The Dictionary
1- A –
ABAKUMOV, VIKTOR SEMENOVICH (1908–1954).Born into a
working-class family in Moscow, Abakumov joined the security ser-
vice in 1932 and rose very quickly during the Yezhovshchinato head
regional state security offices. In the early days of World War II, he
served in military counterintelligence. In 1943 Joseph Stalinap-
pointed him head of an independent military counterintelligence
component (Smersh) located within the People’s Commissariat of
Defense. As chief of Smersh, Abakumov met Stalin on an almost
daily basis, providing details of counterintelligence operations, as
well as information and gossip about Red Army commanders.
In 1946 Abakumov was promoted by Stalin to head the newly
minted Ministry of State Security (MGB) with the rank of army gen-
eral, to counter Lavrenty Beria’s power. As minister of state secu-
rity, Abakumov used the service to crush armed rebellions in the
Baltic states and the western Ukraine. In 1948–1949, in what became
known as the Leningrad Case, he led the prosecution and eventual
executionof senior Communist Party, MGB, and military officials.
The MGB was not a “band of brothers” in the late 1940s. Abaku-
mov often denounced his subordinates to Stalin, accusing them of
malfeasance. There is a certain justice then that Abakumov was ar-
rested after being denounced by one of his subordinates for fiscal and
moral corruption. A search of his home found war booty from Ger-
many worth thousands of rubles. Even more damning in Stalin’s eyes
was the charge that Abakumov had deliberately failed to find traitors
in the party and the police, and that he was guilty of protecting Jews.
In his own hand, Stalin approved the following indictment of Abaku-
mov shortly before the leader’s death: “The accused Abakumov sab-
otaged the investigation of criminal activity of the arrested American06-313 A-G.qxd 7/27/06 7:54 AM Page 1