Execution of Nikolai Yezhov - Sadistic Head of Soviet Secret Police & Mass Murderer

Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov was the small, soft-spoken man who became the face of the Soviet Union’s greatest nightmare—the Great Purge. Born in 1895 in St. Petersburg to a poor family, he grew up with little education, drifting through factory jobs before joining the Bolsheviks in 1917. He fought in the Russian Civil War and later rose through the Communist Party bureaucracy, earning a reputation for relentless discipline. Barely 151 centimeters tall, Yezhov spoke quietly and dressed modestly, but behind the timid appearance was a man capable of staggering cruelty. As one contemporary said, he resembled “a boy who enjoys setting cats on fire.” By the early 1930s, Yezhov had earned Stalin’s trust. The dictator called him “my little blackberry,” showering him with vacations, protection, and positions of power. In 1936, after the assassination of Sergei Kirov, Stalin unleashed a new wave of repression—and Yezhov became the instrument of terror. Installed as head of the NKVD, he orchestrated the Moscow Show Trials, fabricating conspiracies and extracting confessions through torture. Under his command, the NKVD executed hundreds of thousands. He personally directed the destruction of the Soviet High Command, including the interrogation and execution of Marshal Mikhail Tukhachevsky. His orders—such as NKVD Order 00447—condemned entire ethnic groups, especially Poles, to arrest or execution. Yezhov’s sadism was legendary. He supervised beatings and interrogations that left prisoners blind, crippled, or dead. His custom-built execution chamber, with sloped floors and blood-soaked walls, earned him the nickname “The Bloody Dwarf.” Yet even as millions suffered, Yezhov lived in luxury with his wife Yevgenia and their adopted daughter, entertaining lovers and drowning himself in alcohol. By 1938, Stalin no longer needed him. Yezhov was replaced by Lavrentiy Beria, isolated, and finally arrested. After months of torture, he broke down completely—crying, begging, and denying the charges he once used against others. On 4 February 1940, at age 44, he was executed and secretly buried in a mass grave. Join World History channel and get access to benefits:    / @worldhistoryvideos   Disclaimer: All opinions and comments below are from members of the public and do not reflect the views of World History channel. We do not accept promoting violence or hatred against individuals or groups based on attributes such as: race, nationality, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation. World History has right to review the comments and delete them if they are deemed inappropriate. ► CLICK the SUBSCRIBE button for more interesting clips:    / @worldhistoryvideos   #NikolaiYezhov #sovietunion #russia #moscow #nkvd #kgb #greatpurge #communism #communistparty #russia #criminals #concentrationcamps #checa #documentary #crimes #gulag #russiancivilwar Nikolai Yezhov biography, Yezhov, Stalin and Yezhov, Yezhov photo, Yezhov height, Yezhov terror, Nikolai Ivanovich Yezhov, NKVD officer, NKVD meaning, Soviet NKVD, NKVD commissar, USSR secret police, NKVD Russia, What was the NKVD, What is the NKVD, NKVD USSR, Russian secret police, secret police in Russia, Soviet Police, What was Cheka, secret police Soviet Union, Head of NKVD, Communist Party, Gulag, Stalins gulags, Russian gulags, Soviet gulags, Gulags meaning