Наши разведчики и их шпионы. Шифрин, Поллард и секреты Venona: как история становится оружием

In this episode, we feature historian, researcher, and author Alik Gomelsky. This interview was not intended as a discussion of a single historical figure, but as a broad overview of the topics Alik Gomelsky covers: Avraham Shifrin, the Gulag, Soviet propaganda, Ukrainian-Jewish relations, Israel, Ukraine, Canada, anti-Semitism, intelligence, and Operation Venona. We're talking about Avraham Shifrin—a Soviet lawyer, frontline soldier, Zionist, Gulag prisoner, and a man whose life could be the basis for not just one film, but an entire series. Through his story, we open up a much broader conversation: about Soviet propaganda, the KGB, the Ukrainian national movement, Jewish-Ukrainian relations, Israel, Ukraine, Canada, and the old myths that continue to perpetuate even after the demise of the Soviet Union. The conversation touches on Shifrin, Yaroslav Stetsko, Bandera, Shukhevych, the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, the Volyn tragedy, Ukraine-Israel relations, the rise of anti-Semitism in Canada, Iran, Jonathan Pollard, Alexander Orlov, the Comintern, and the upcoming topic of the Venona Files. This is not an academic lecture or a political rally. It is a conversation about how history becomes a weapon—and why, without understanding the past, it is impossible to understand today's war, contemporary anti-Semitism, and the West's attitudes toward Ukraine and Israel. Subscribe to the channel, leave comments, and let us know what historical topics you would like to discuss in future episodes.    / @alikgomelskyhistory   00:00 — Introduction Who is Alik Gomelsky? 01:01 — How Gomelsky discovered Avraham Shifrin 02:41 — The book "The Fourth Dimension" and Shifrin's camp experience 04:10 — Shifrin's archive and work on a new book 05:31 — Shifrin: lawyer, front-line soldier, Zionist, Gulag prisoner, and intelligence officer 05:56 — "Our intelligence officers and their spies": where the line is drawn 08:04 — A brief biography of Avraham Shifrin 09:09 — War, a penal battalion, and the fate of the son of an "enemy of the people" 11:21 — How Shifrin became a military lawyer 12:37 — Access to classified documents and arrest in 1953 14:28 — Death sentence, Beria, and 25 years in the camps 15:09 — Seven escape attempts and deportation To Israel 16:12 — "Gulag Guide" and the documentary Prisonland 18:22 — Shifrin and the Ukrainian National Movement 18:53 — The KGB, Bandera, Stetsko, Shukhevych, and the Myth of Anti-Semitism 20:30 — Real Crimes and the Soviet Explanatory Framework 21:01 — OUN, UPA, and the Defense of Jews: Gomelsky's Arguments 23:33 — The Volyn Tragedy and the Polish-Ukrainian Conflict 25:35 — Poland, Zelensky, and the Political Exploitation of History 27:05 — Putin as an Unwitting Popularizer of Ukrainian Nationalism 28:31 — Unit Names, Zelensky, and the Internal Ukrainian Agenda 31:03 — Ukraine and Israel: UN Votes and Real Cooperation 32:55 — The Holodomor, the Shoah, and Raphael Lemkin 34:55 — Who influences Ukrainian foreign policy? 37:33 — Olena Zelenska, USAID, and ties to American Democrats 38:39 — Anti-Ukrainian and anti-Israel campaigns: a common source? 40:32 — Canada and the sharp rise in anti-Semitism 42:45 — The Ukrainian community in Canada and support for Israel 43:40 — The Iranian community, Israel, and Ukraine 44:27 — Iran, the war in the Middle East, and Russia's allies 45:30 — Why it's impossible to understand politics without knowing history 47:27 — Israel, the Iraqi reactor, and the price of preventive action 48:04 — Jews in intelligence: "Our intelligence agents and their spies" 49:23 — Jonathan Pollard: a spy or an intelligence agent? 50:59 — Shifrin and Pollard: A View from Different Perspectives 52:08 — Alexander Orlov / Lev Feldbin and Soviet Intelligence 53:18 — Spain, the NKVD, and 72% of Spanish Gold 54:21 — Orlov's Escape and 15 Years of Illegal Life in the US 55:07 — Senate Hearings and Information about the Gulag 55:42 — Soviet Agents in the US and the Cambridge Five 56:09 — The Comintern and the Infiltration of Soviet Agents into the West 57:04 — Vladimir Pozner Sr. and Soviet Infiltration of the US 57:27 — The Venona Files: Topic for a Future Program 58:09 — Life in Canada and Anxiety About a Socialist Turn 59:16 — Russia as a Continuation of the Soviet Empire 1:00:14 — The KGB, Canada, and Disinformation Operations 1:01:35 — Announcement of the next Venona Files talk 1:02:16 — Alik Gomelsky's channel, support and conclusion