Historical Dictionary of Russian and Soviet Intelligence

Administration for Special Tasksassassinated a number of enemies

abroad. Those killed include Ukrainian and Russian nationalists, two

leaders of the Russian émigrécommunity in Paris, and Leon Trot-

sky. At least one American, Juliette Poyntz, was kidnapped in New

York and then murdered for political deviation. After World War II,

Joseph Stalinordered the assassination of Josef Tito. In fact, at the

last meeting of Stalin’s presidium, the Soviet leader demanded infor-

mation about plans for Tito’s death.

The KGB continued to plan assassinations into the late 1950s. Two

leading Russian émigrés, Lev Rebet and Stefan Bandera, were killed

in West Germany. Bogdan Stashinskiy, the assassin of Bandera, was

personally decorated by KGB Chair Aleksandr Shelepin. Plans for

further assassinations were disrupted when Stashinskiy and Nikolay

Khokhlov, who had been selected for assassination missions abroad,

defected to the West. Stashinskiy and Khokhlov revealed details

about the scope of the KGB’s plans in books and media interviews.

Embarrassed by the defections, the KGB shut down the organization

responsible for assassinations. A further blow to plans for further po-

litical violence was the defection of Oleg Lyalinin 1971.

MOLCHANOV, GEORGI ANDREVICH (1897–1937). One of the

most important of the early Chekists, Molchanov entered the service

at age 23 and advanced quickly to the head of the NKVD in

Byelorussia as well as the Secret Political Department. In the latter

position, he had access to all the records and details of operations of

the service against Joseph Stalin’s enemies. He took part in the in-

terrogation of Martimian Riutin, who had written a memorandum in

1932 calling for Stalin’s replacement. Like many of the early gener-

ation of security workers, Molchanov was seen as too close to mem-

bers of the opposition and was slated for execution. In early 1937

Stalin asked Nikolai Yezhovwhy Molchanov had not been arrested.

He quickly was. He was shot later that fall “by special arrangement,”

that is, without interrogation or trial. He was obviously a man who

knew too much.

MOLODY, KONON TROFIMOVICH (1922–1970). One of the

most famous KGB illegals, Molody was educated in the United

States. After service in the Soviet army in World War II, he was

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