrei Tverdokhlebov, an active participant in the human rights movement, was arrested in Moscow. The arrest was carried out by the Moscow procurator’s office. Tverdokhlebov is charged under Article 190-1 of the RSFSR Criminal Code. The investigation is headed by Senior Investigator Gusev of the … Continue reading The Arrest of Andrei Tverdokhlebov, 18 April 1975 (36.1)
Urgent Hospitalization of Mentally-Ill Persons Representing a Public Danger, August 1971 (28.9)
<> Excerpts from the directives approved on 9 August 1971 by N. Zhogin, Deputy Procurator-General of the USSR, and on 10 August by M. Uskov, Deputy USSR Minister of Internal Affairs, and confirmed on 26 August 1971 by A. Serenko, Deputy USSR Minister of Public Health.[1] Printed at the print shop of the USSR Ministry … Continue reading Urgent Hospitalization of Mentally-Ill Persons Representing a Public Danger, August 1971 (28.9)
The Camp Trial of Andrei Amalrik, 18 July 1973 (29.7)
<<No 29 : 31 July 1973>> Andrei Amalrik was due to complete his 3-year prison sentence on 21 May 1973. On 22 May his wife, G. Makudinova, was informed that the Procurator’s Office of Magadan had instituted new proceedings under Article 190-1 of the RSFSR Criminal Code. This was Amalrik’s second indictment under Article 190-1. … Continue reading The Camp Trial of Andrei Amalrik, 18 July 1973 (29.7)
The Case of Leonid Plyushch, July 1973 (29.6)
<<No 29 : 31 July 1973>> The case of Leonid Plyushch was tried by the Kiev Regional Court on 25-29 January 1973. The judge was Dyshel. The case was heard behind closed doors, with the accused not present. According to the Chronicle's information, none of the officially appointed psychiatrists was present in court. The defence … Continue reading The Case of Leonid Plyushch, July 1973 (29.6)
Leonid Plyushch is Released to go Abroad, December 1975 (38.9)
<<No 38 : 31 December 1975>> In October there were more meetings and demonstrations on behalf of Leonid Plyushch in the West. In a letter Malva Landa called on those who participated in such actions not to slacken their efforts to obtain Plyushch's release. Tatyana Khodorovich and Plyushch's wife Tatyana Zhitnikova sent an expression of … Continue reading Leonid Plyushch is Released to go Abroad, December 1975 (38.9)
The Case of Vyacheslav Igrunov, December 1975 (38.8)
<<No 38 : 31 December 1975>> V. Igrunov is threatened with internment in a special psychiatric hospital. As far as the Chronicle knows, in the last three years no such sentences have been imposed in “political” cases.[i] There follows an account of the investigation in Igrunov’s case, including (for the reader’s convenience) some episodes reported … Continue reading The Case of Vyacheslav Igrunov, December 1975 (38.8)
The Trial of Sergei Grigoryants, 8-25 September 1975 (38.7)
<<No 38 : 31 December 1975>> In November 1974 the procurator’s office of the Babushkino district of Moscow initiated a criminal case against S. I. Grigoryants under Article 190-1 of the RSFSR Criminal Code. Sergei Ivanovich Grigoryants was born in 1941; he is a writer; in 1974 he and his family left Kiev and came … Continue reading The Trial of Sergei Grigoryants, 8-25 September 1975 (38.7)
The Situation of Leonid Plyushch, March 1975 (35.1)
<<No 36 : 31 May 1975>> “On 27 December 1974 Leonid Plyushch’s injections were stopped. As a result of the suspension of treatment Plyushch’s health at once improved somewhat. However, he was not transferred from the surveillance ward.” With these words ended the report on Plyushch in CCE 34.9. In January they again prescribed a … Continue reading The Situation of Leonid Plyushch, March 1975 (35.1)
The Arrest of Sergei Kovalyov, 27 December 1974 (34.1)
<<No 34 : 31 December 1974>> On 27 December 1974 Sergei Kovalyov was arrested in Moscow. On 23 December a search had been carried out at his house — one of many searches which took place on that day in Moscow and Lithuania in connection with ‘Case 345’, being investigated by the Lithuanian KGB (see … Continue reading The Arrest of Sergei Kovalyov, 27 December 1974 (34.1)
The Case of the Explosion on the Underground, March 1979 (52.1)
<<No 52 : 1 March 1979>> On 8 January 1977 an explosion occurred in a Moscow underground train. The authorities immediately tried to link this act of terrorism with dissident activity (see CCE 44.15). On 31 January 1979 the following report was published: In the Supreme Court of the USSR. The Judicial Board for Criminal … Continue reading The Case of the Explosion on the Underground, March 1979 (52.1)
Concerning the Explosions in Moscow, March 1977 (44.15)
<<No 44 : 16 March 1977>> On 8 January 1977 an explosion took place in the Moscow underground. On 10 January TASS reported that the explosion was not of great force, “medical help was given to those suffering injury, and an investigation is being conducted”. Later, at meetings of Party activists, it was said that … Continue reading Concerning the Explosions in Moscow, March 1977 (44.15)
In the Psychiatric Hospitals, December 1974 (34.9)
Vladimir Trifonov (see CCE 26.5) is now undergoing compulsory treatment in the Leningrad Special Psychiatric Hospital (he was charged under Article 190-1 of the RSFSR Criminal Code); he has been diagnosed as suffering from paranoia. He does not consider himself ill, and in recent years has been refusing to go to sessions of the psychiatric … Continue reading In the Psychiatric Hospitals, December 1974 (34.9)
