Soviet leader General Abakumov is known for his difficult fate. To this day, his personality seems mysterious to many, although many books have been written in which the authors tried to reveal its features. Abakumov served as Commissioner of State Security of the second rank. Some say that he was a man with a surprisingly strong, direct and honest character. Many contemporaries characterized him as a courageous and unprecedentedly bold, true hero of his time.
Secret and obvious: everything is intertwined
From the memoirs of other contemporaries, it seems that General Abakumov was cruel, laid down his whole life, trying to eradicate the enemies of the people, and considered them both guilty and convicted without foundation. Some say that there was simply no other equally ruthless person with high ranks in the Soviet state. There is a third opinion - that this unique personality was distinguished by the strongest positive and negative qualities, the person was at the same time ardent, confident that there were enemies and spies around, but courageous and ready to lay down his life for the sake of his homeland. For some time, he led the SMERSH - the structure responsible for identifying spies and traitors - once he himself turned out to be a victim, was repressed, tortured, executed.
History in a nutshell
Victor Semenovich Abakumov was born in 1908, died in 1954. In the 45th he received the rank of colonel general. He replaced the People's Commissar for Defense of the Power. Managed SMERSH NPO from 43rd to 46th years. From the 46th to the 51st he was the head of the ministry responsible for state security. The general was arrested in mid-1951, at the same time he was charged with treason. He was considered a member of the Zionist conspiracy. Fate of Stalin made his own corrections, reformulated the charges, accusing the general of the so-called "Leningrad case". As suggested by law enforcement agencies of the time, Abakumov personally fabricated this situation. Judged in Leningrad. The process was organized in a closed form. The general was sentenced to death by execution. The sentence was put into effect in the second half of the last month of the 54th year. Geographically - Levashovo near Leningrad. Partial rehabilitation took place only in 97th.
How it all began
Victor Semenovich Abakumov was born in the capital in 1908 in a simple working-class family, studied at a four-year school. For a long time, the young man worked at the enterprises as a simple worker, continuing the work of his father. In the 30th he became a member of the AUCPB, from the 32nd he worked in state security. At first he was a trainee in the economic department, then he became an authorized person of the same instance.
Career continuation
Since the 34th, the future General Abakumov has been the authorized economic department of the GUGB NKVD. From that moment began his career in the central apparatus of state security. Amazing for its time, high-speed career growth is due to personnel shifts against the backdrop of the increase in Berry, which replaced Menzhinsky. This leader was ill for a long time and could not work actively. As it turned out soon, Abakumov was not as good as he seemed from his initial reputation. Avoiding his obligations in the service, he used safe houses for meetings with representatives of the opposite sex. The future general was charged with moral corruption and forced to change his job. Now he worked in the Gulag system, occupying the post of operative officer of the third department. This post remained with him from the 34th to the 37th years. The department to which the future general was sent specialized in recruiting agents from prisoners.
As can be learned from the biographies of Viktor Abakumov, in the 37th he received the post of commissioner in the fourth department of the same instance under the NKVD. This unit was responsible for secret political work. He remained in the structure until the 38th year, then there he took the post of deputy chief of the first department, responsible for foreign intelligence. After some time, he was entrusted with the post of manager of the second department. The area of ​​responsibility was counterintelligence. Peculiar career leaps are associated with repression within the NKVD. Many bosses a few months after the start of a career were accused of offenses, followed by arrest and execution. Abakumov, however, with surprising dexterity circumvented sharp corners, so at first such a sad fate was avoided.
Promotion towards SMERSH
In the last month of the 38th, a new line appeared in the biography of Viktor Abakumov - he happened to occupy a managerial position at the UNKVD in Rostov. The place was reserved for him until the frosty February 41st. Abakumov was blamed for the mass repression. Evidence of contemporaries came to prove that the future general was personally involved in beating people under investigation.
In the 41st he managed to occupy a higher position - deputy commissar of the NKVD, then - head of the department of special departments. This period lasted until the spring of the 43rd. In April, he was entrusted with the post of head of the head department of counterintelligence. It is about the very organization SMERSH, one name of which caused trembling among contemporaries. Then Abakumov became deputy commissar of defense. The new workplace allowed the man to show his remarkable organizational skills and abilities. SMERSH, led by a general, organized several extremely effective operations against intelligence agencies in Germany and other powers. Active work was carried out with insurgent associations of an anti-Soviet orientation. Such existed in the lands occupied by German forces.
New times - new opportunities
In the biography of Viktor Semenovich Abakumov, many milestones and successes are due to the war with Germany. When hostilities began in the 41st, Stalin decided to entrust counterintelligence to this promising man. Such a position remained with Abakumov until the end of the fighting, although in the 43rd body reorganized and changed its name to SMERSH, transferred it to the People’s Commissariat of Defense, the head of which at that moment was Stalin, who personally controlled the work of the court. The head department of SMERSH was engaged in the fight against deserters, spies. It is noted that the efforts of Abakumov achieved significant success. At the same time, the instance controlled the political adjustment of the generals, the Red Army officers, was engaged in the intelligence network and operational work in all parts of the army.
When the war ended, this could not but affect the life of General Abakumov. The authority entrusted to him continued to check potentially dangerous people: prisoners of war, internees. The work was especially active in the first year after the victory. To make it easier, we organized filtration camps. Abakumov, in turn, worked in a special commission that was preparing charges for a number of those accused of Nazi crimes. He helped representatives of the Soviet Union invited to host the International Tribunal.
Do not sit back!
In the biographies of Viktor Semenovich Abakumov, they pay attention to the 44th year. Then the general organized the Ingush deportation. He received the Order of the Red Banner as a reward for his efforts. In the same year he was awarded the Order of Kutuzov. From the first month of the 45th to the middle of this year, she still controlled the SMERSH, at the same time having received at its disposal the NKVD department responsible for the third front in Belarus. Just then, he was awarded the rank of colonel general. In the spring of 46th, Abakumov became deputy minister for state security. In May of this year, he got the post of minister for this profile, which remained with him until the summer of 51st.
Due to the characteristics of the personality and activities of this famous person, there was no autobiography of Victor Abakumov, but the work written by the researchers of his life path gives an idea of ​​his fate from the outside. In such works, they necessarily focus on the ups and downs of the 46th year. It was then that the Colonel General took the initiative to condemn some well-known figures in the field of the Air Force and the aviation industry. Charges were brought against Shakhurin, Novikov, Repin. As an analysis of the events showed, these persons supplied the army team with low-quality flying equipment, during the test of which several pilots died, cars were lost. The accused, as shown by the investigation, sought to overfulfill the plans, for which unprepared machines were sent to production. At the same time, persons engaged in falsification of reports and violated their duties in another way. What is surprising: the accused were subsequently fully rehabilitated only on the basis of the fact that the charges were brought forward by Abakumov, although Shakhurin even wrote memoirs in which he recognized the crimes committed.
New affairs and new problems
It is believed that the head of the Main Directorate of Counterintelligence SMERSH, Viktor Abakumov, had a hand in what was unofficially called the “Leningrad affair”. Presumably, Colonel General worked for Malenkov, interested in ridding his rivals. Significantly damaged the general’s reputation as a participant in the proceedings with the Anti-Fascist Jewish Committee. Its members were accused of a tendency to the "Joint", called American spies.
In the 51st active figure engaged in the deportation of the Balts, Moldovans to Siberia. People from the Ukrainian SSR, the BSSR were also sent there. The main reason was membership in Jehovah's Witnesses, Innocent people, Old Believers, Adventists. The event was codenamed "North." The general presided over the MGB Board, participated in the work of the Political Bureau, which was involved in litigation.
If Victor Semenovich Abakumov looks proudly from photos taken before the 51st photo, his gaze expresses self-confidence, then this year has substantially changed his fate. In July, the general was removed from his post and was arrested as soon as possible. The reason was the denunciation of Ryumin at the initiative of Malenkov. The general was accused of a Zionist conspiracy, considered a treason and a man who interfered with the investigation of a number of state-significant cases. According to some historians who studied this period, all the allegations were fictitious and baseless.
End of career
Previously, the manager of SMERSH Viktor Abakumov himself became a victim of the repressive system. The Lefortovo prison was assigned to him as a place of detention. One of the accusations was an obstacle to the investigation of the so-called "case of doctors", the very existence of which the general stubbornly denied. Meanwhile, Stalin died, power passed to Khrushchev, and the prisoner was faced with new problems and accusations - now he was ranked as a "Beria gang." Malenkov sought to whitewash himself from the Leningrad affair, and Abakumov turned out to be a suitable person for shifting blame. He was declared falsified by the events and completely guilty of them.
It is known that the general had to survive the arrest and torture. Victor Abakumov was severely beaten, which led to disability. The man spent three years in prison chained and shackled. He was kept in a cell, the height of which did not exceed half the height of a person, in constant cold. He never admitted his guilt. The general was shot in the 54th in Lefortovo, and in the 55th he was posthumously stripped of all awards, ranks, and deputy mandates. The latter is especially important, since in fact the person who had the mandate was inviolable - and yet at the time of the execution he was still a deputy whom no one had the right to arrest, much less punish.
Where is the truth here?
Our contemporaries will never be able to personally meet a person who has largely influenced the fate of an allied power - only photos of Viktor Abakumov and the stories of his contemporaries, and rather contradictory ones, have come down to us. Focusing on well-known facts, in the 97th general was partially rehabilitated. As the commission involved, the general exceeded his official capacity and authority, which provoked serious consequences. If previously all property was confiscated, now the decision has been canceled.
Shortly before this event, in the 94th, several activists who actively collaborated with Abakumov were partially rehabilitated, for which they were punished by death in the 55th. So, court decisions regarding Likhachev, Komarov, Leonov have been changed. Two more citizens were completely rehabilitated: Broverman, Chernov, who in the 55th were prepared for imprisonment for 25, 15 years, respectively.
About family
When the head of counterintelligence SMERSH, Colonel-General Abakumov was under arrest, when it became clear that he had no real prospects to return to freedom, survive and recover, he drew up an appeal to higher ranks, hoping for their mercy. In this note, he asked to finish the case, release him from Lefortovo, transfer him to Sailor's Prison and remove him from spiteful critics. Then he earnestly asked his wife and child to return home, for which he promised eternal gratitude. He called for a woman to be honest, faithful and innocent of anything.
It is known from history that at some point Abakumov had two metropolitan apartments, of which he gave one to Tatyana Semenova. Official information about this has not been preserved, but they believe that it was she who was the first wife of the future general. The woman was a housewife, from a poor family - her father was a shoemaker.
Close: who else?
The second living space was twice as large. He lived in it himself, later - with Antonina Smirnova. The woman was the unofficial wife of the general, but gave birth to a child from him. The day after the arrest, the spouse Antonina and the baby were taken away by law enforcement officials. The woman at that moment was 31 years old, her son was only two months old. Previously, Antonina worked at the MGB. Mother and son were sent to Sretensky prison, where they were held in custody for three years, without finding any criminal acts behind them. The wife of Victor Abakumov, Antonin Smirnov, was the daughter of a hypnotist who performed under the name Ornaldo. It is believed that the woman’s father worked for the NKVD in the 1930s, but by the end of the decade no one had heard anything about him, all traces were lost.
The wife of Victor Abakumov Antonin Smirnov was released in 54th. All this time, the son was also in prison. They did not reveal any corpus delicti, which did not hinder the exile of the family from the metropolitan area for several years. Little official information has been preserved from that period, but there is evidence of the imminent death of a woman.
As one can learn from the biography of General Abakumov, the son subsequently received a good education, built a scientific career and became an academician of the RAS. He died in 2004. For science, Smirnov is an important figure who laid the foundation for computer psychotechnology as a scientific approach. There is a Smirnov Research Institute in the capital.
About memory
Nobody knew about where Colonel General Abakumov was buried. Only in 2013, a tombstone appeared with his name. He can be seen at the Rokitki cemetery near Moscow, about ten kilometers from the capital's ring road. It is believed that the remains of a prominent figure of the allied power were transported here from the Leningrad territories. Perhaps they were buried in their sons' grave. Others believe that this is nothing more than a cenotaph. Perhaps the tombstone is symbolic, there is no dust in it. It is only a gesture of respect for the memory of an unjustly executed person.
Chernov about Abakumov
It is difficult to understand now whether General Abakumov was an executioner or a victim. Many information that came from that period is contradictory and ambiguous. It is extremely difficult to separate the truth from false accusations. You can get some idea of ​​a person’s personality by reading what his colleagues told about him. In particular, the information provided by Chernov, who worked side by side with the general for some time, is curious.
As this person personally acquainted with the state figure told, General Abakumov Viktor Semenovich was young, but authoritative, was respected in the structure in which he worked. He focused on search activities, knew the specifics of the process and required active business management. Abakumov clearly controlled the work of the chiefs, equally paid attention to the central and front-line apparatus. Under him, no one could count on concessions. The man was harsh in the manner of communication, but not swaggering. If he offended someone, then he took measures to rectify the situation.
These opinions are confirmed by a number of memoirs in which respect for SMERSH is shown.
Bright and expressive
General Abakumov - People's Commissar SMERSH, the Soviet Minister, who made a strong impression on his contemporaries. Those who worked with him earlier recognized him as smart and quick-witted. The determination of a man is noted. Many, comparing him with his predecessors as minister, admitted that Abakumov was much more suitable for such work. This was largely due to excellent knowledge in the field of operational activities.
Abakumov attracted attention by appearance. A tall man with beautiful features possessed an excellent physique. He cared about his appearance, used a form fitted to a figure. He liked fashion suits, always had flawless colognes on hand. The man was fond of tennis. He achieved considerable success in sambo, became a master of sports in this direction.
“Leningrad affair”
According to many, Abakumov paid with his life for owning valuable information. The authorities in power were afraid that he might behave in a way that would not be beneficial to them - for this reason they invented and fabricated the charge, convicted the man in a short time, and shot him until the details surfaced. Perhaps the critical, turning point was the Leningrad affair. In the 44th, for the first time in many years, they organized the Plenum of the Central Committee, to which they formed a project to eliminate the Communist Party. Party organizations, as follows from the documentation, are responsible for campaigning, propaganda, personnel selection, while the economic sphere, education, scientific, agricultural and cultural areas must be given to the Soviet authorities, selected by the people’s will. The Politburo refused to accept the offer.
Soon after the war, the country's leader fell ill for the first time, and the closest supporters realized that death was just around the corner. The power has split. During the period of hostilities, the government of the country was actually entrusted to five - Beria and Malenkov, Mikoyan and Molotov, and Stalin personally headed everything. When Kuznetsov and Voznesensky were transferred to the capital, there simply was no place for them. It is believed that they decided to join forces in order to eliminate the former ruling class, primarily Molotov, Beria, Malenkov. The plot was soon uncovered and decided to expel the guilty. However, they opposed and began to write appeals to Stalin. Dissatisfied with the state of affairs, those in power initiated a lawsuit against Kuznetsov and Voznesensky. Since both of them were from the northern capital, the whole situation was generally called the “Leningrad affair”.
Power and Fate
In both 52nd and 53rd, the highest ranks of Soviet power continued to fight among themselves, striving to seize power over the state. That Malenkov, that Beria did not behave too honestly, but this gave them the desired result. Abakumov was one of the first victims on the way of these people to power. Following him were arrested Vlasik, Poskrebyshev. Stalin by this period was already seriously ill and practically did not take care of the country, lived in the country, prepared home-made wine. He did not care about conflicts and ups and downs. Already during his lifetime, a decree was issued in which the former ruler was dismissed. The medical history testified: death is not far off.
When Abakumov appeared before the court after a difficult period of imprisonment and numerous tortures, he refused to plead guilty, despite everything he had experienced. He pointed to Beria and Ryumin as people who fabricated the whole process, and drew attention to the fact that he did nothing from what was recognized as a corpus delicti, but only obeyed the direct orders of his superiors. However, at the same time Abakumov admitted that he had some shortcomings, but called on the investigation and the audience to be more logical. In particular, he was accused of using the resources of the Special Meeting, where the general had never been chairman. However, judges and followers of the ruling elite did not care about logic or objectivity. The case of Abakumov was ordered to investigate until the guilt of the general was proved. This is what the adherents of the system did.