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(Не)таємна історія Віктора Петрова: 17 миттєвостей із життя агента радянської держбезпеки
Віктор Петров (1894–1969) – чи не найзагадковіший український інтелектуал XX ст. В ньому вмістилися й співіснували декілька важко поєднуваних соціальних ідентичностей, яких цілком вистачило б на кількох осіб небуденних талантів. Цей документальний нарис, написаний у стилістиці мікроісторії за методою детективного розслідування (від наслідків події – до її витоків), представляє Петрова як агента НКВС-МДБ-КДБ на псевдо «Іванов». Ця настільки ж таємна, як і темна іпостась була прихована від сучасників та наступних поколінь під соціальними масками солідного академічного вченого В. Петрова, сенсаційного літератора В. Домонтовича, знавця цивілізаційної парадигми В. Бера (як з’ясувалося, останнє псевдо було гаслом, яке засвідчувало бажання вживленого в середовища української еміграції агента вийти на зв’язок зі своїми кураторами з радянської розвідки).
Нарис написано на основі розсекреченої в 2020 р. в Галузевому державному архіві Служби зовнішньої розвідки України особової справи В. Петрова, а також матеріалів інших українських і діаспорних архівів. Мова не тільки про інституційні документи, які подають погляд радянських органів держбезпеки на Петрова, але й про недоступні досі оповіді, як-от каяття, доповіді тощо, написані «Івановим» для особливої категорії читачів із НКВС-МДБ-КДБ. У світлі цих документів Петров постає не як видатний український гуманітарій, а навпаки, як підступний діяч антиукраїнського спрямування, смертельно небезпечний гвинтик у радянській системі нагляду й покарання.
Нарис написано на основі розсекреченої в 2020 р. в Галузевому державному архіві Служби зовнішньої розвідки України особової справи В. Петрова, а також матеріалів інших українських і діаспорних архівів. Мова не тільки про інституційні документи, які подають погляд радянських органів держбезпеки на Петрова, але й про недоступні досі оповіді, як-от каяття, доповіді тощо, написані «Івановим» для особливої категорії читачів із НКВС-МДБ-КДБ. У світлі цих документів Петров постає не як видатний український гуманітарій, а навпаки, як підступний діяч антиукраїнського спрямування, смертельно небезпечний гвинтик у радянській системі нагляду й покарання.
166 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2025
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December 1, 2025
Thin but extremely important book. It starts with a well-deserved bewilderment of the author about the very weird situation of praising, glamorizing, and even romanticizing the figure of Віктор Петров — both by our historians and literature scholars. Like enchanted, everybody keeps saying with glazed eyes, “nobody knows anything about the “collaboration” of Віктор Петров with the Soviet secret service, all the documents are classified and hidden from us, but Віктор Петров definitely — DEFINITELY — could not do any harm to anybody! he is our cool intellectual about whom we should be very, very proud!”.
Similarly to me, Вадим Ададуров shrugs his shoulders in response to this nonsense and provides just a few documents explicitly illustrating the scope and cynicism of this collaboration. For many years, Віктор Петров was writing sophisticated and diligent denunciation reports about his fellow intellectuals (colleagues, friends, good acquaintances who trusted and loved him). Many people were fired, arrested, and killed because of these reports. Віктор Петров not only diligently “worked up” (“разрабатывал”) those intellectuals and scientists whom the Soviets already wanted to control and/or repress but exhibited sincere enthusiasm and initiated many new cases himself, drawing attention of the secret services to people who were not their objects of interest previously. He often did it based on his own personal agenda, being interested in taking the place of these people in the scientific bureaucracy, and he also received official payment for his “working up” from the secret service (“за разработку украинских националистов”), but the most important thing was that he really believed that this was what he should do. He was not a naive fool, and he was never tortured or scared to death himself; he just definitely preferred the Soviet lifestyle and ideology to what Ukrainian patriots/nationalists or the democratic West fought for; it was his conscious decision as an intellectual (remind me again why should we be proud of him?!). This is totally confirmed by his behaviour in post-war Germany, where he was eager to show his loyalty to the Soviets, actively sought their help and instructions, and returned to the USSR voluntarily and happily.
The Soviet secret service trusted its “agent” wholeheartedly, as he had proven his efficacy and commitment on multiple occasions over dozens of years, and they considered collaboration with him extremely valuable. From the favorable remarks about him in the internal documents of the secret services, you can be sure that he was indeed a very useful “agent” who really deserved their highest praise and trust, and this means that he contributed a lot to the decimation of the Ukrainian intelligentsia at the time (as he was “specializing” in the area as an agent).
Of course, most of the documents are indeed classified and hidden in Russian archives, but even from the small portion of archival documents about Віктор Петров available to us here, in Ukraine, you can see how many people were seriously harmed by Віктор Петров’s enthusiastic denunciations or were potential targets of attention from the Soviet secret service. Reading his own wordy and diligent reports and seeing how trustful and appreciative the secret service was towards him, you have no doubts that he was a disgusting rat who doomed many people to death or suffering. The fact that he was also an intellectual, a good writer, a complex and refined personality, makes him an even more disgusting rat, because you can see that he did all this not because he was stupid, or deceived, or confused, or scared, or forced. No, he did all this because, frankly, my dear, he did not give a damn about Ukrainian culture; he loved the Soviets and enjoyed being part of it, even as a rat.
This book should be read by anybody who wants to talk about the intricate prose of “В. Домонтович” or great scientific contributions of Віктор Петров or his so, so romantic passion to the wife of his best friend (repressed by the Soviets). Read it before you talk nonsense about “nobody knows anything” and “he has done no harm!”. The truth is that everybody knows all this for years (Вадим Ададуров just reprinted several documents from a declassified archive, and all self-respecting investigators should have seen these documents themselves already), but somehow all “opinion leaders” continue to feed us with this myth about a sweet and cool intellectual who was able to stay away from any villainy. Guys, he was not only a villain; he was a very enthusiastic and “highly efficient” villain, who consciously ruined lives and careers and willingly helped the Soviets to destroy the Ukrainian intelligentsia as such. Very, very valuable for the Soviets.
Still feeling proud?
*
My only complaint about this book is that it is very short and sketchy, as if the author had no interest in elaborating the subject. It is twice as pitiful considering that recently, Вадим Ададуров published a very large and well-researched book about Ілько Борщак, another “contradictory personality” of the epoch, and I believe that the figure of Віктор Петров deserves a similar thorough and large book, critical and supported by all the available documents and other evidence. Instead, we have dozens of very different and mostly thin books that represent different sides of Віктор Петров, and most often, unfortunately, with an unforgivable and incomprehensible indulgence. I suppose that Вадим Ададуров is the best candidate for writing a serious and deep work about this person who could have “closed the issue” of his collaboration with the Soviets and all the other “contradictory” aspects.
I also highly recommend this youtube video (2.5 hours) where Вадим Ададуров comments on this book and complements it significantly.
Similarly to me, Вадим Ададуров shrugs his shoulders in response to this nonsense and provides just a few documents explicitly illustrating the scope and cynicism of this collaboration. For many years, Віктор Петров was writing sophisticated and diligent denunciation reports about his fellow intellectuals (colleagues, friends, good acquaintances who trusted and loved him). Many people were fired, arrested, and killed because of these reports. Віктор Петров not only diligently “worked up” (“разрабатывал”) those intellectuals and scientists whom the Soviets already wanted to control and/or repress but exhibited sincere enthusiasm and initiated many new cases himself, drawing attention of the secret services to people who were not their objects of interest previously. He often did it based on his own personal agenda, being interested in taking the place of these people in the scientific bureaucracy, and he also received official payment for his “working up” from the secret service (“за разработку украинских националистов”), but the most important thing was that he really believed that this was what he should do. He was not a naive fool, and he was never tortured or scared to death himself; he just definitely preferred the Soviet lifestyle and ideology to what Ukrainian patriots/nationalists or the democratic West fought for; it was his conscious decision as an intellectual (remind me again why should we be proud of him?!). This is totally confirmed by his behaviour in post-war Germany, where he was eager to show his loyalty to the Soviets, actively sought their help and instructions, and returned to the USSR voluntarily and happily.
The Soviet secret service trusted its “agent” wholeheartedly, as he had proven his efficacy and commitment on multiple occasions over dozens of years, and they considered collaboration with him extremely valuable. From the favorable remarks about him in the internal documents of the secret services, you can be sure that he was indeed a very useful “agent” who really deserved their highest praise and trust, and this means that he contributed a lot to the decimation of the Ukrainian intelligentsia at the time (as he was “specializing” in the area as an agent).
Of course, most of the documents are indeed classified and hidden in Russian archives, but even from the small portion of archival documents about Віктор Петров available to us here, in Ukraine, you can see how many people were seriously harmed by Віктор Петров’s enthusiastic denunciations or were potential targets of attention from the Soviet secret service. Reading his own wordy and diligent reports and seeing how trustful and appreciative the secret service was towards him, you have no doubts that he was a disgusting rat who doomed many people to death or suffering. The fact that he was also an intellectual, a good writer, a complex and refined personality, makes him an even more disgusting rat, because you can see that he did all this not because he was stupid, or deceived, or confused, or scared, or forced. No, he did all this because, frankly, my dear, he did not give a damn about Ukrainian culture; he loved the Soviets and enjoyed being part of it, even as a rat.
This book should be read by anybody who wants to talk about the intricate prose of “В. Домонтович” or great scientific contributions of Віктор Петров or his so, so romantic passion to the wife of his best friend (repressed by the Soviets). Read it before you talk nonsense about “nobody knows anything” and “he has done no harm!”. The truth is that everybody knows all this for years (Вадим Ададуров just reprinted several documents from a declassified archive, and all self-respecting investigators should have seen these documents themselves already), but somehow all “opinion leaders” continue to feed us with this myth about a sweet and cool intellectual who was able to stay away from any villainy. Guys, he was not only a villain; he was a very enthusiastic and “highly efficient” villain, who consciously ruined lives and careers and willingly helped the Soviets to destroy the Ukrainian intelligentsia as such. Very, very valuable for the Soviets.
Still feeling proud?
*
My only complaint about this book is that it is very short and sketchy, as if the author had no interest in elaborating the subject. It is twice as pitiful considering that recently, Вадим Ададуров published a very large and well-researched book about Ілько Борщак, another “contradictory personality” of the epoch, and I believe that the figure of Віктор Петров deserves a similar thorough and large book, critical and supported by all the available documents and other evidence. Instead, we have dozens of very different and mostly thin books that represent different sides of Віктор Петров, and most often, unfortunately, with an unforgivable and incomprehensible indulgence. I suppose that Вадим Ададуров is the best candidate for writing a serious and deep work about this person who could have “closed the issue” of his collaboration with the Soviets and all the other “contradictory” aspects.
I also highly recommend this youtube video (2.5 hours) where Вадим Ададуров comments on this book and complements it significantly.
Displaying 1 of 1 review