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Аквариум
Aquarium (Russian title Аквариум) is a partly autobiographical description by Viktor Suvorov of the GRU (Soviet military intelligence directorate). The book was initially released on June 1, 1985 by Hamish Hamilton.
The account starts in 1969, when Suvorov, as an ordinary tank company commander, is recruited into intelligence analysis by an up-and-coming Lieutenant Colonel. From there he transfers to Spetsnaz and, from there, into the GRU proper. A combination of circumstances lead to his eventual defection to the British.
The "Aquarium" of the title is the nickname given to GRU headquarters in Moscow by those who work there. "What sort of fish are there swimming there?" asks Suvorov of his boss when he learns about it. "There's only one kind there—piranhas."
Suvorov admits that some details of his career have been altered; for example, he portrays himself as being posted to Austria when, in fact, he was in Switzerland. The reason given is that this allowed him to hide his identity at a time when the Soviet Union still existed and there was the possibility of retaliation against friends and relatives.
The account starts in 1969, when Suvorov, as an ordinary tank company commander, is recruited into intelligence analysis by an up-and-coming Lieutenant Colonel. From there he transfers to Spetsnaz and, from there, into the GRU proper. A combination of circumstances lead to his eventual defection to the British.
The "Aquarium" of the title is the nickname given to GRU headquarters in Moscow by those who work there. "What sort of fish are there swimming there?" asks Suvorov of his boss when he learns about it. "There's only one kind there—piranhas."
Suvorov admits that some details of his career have been altered; for example, he portrays himself as being posted to Austria when, in fact, he was in Switzerland. The reason given is that this allowed him to hide his identity at a time when the Soviet Union still existed and there was the possibility of retaliation against friends and relatives.
252 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
60 people are currently reading
2412 people want to read
About the author
Viktor Suvorov
75 books187 followersFormer Soviet-Union army officer fled in 1978 to England. Where he worked as a teacher and a adviser for news agencies.
Author of a number of bestsellers about the history of the World War II, the Soviet Army special operations troops and military intelligence, and the Red Army.
He is one of the historians who believes that Hitler started the war against Russia to prevent Stalin attacking Germany first.
See also Виктор Суворов and Wiktor Suworow
Author of a number of bestsellers about the history of the World War II, the Soviet Army special operations troops and military intelligence, and the Red Army.
He is one of the historians who believes that Hitler started the war against Russia to prevent Stalin attacking Germany first.
See also Виктор Суворов and Wiktor Suworow
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 86 reviews
April 20, 2012
This was a profoundly disturbing book. Suvorov traces his career from his assignment as a lieutenant commanding a company of tanks in the Soviet 13th Army, through being promoted into military intelligence, then being picked for the Spetsnaz, and finally winding up as a GRU spy in the Soviet embassy in Vienna. Along the way he gives us an unparalleled vista of the bankruptcy of the Soviet system.
The view he gives of the GRU is instructive. It was a military intelligence organization that demanded the absolute loyalty and total domination of its secretive minions. The metaphor that most fits is that of selling one’s soul to the devil for your thirty minutes of power and privilege. Suvorov openly admits that he loved the power and privilege he had as a member of the Nomenklatura, of which he was a part by virtue of his association with the GRU. The acquisition and exercise of power were the factors that motivated him, by his own testimony.
In the GRU, every one was being watched and everyone was watching someone else. The lives of the agents were dominated by fear of failure, fear of mistakes, and fear of exposure—but not exposure to the other side so much as exposure to the GRU itself.
Perhaps the most telling example the author provides is of an assignment he was given by a GRU superior to drop a package containing a bible into a fellow GRU agent’s apartment mailbox, an agent known to be Suvorov’s friend. The agent was being tested. His only possible correct response was to immediately report that he’d received a bible in the mail (I can not imagine living under such petty reporting requirements). If he failed to make the report he would be accused of having an interest in religion (subversive indeed!) and would be evacuated from Vienna to the Aquarium, GRU headquarters at Khodinka airfield in Moscow, where he would be executed. While Suvorov was delivering the package he was tempted to warn his friend to make the report. He decided against doing so, realizing that he himself was known to be the man’s friend and was himself also under surveillance. As he made the drop, it dawned on Suvorov that this was as much a test for him as it was for his friend. Would he be loyal to the GRU, even though he would be condemning his friend to death, or would his friendship win out? Suvorov survived; his friend failed to make the requisite report, and was condemned.
It was a group which devoured its own. In such an organization, you quickly learned to trust no one, and to subvert all loves and loyalties to the overriding demands of the GRU. True friendship was impossible; it could get you killed. It was a soulless system, officially and aggressively atheistic, with no moral good other than the good of the State itself, as defined by the corrupt individuals who had happened to claw their way to the top of the mountain of bodies at the moment. “I serve the Soviet Union!” was the obligatory response to any praise or commendation.
I read the book as part of my research for my novel, Falcon Down , in which the GRU plays a significant part. It was a valuable exercise, and I gained much useful information. Aquarium is an interesting read, though you want to wash your hands when you put the book down.
One thing the book left me with was a renewed understanding of what the closed Soviet society became, especially for the upper class. The brutality of the Soviet system, combined with an official atheism able to offer no moral constraints, no meaning, and no hopes beyond the personal acquisition of power and privilege, nearly ruined a beautiful country and a vibrant people. Suvorov’s Soviet Union became a real-life Lord of the Flies experience. One can only hope that some day Russia will come into its own as a prosperous, free, and happy country.
The view he gives of the GRU is instructive. It was a military intelligence organization that demanded the absolute loyalty and total domination of its secretive minions. The metaphor that most fits is that of selling one’s soul to the devil for your thirty minutes of power and privilege. Suvorov openly admits that he loved the power and privilege he had as a member of the Nomenklatura, of which he was a part by virtue of his association with the GRU. The acquisition and exercise of power were the factors that motivated him, by his own testimony.
In the GRU, every one was being watched and everyone was watching someone else. The lives of the agents were dominated by fear of failure, fear of mistakes, and fear of exposure—but not exposure to the other side so much as exposure to the GRU itself.
Perhaps the most telling example the author provides is of an assignment he was given by a GRU superior to drop a package containing a bible into a fellow GRU agent’s apartment mailbox, an agent known to be Suvorov’s friend. The agent was being tested. His only possible correct response was to immediately report that he’d received a bible in the mail (I can not imagine living under such petty reporting requirements). If he failed to make the report he would be accused of having an interest in religion (subversive indeed!) and would be evacuated from Vienna to the Aquarium, GRU headquarters at Khodinka airfield in Moscow, where he would be executed. While Suvorov was delivering the package he was tempted to warn his friend to make the report. He decided against doing so, realizing that he himself was known to be the man’s friend and was himself also under surveillance. As he made the drop, it dawned on Suvorov that this was as much a test for him as it was for his friend. Would he be loyal to the GRU, even though he would be condemning his friend to death, or would his friendship win out? Suvorov survived; his friend failed to make the requisite report, and was condemned.
It was a group which devoured its own. In such an organization, you quickly learned to trust no one, and to subvert all loves and loyalties to the overriding demands of the GRU. True friendship was impossible; it could get you killed. It was a soulless system, officially and aggressively atheistic, with no moral good other than the good of the State itself, as defined by the corrupt individuals who had happened to claw their way to the top of the mountain of bodies at the moment. “I serve the Soviet Union!” was the obligatory response to any praise or commendation.
I read the book as part of my research for my novel, Falcon Down , in which the GRU plays a significant part. It was a valuable exercise, and I gained much useful information. Aquarium is an interesting read, though you want to wash your hands when you put the book down.
One thing the book left me with was a renewed understanding of what the closed Soviet society became, especially for the upper class. The brutality of the Soviet system, combined with an official atheism able to offer no moral constraints, no meaning, and no hopes beyond the personal acquisition of power and privilege, nearly ruined a beautiful country and a vibrant people. Suvorov’s Soviet Union became a real-life Lord of the Flies experience. One can only hope that some day Russia will come into its own as a prosperous, free, and happy country.
October 7, 2016
Rubel za wejście, dwa za wyjście.
Wgniotła mnie w fotel i sprawiła, że myślałam o niej jeszcze na wiele dni po przewróceniu ostatniej strony. To chyba najlepsza rekomendacja. Było to moje pierwsze spotkanie z Suworowem i zastanawiam się właśnie, czy warto - a jeśli tak, to po co konkretniej - sięgać dalej. Bo warto na pewno; nie wiem jedynie, czy pozostałe książki pisane są w podobny sposób.
Przepiszę może krótką rekomendację z tyłu:
"Pascal powiedział, że wierzyć można tylko tym świadkom, którzy ręczą głową. Wyrok śmierci wydany zaocznie na Wiktora Suworowa potwierdza wiarygodność jego relacji" - Michał Heller.
Jedna z najbardziej fascynujących książek, jakie przeczytałam w tym roku. I przy okazji mam szczęście posiadać zalinkowane wydanie w wersji fizycznej - dawno, bardzo dawno temu ktoś bliski mi je pożyczył. Na pewno nie jest to typowa książka-pożyczajka ani też prezent. I teraz niestety nie mam jak zwrócić, bo właściciel, cóż, nie żyje...
Wgniotła mnie w fotel i sprawiła, że myślałam o niej jeszcze na wiele dni po przewróceniu ostatniej strony. To chyba najlepsza rekomendacja. Było to moje pierwsze spotkanie z Suworowem i zastanawiam się właśnie, czy warto - a jeśli tak, to po co konkretniej - sięgać dalej. Bo warto na pewno; nie wiem jedynie, czy pozostałe książki pisane są w podobny sposób.
Przepiszę może krótką rekomendację z tyłu:
"Pascal powiedział, że wierzyć można tylko tym świadkom, którzy ręczą głową. Wyrok śmierci wydany zaocznie na Wiktora Suworowa potwierdza wiarygodność jego relacji" - Michał Heller.
Jedna z najbardziej fascynujących książek, jakie przeczytałam w tym roku. I przy okazji mam szczęście posiadać zalinkowane wydanie w wersji fizycznej - dawno, bardzo dawno temu ktoś bliski mi je pożyczył. Na pewno nie jest to typowa książka-pożyczajka ani też prezent. I teraz niestety nie mam jak zwrócić, bo właściciel, cóż, nie żyje...
July 21, 2013
A must-read for any student of recent history. Brilliant.
January 16, 2018
Цікавий, напівбіографічний роман Суворова, насамперед, про ГРУ, яке завжди оточував ореол таємничості. До речі, я теж служив у 13 армії, але набагато пізніше від автора.
November 7, 2021
Twórczość Wiktora Suworowa dzielę, o czym już wielokrotnie wspominałem, na trzy grupy: wspomnieniową, beletrystyczną i historyczną. Za najwartościowszą uważam tą ostatnią, choć również pierwsza jest niezrównana, podobnie jak i druga. W dodatku niejednokrotnie poszczególne książki tego autora łączą w sobie elementy różnych grup. Uważam, że zwłaszcza dla nas, Polaków, dzieła Suworowa powinny być szczególnie ważne, z różnych względów.
Akwarium jest jedną z najbardziej znanych i najgłośniejszych pozycji w dorobku pisarza, która doczekała się również swojej ekranizacji. Ma formę wspomnień z kariery Suworowa, która rozpoczęła się w wojskach pancernych, a zakończyła w strukturach GRU. Właściwie jeszcze się nie do końca skończyła, gdyż sławę zdobył dopiero po przejściu na drugą stronę; jako pisarz i historyk dla Zachodu, a jako zdrajca dla Rosjan.
Jak przebiegały losy Suworowa w służbie ZSRR nie będę zdradzał; przeczytajcie sami. Mnie bardzo odpowiada jego styl; rzeczowy i pozornie suchy. Pisarz, co jest nie tak znowu często spotykane, okazuje się świetnym obserwatorem, który potrafi oddać w sposób najbardziej wiarygodny to, o czym pisze, od najmniejszego szczegółu do ogółu, z którego wyciąga logiczne wnioski. Akwarium czyta się niczym świetną powieść szpiegowską, a przy tym jest to kopalnia wiedzy o radzieckich i rosyjskich służbach oraz o całej Rosji. O jej wielkości i słabościach, o mentalności władz i ludu, teraz i w przeszłości. Akwarium, podobnie jak inne książki Suworowa, powinien poznać każdy, kto chce zrozumieć historię Rosji, która od wieków służbami stała. Szczególnie każdy Polak i patriota powinien rzucić się na Akwarium i inne publikacje tego Rosjanina niczym wygłodniały pies na pełną michę. Od razu uprzedzam, że wnioski nie zawsze będą takie, jak przewidujecie.
Po lekturze Akwarium w innym świetle widzi się przywileje, jakimi w Sojuzie obdarowywano służby. Przywileje za które nader często w ostatecznym rozrachunku trzeba było zapłacić życiem. Nawet jeśli się było Stalinem. Profity, do których trudno się było dorwać, ale z których potem nie można było już zrezygnować. Jak w gangsterce; nie było opcji na wypisanie się.
Lektura tej opowieści, jak i innych książek Suworowa, pokazuje nam wyraźnie, iż wbrew tezom uparcie lansowanym przez wielu, Rosja nigdy nie była antypolska. Czy kierowca miażdżący kołami ciężarówki wiewiórkę, która próbowała przebiec mu drogę, nienawidzi wiewiórek? Czy człowiek znoszący w ramach swej ścieżki kariery tortury, może być nazwany okrutnikiem tylko dlatego, że wrogów potraktował tak, jak swoich kolegów i jak koledzy jego? Czy można twierdzić, że Stalin nienawidził Polaków, skoro twórcą jego ulubionych służb był nasz rodak, a polskich oficerów mordował tylko tysiącami, gdy swoich rodaków milionami? Suworow pozwala na zagmatwaną historię i teraźniejszość Europy spojrzeć nieco obiektywniej, a Akwarium jest jego przesłania ważną częścią.
Tym, którym nie podchodzi styl Suworowa, lub niektóre jego tezy, albo którzy są takimi rusofobami, iż książki ruskiego autora nie wezmą do ręki, powiem, iż wróg wroga jest naszym przyjacielem. Skoro Suworow został za swe pisanie skazany zaocznie na śmierć i do dziś jest w Rosji na liście do odstrzału, to może jednak warto samemu się przekonać, za co go tak doceniono?
Tak czy siak, niezależnie od zapatrywań i sympatii, mimo iż ZSRR się rozpadł; Akwarium jest jedną z tych książek, które zdecydowanie warto przeczytać. Tym bardziej, iż pewne rzeczy w Rosji się nigdy nie zmienią. Polecam szczerze i gorąco
źródło:
http://klub-aa.blogspot.com/2012/12/a...
Akwarium jest jedną z najbardziej znanych i najgłośniejszych pozycji w dorobku pisarza, która doczekała się również swojej ekranizacji. Ma formę wspomnień z kariery Suworowa, która rozpoczęła się w wojskach pancernych, a zakończyła w strukturach GRU. Właściwie jeszcze się nie do końca skończyła, gdyż sławę zdobył dopiero po przejściu na drugą stronę; jako pisarz i historyk dla Zachodu, a jako zdrajca dla Rosjan.
Jak przebiegały losy Suworowa w służbie ZSRR nie będę zdradzał; przeczytajcie sami. Mnie bardzo odpowiada jego styl; rzeczowy i pozornie suchy. Pisarz, co jest nie tak znowu często spotykane, okazuje się świetnym obserwatorem, który potrafi oddać w sposób najbardziej wiarygodny to, o czym pisze, od najmniejszego szczegółu do ogółu, z którego wyciąga logiczne wnioski. Akwarium czyta się niczym świetną powieść szpiegowską, a przy tym jest to kopalnia wiedzy o radzieckich i rosyjskich służbach oraz o całej Rosji. O jej wielkości i słabościach, o mentalności władz i ludu, teraz i w przeszłości. Akwarium, podobnie jak inne książki Suworowa, powinien poznać każdy, kto chce zrozumieć historię Rosji, która od wieków służbami stała. Szczególnie każdy Polak i patriota powinien rzucić się na Akwarium i inne publikacje tego Rosjanina niczym wygłodniały pies na pełną michę. Od razu uprzedzam, że wnioski nie zawsze będą takie, jak przewidujecie.
Po lekturze Akwarium w innym świetle widzi się przywileje, jakimi w Sojuzie obdarowywano służby. Przywileje za które nader często w ostatecznym rozrachunku trzeba było zapłacić życiem. Nawet jeśli się było Stalinem. Profity, do których trudno się było dorwać, ale z których potem nie można było już zrezygnować. Jak w gangsterce; nie było opcji na wypisanie się.
Lektura tej opowieści, jak i innych książek Suworowa, pokazuje nam wyraźnie, iż wbrew tezom uparcie lansowanym przez wielu, Rosja nigdy nie była antypolska. Czy kierowca miażdżący kołami ciężarówki wiewiórkę, która próbowała przebiec mu drogę, nienawidzi wiewiórek? Czy człowiek znoszący w ramach swej ścieżki kariery tortury, może być nazwany okrutnikiem tylko dlatego, że wrogów potraktował tak, jak swoich kolegów i jak koledzy jego? Czy można twierdzić, że Stalin nienawidził Polaków, skoro twórcą jego ulubionych służb był nasz rodak, a polskich oficerów mordował tylko tysiącami, gdy swoich rodaków milionami? Suworow pozwala na zagmatwaną historię i teraźniejszość Europy spojrzeć nieco obiektywniej, a Akwarium jest jego przesłania ważną częścią.
Tym, którym nie podchodzi styl Suworowa, lub niektóre jego tezy, albo którzy są takimi rusofobami, iż książki ruskiego autora nie wezmą do ręki, powiem, iż wróg wroga jest naszym przyjacielem. Skoro Suworow został za swe pisanie skazany zaocznie na śmierć i do dziś jest w Rosji na liście do odstrzału, to może jednak warto samemu się przekonać, za co go tak doceniono?
Tak czy siak, niezależnie od zapatrywań i sympatii, mimo iż ZSRR się rozpadł; Akwarium jest jedną z tych książek, które zdecydowanie warto przeczytać. Tym bardziej, iż pewne rzeczy w Rosji się nigdy nie zmienią. Polecam szczerze i gorąco
źródło:
http://klub-aa.blogspot.com/2012/12/a...
October 24, 2016
--> Spoiler alert - I am discussing the ending of the book <--
I only read non-fiction, however, I am questioning how much of this book is actually true.
I can't remember anything in the book where Suvorov talks about his family. I don't think he mentions anything in the book about a wife, or kids.
However, reading his Wikipedia page, it states that he was married with kids at the time of his defection, and his whole family was successfully smuggled to Britain.
Towards the end of the book, when Suvorov writes that he is being followed, then hunted, by the GRU, and decides to defect, I thought he was a bachelor. Viktor describes fleeing his apartment in the middle of the night because he is afraid of being "evacuated" by GRU agents. Where is his family in all this? Are they with Suvorov in Switzerland? (He writes Austria in the book, but it is actually Switzerland) Are they still in USSR? If Suvorov goes into hiding for a period of time, and the GRU is out looking for him, they will certainly and immediately put his family under tight surveillance, no matter where they live. How did he actually make his decision to defect? How did he get his family out if things actually went down the way he writes? These questions cast a doubt over the whole book - how much is true and how much is historical fiction?
I only read non-fiction, however, I am questioning how much of this book is actually true.
I can't remember anything in the book where Suvorov talks about his family. I don't think he mentions anything in the book about a wife, or kids.
However, reading his Wikipedia page, it states that he was married with kids at the time of his defection, and his whole family was successfully smuggled to Britain.
Towards the end of the book, when Suvorov writes that he is being followed, then hunted, by the GRU, and decides to defect, I thought he was a bachelor. Viktor describes fleeing his apartment in the middle of the night because he is afraid of being "evacuated" by GRU agents. Where is his family in all this? Are they with Suvorov in Switzerland? (He writes Austria in the book, but it is actually Switzerland) Are they still in USSR? If Suvorov goes into hiding for a period of time, and the GRU is out looking for him, they will certainly and immediately put his family under tight surveillance, no matter where they live. How did he actually make his decision to defect? How did he get his family out if things actually went down the way he writes? These questions cast a doubt over the whole book - how much is true and how much is historical fiction?
September 4, 2015
Growing up in post-USSR Russian, this book stroke a cord that stayed with me throughout the years. I read it in original and have a copy that I dearly cherish. I love this book: thrilling, honest and raw at times. It is a memoir of a Russian spy who takes us down his memory lane and shares the mystery behind the GRU curtain and the price he paid for being a spy. If you are intrigued by the mystery that is so prevalent in the western world around Russian spies, you will enjoy this book. The author now lives in exile in the UK.
September 15, 2015
The first part of the book which opens to the reader some great secrets of soviet special forces and intelligence agencies is really fascinating. The second one focuses on some psychological aspects of being a spy and definitely does not bring so much interesting details. Let's also be honest, Suvorov as a writer is rather an average one and portreting inner life of his characters is a bit boring.
September 4, 2023
Brilliant espionage memoir; an overlooked classic of totalitarian, dystopian literature Viktor Suvorov's brilliant memoir of his life and times as an agent of the Soviet Union's military intelligence directorate known by its acronym, GRU, was an instant Cold War classic when first published as simply Aquarium in Great Britain in 1985. When published in the USA in 1986 as Inside the Aquarium: The Making of a Top Soviet Spy, it was a best-seller. Experts were divided on Suvorov at the time. Many suspected his books were fabrications, disinformation of some kind purposely released on the West by the Soviets using a double-agent; or the work of a British misinformation campaign to make the Soviets look like the evil empire then US President Ronald Reagan had declared them to be. This controversy was enhanced by the secrecy surrounding Suvorov himself. As a young intelligence officer during this time period, I thought the Suvorov books genuine. Years have passed, the Soviet Union is gone, the Cold War gave way to the "War on Terror" and Suvorov, no longer in hiding, is still writing and lecturing as an expert in Cold War era Russian history. And his memoir, Inside the Aquarium, has survived the test of time. It's a brilliant classic of life inside a totalitarian nightmare. In fact, this book is so well-written it should stand alongside other dystopian classics like Orwell's 1984 or Huxley's Brave New World. And as Russian literature, it's as good as anything by Chekhov or Solzhenitsyn.
Suvorov (Real Name: Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun) wrote several insider books on the Soviet military in the late 1980s, but Aquarium remains his best and most personal of the series. In the 1990s he began publishing a series of behind-the-scenes books on the origins of World War II and the secret machinations of the communist leaders of the Soviet Union in the post-war era. Many of these are popular in the former Warsaw Pact and in Russia. Not all of these books are well-received in the West, despite Suvorov's background and research. They simply are too revelatory for American and Western European readers who have been spoon-fed their history in small sugary doses. He has recently published a series of fiction novels for Eastern European and Russian readers. He is a fantastic writer and I wish his novels could be translated for an English reading audience soon.
In the meantime, if you have never read Aquarium, please get it. You won't be let down. This book needs to be rediscovered by a new audience as the classic memoir of personal survival inside one of the most totalitarian systems ever devised by mankind. Highly, highly recommended.
Suvorov (Real Name: Vladimir Bogdanovich Rezun) wrote several insider books on the Soviet military in the late 1980s, but Aquarium remains his best and most personal of the series. In the 1990s he began publishing a series of behind-the-scenes books on the origins of World War II and the secret machinations of the communist leaders of the Soviet Union in the post-war era. Many of these are popular in the former Warsaw Pact and in Russia. Not all of these books are well-received in the West, despite Suvorov's background and research. They simply are too revelatory for American and Western European readers who have been spoon-fed their history in small sugary doses. He has recently published a series of fiction novels for Eastern European and Russian readers. He is a fantastic writer and I wish his novels could be translated for an English reading audience soon.
In the meantime, if you have never read Aquarium, please get it. You won't be let down. This book needs to be rediscovered by a new audience as the classic memoir of personal survival inside one of the most totalitarian systems ever devised by mankind. Highly, highly recommended.
December 23, 2019
It could get very dry at parts especially in the beginning when he started talking about the Tank battalions, and later on when he described in painstaking detail the Spetsnaz outfit; each part of the kit was also described and it's purpose noted.
However, it really did open my eyes to the sheer cruelty of the Red Army, the GRU, and the Soviet State.
However, it really did open my eyes to the sheer cruelty of the Red Army, the GRU, and the Soviet State.
July 25, 2025
troszeczkę nie siadł mi styl pisania, lecz książka warta przeczytania i zatrzymania się przy niej. z tego miejsca pozdrawiam Maciusia z mojej klasy, który mi ją polecił.
May 5, 2017
Набагато цікавіше ніж екшени та детективи.
- Первый пункт документа, который я подписал, запрещал мне любые контакты со всеми людьми, которых я знал в прошлом.
- Никогда не барабань пальцами по столу. Так делают только неврастеники.
- Падать назад, сидя на стуле, так же просто и безопасно, как опуститься на колени или встать на четвереньки. Но природа наша человеческая противится падению назад. Нас сдерживает только наша психика…
- Много позже я узнал, что тех, кто правильно ответил больше чем на 90 процентов вопросов, сюда не принимали. Очень умные не нужны.
- Быстрая дружба кончается долгой враждой. Я знаю это. И мои товарищи по группе тоже это знают. Поэтому мы не спешим переводить наши знакомства в доверительные отношения.
- Успех приходит только тогда, когда каждая тренировка — памяти, мышц, психики, силы воли, настойчивости, — доводит человека до предела его возможностей.
- Успех приходит только тогда, когда каждая тренировка — памяти, мышц, психики, силы воли, настойчивости, — доводит человека до предела его возможностей. Когда конец тренировки превращается в пытку.
- для нашей памяти важнее всего сила ощущений.
- Нас тренируют перед зеркалом: смотри в глаза, не моргай. Не отводи взгляд. Если хочешь завербовать человека, ты должен прежде всего выдержать его взгляд.
- Четвертое правило вербовки гласит: внимательно слушай того, кого собираешься вербовать. У каждого человека в голове есть блестящие идеи, и каждый человек больше всего в жизни страдает оттого, что его никто не слушает.
- главное — не план, а психологический настрой.
- Самое главное сейчас — успокоить его, открыть перед ним все карты или сделать вид, что все карты раскрыты. Человек боится только неизвестности. Когда ситуация ясна, человек перестает боятся. А если не боится, то и глупостей не делает.
- Люди хуже зверей. Люди жестоки, как голуби.
- Первый пункт документа, который я подписал, запрещал мне любые контакты со всеми людьми, которых я знал в прошлом.
- Никогда не барабань пальцами по столу. Так делают только неврастеники.
- Падать назад, сидя на стуле, так же просто и безопасно, как опуститься на колени или встать на четвереньки. Но природа наша человеческая противится падению назад. Нас сдерживает только наша психика…
- Много позже я узнал, что тех, кто правильно ответил больше чем на 90 процентов вопросов, сюда не принимали. Очень умные не нужны.
- Быстрая дружба кончается долгой враждой. Я знаю это. И мои товарищи по группе тоже это знают. Поэтому мы не спешим переводить наши знакомства в доверительные отношения.
- Успех приходит только тогда, когда каждая тренировка — памяти, мышц, психики, силы воли, настойчивости, — доводит человека до предела его возможностей.
- Успех приходит только тогда, когда каждая тренировка — памяти, мышц, психики, силы воли, настойчивости, — доводит человека до предела его возможностей. Когда конец тренировки превращается в пытку.
- для нашей памяти важнее всего сила ощущений.
- Нас тренируют перед зеркалом: смотри в глаза, не моргай. Не отводи взгляд. Если хочешь завербовать человека, ты должен прежде всего выдержать его взгляд.
- Четвертое правило вербовки гласит: внимательно слушай того, кого собираешься вербовать. У каждого человека в голове есть блестящие идеи, и каждый человек больше всего в жизни страдает оттого, что его никто не слушает.
- главное — не план, а психологический настрой.
- Самое главное сейчас — успокоить его, открыть перед ним все карты или сделать вид, что все карты раскрыты. Человек боится только неизвестности. Когда ситуация ясна, человек перестает боятся. А если не боится, то и глупостей не делает.
- Люди хуже зверей. Люди жестоки, как голуби.
November 23, 2019
Induction into the GRU, the elite Soviet military-intelligence agency, begins with a film strip of a traitorous agent being burned alive. They know how to hook someone's attention, and so does Suvorov, as he describes his journey from armor officer, to Spetsnaz operative, to GRU agent.
The earlier parts of the book, as tanker and special forces soldier, carry with them a lot of joy. As Suvorov enters The Aquarium, the story becomes much more bleak, in the vein of a Red John Le Carre. GRU agents, even if there are the elite of the elite, are divided into Vikings who run foreign agents, gathering intelligence and the accolades, and Borzois, who do the necessary leg work of arranging cars, checking dead drops, and smuggling items and people across borders. The life of a spy is one of constants tests of loyalty to the Soviet Union, and betrayals of friends and countrymen of less than impeccable secrecy. Suvorov defects because he fails to become a Viking, because the ladder of prestige he was climbing for his entire career runs out, and because he couldn't face failure back home. Better to face an uncertain future in the West than the crematorium.
It seems that Suvorov shaded some personal details, for example he defected with an unmentioned wife and child, but this is a stark and stunning depiction of the paranoia that spies live under, and the balance of terror of the Soviet system, with hidden knives pointing from the Party to the KGB to the GRU. One of my favorite moments was Suvorov realizing the revolution is always served by criminals and incompetents, who's treason is revealed the moment they're dead. Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, and their lackeys, all were traitors to the impossible ideal of absolute power.
The earlier parts of the book, as tanker and special forces soldier, carry with them a lot of joy. As Suvorov enters The Aquarium, the story becomes much more bleak, in the vein of a Red John Le Carre. GRU agents, even if there are the elite of the elite, are divided into Vikings who run foreign agents, gathering intelligence and the accolades, and Borzois, who do the necessary leg work of arranging cars, checking dead drops, and smuggling items and people across borders. The life of a spy is one of constants tests of loyalty to the Soviet Union, and betrayals of friends and countrymen of less than impeccable secrecy. Suvorov defects because he fails to become a Viking, because the ladder of prestige he was climbing for his entire career runs out, and because he couldn't face failure back home. Better to face an uncertain future in the West than the crematorium.
It seems that Suvorov shaded some personal details, for example he defected with an unmentioned wife and child, but this is a stark and stunning depiction of the paranoia that spies live under, and the balance of terror of the Soviet system, with hidden knives pointing from the Party to the KGB to the GRU. One of my favorite moments was Suvorov realizing the revolution is always served by criminals and incompetents, who's treason is revealed the moment they're dead. Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, and their lackeys, all were traitors to the impossible ideal of absolute power.
August 6, 2017
Quite a disappointment. The author has a very specific writing style - he adds tons of unnecessary information to his storytelling, often completely derailing the point or making his narration pompous and fake. I expected insight into Soviet Military Intelligence (GRU), but half of the book is about author's military career before GRU and quarter is full of nonsense stories which do not add any value. Only remaining quarter of the book is really about GRU, spy work, intelligence etc. That part is quite good (of course if author does not divagate about birds or other nonsense) and is probably the only reason I gave the second star to the review. It creates quite gruesome picture of Soviet Intelligence, which makes you wonder how such organization could achieve any successes in such hostile and paranoid environment. Even the reasons for author's defection to the west are silly, which adds up to general absurdity of this story.
There are better spy book bibles than this. Try Nazywam się Zacharski. Marian Zacharski.: Wbrew regułom.. That was real page-turner
There are better spy book bibles than this. Try Nazywam się Zacharski. Marian Zacharski.: Wbrew regułom.. That was real page-turner
September 20, 2017
არაჩვეულებრივი წიგნი, სადაც კარგად არის აღწერილი თუ როგორ მუშაობდა საბჭოთა დაზვერვა მეოცე საუკუნის დასაწყისიდან ცივი ომის დამთავრებამდე, რამხელა ძალაუფლებას ფლობდნენ, როგორ ცვლიდნენ პოლიტიკას მთელი ევროპის მასშტაბით. ასევე, ყურადსაღებია დიპლომატიური კორპუსის მუშაობა, რომელიც გრუ-ს სრული დაქვემდებარების ქვეშ იმყოფებოდა. ავტორს კარგად აქვს ნაჩვენები როგორ იყენებდა რუსული აგენტურა ვენის დიპლომატიურ კონვენციის ბერკეტებს მათთვის სასარგებლო საქმეების მოსაგვარებლად. საინტერესო პარალალების გავლება შეიძლება თანამედროვე რუსეთთან, რომელსაც ტექნიკის განვითარებასთან ერთად გაცილებით მეტი რესურსი გაუჩნდა პროპაგანდირების და ჰიბრიდული ომის წარმოების კუთხით. Higly reccommended!
January 9, 2012
Классика. По сути вся русскоязычная историография 2 Мировой войны делится на две части: до Ледокола, и после
June 19, 2024
Rubel za wejście, dwa za wyjście. Taka jest stawka za wstąpienie do wywiadu, jeżeli już wejdziesz, to próbując wyjść będziesz stratny. Bardzo wciągająca opowieść z częścią autobiograficzną Suworowa. Czytając ma się poczucie postępującego odrealnienia i zaszczucia w jakim znajduje się bohater książki. Ciągła inwigilacja, ubezpieczanie akcji, obmyślanie sposobów dojścia do tajnych informacji, sprawdzanie lojalności... To wszystko jest bardzo dla samego szpiega i daje się odczuć także czytelnikowi.
Niesamowite opisy sposobu działania agencji wywiadowczych bardzo wciągają. Pomysłowość "dyplomatów" w kwestii zdobywania informacji jest niesłychana, lecz jednakże bardzo prosta. Najsmutniejsza w tym wszystkim jest samotność szpiega, nie mogą oni nikomu zaufać, nawet dochodzi do sytuacji, gdzie trzeba donosić czy sprawdzać czujność i lojalność swoich bliskich współpracowników. W tej rzeczywistości nie ma miejsca na słabość ani chwilę zawahania. Jeśli ty komuś darujesz, to możesz mieć pewność, że on tego nie zrobi, tu nie ma miejsca na dobroć, każdy chce wspiąć się jak najwyżej w hierarchii GRU.
Ostatnie strony książki, gdy Suworow rozważa czy jest przestępcą, zdrajcą, kolaborantem etc.
"Możecie mnie, kochani, uważać za przestępcę, ale nie za fagasa. Przestępcy też nie róbcie ze mnie zbyt wielkiego. Wszyscy bliscy towarzysze Lenina okazali się zdrajcami, renegatami i agentami obcych wywiadów, łącznie z Trockim, Zinowiewem, Kamieniewem, Rykowem, Bucharinem i innymi. Kim więc był Lenin? Hersztem szajki zdrajców, szpiegów i terrorystów. Jak zatem nazwać tych wszystkich, którzy mu wiernie służyli, którzy do dziś biją przed nim czołem? Ze Stalinem była podobna historia. Jego również otaczali sami wrogowie, szpiedzy, zdeprawowani antypartyjni kombinatorzy. On też okazał się zwyczajnym przestępcą. Jak nazwać tych, którzy pokornie spełniali każdy rozkaz tego przestępcy? Prędzej czy później wszyscy nasi kolejni wodzowie znajdą się na liście zdrajców i łotrów. Uciec od nich to oczywiście przestępstwo. A zostać i wykonywać ich rozkazy?"
Niesamowite opisy sposobu działania agencji wywiadowczych bardzo wciągają. Pomysłowość "dyplomatów" w kwestii zdobywania informacji jest niesłychana, lecz jednakże bardzo prosta. Najsmutniejsza w tym wszystkim jest samotność szpiega, nie mogą oni nikomu zaufać, nawet dochodzi do sytuacji, gdzie trzeba donosić czy sprawdzać czujność i lojalność swoich bliskich współpracowników. W tej rzeczywistości nie ma miejsca na słabość ani chwilę zawahania. Jeśli ty komuś darujesz, to możesz mieć pewność, że on tego nie zrobi, tu nie ma miejsca na dobroć, każdy chce wspiąć się jak najwyżej w hierarchii GRU.
Ostatnie strony książki, gdy Suworow rozważa czy jest przestępcą, zdrajcą, kolaborantem etc.
"Możecie mnie, kochani, uważać za przestępcę, ale nie za fagasa. Przestępcy też nie róbcie ze mnie zbyt wielkiego. Wszyscy bliscy towarzysze Lenina okazali się zdrajcami, renegatami i agentami obcych wywiadów, łącznie z Trockim, Zinowiewem, Kamieniewem, Rykowem, Bucharinem i innymi. Kim więc był Lenin? Hersztem szajki zdrajców, szpiegów i terrorystów. Jak zatem nazwać tych wszystkich, którzy mu wiernie służyli, którzy do dziś biją przed nim czołem? Ze Stalinem była podobna historia. Jego również otaczali sami wrogowie, szpiedzy, zdeprawowani antypartyjni kombinatorzy. On też okazał się zwyczajnym przestępcą. Jak nazwać tych, którzy pokornie spełniali każdy rozkaz tego przestępcy? Prędzej czy później wszyscy nasi kolejni wodzowie znajdą się na liście zdrajców i łotrów. Uciec od nich to oczywiście przestępstwo. A zostać i wykonywać ich rozkazy?"
July 1, 2023
Świetnie przedstawia realia działań wywiadowczych prowadzonych przez ZSRR. W odróżnieniu od wielu innych powieści szpiegowskich, książka ta została napisana przez osobę rzeczywiście działającą w tym świecie.
October 19, 2022
Ciekawa opowieść byłego szpiega GRU jak wygląda taka praca "od środka". Ciężko doszukiwać się niewiadomo jakich tajemnic w tej książce, ale autor dosyć ciekawie przeprowadza nas przez jego karierę w GRU, więc jest szansa chociaż powierzchownie zobaczyć jak funkcjonuje wywiad.
July 26, 2018
Interesting details about the organization of elite Russian army forces: Specnaz and GRU. Well written although gaps in the timeline are often confusing.
March 5, 2019
ჩვენთან მარტივი კანონია:
შესვლა მანეთი, გამოსვლა – ორი მანეთი,
იგულისხმება, რომ ორგანიზაციაში შესვლა რთულია, გამოსვლა კი კიდევ უფრო რთული.
ვიქტორ სუვოროვი
ეს წიგნი ეძღვნება რუსულ სამხედრო დაზვერვას გრუ-ს. ვიქტორ სუვოროვი მისი ფსევდონიმია, როგორც თვითონ ამბობს მან ეს ფსევდონიმი სრულიად შემთხვევით შეარჩია მისი ნამდვილი სახელი და გვარი ვლადიმერ რეზუნია.
ახლა რაც შეეხება წიგნს, ეს არ არის წიგნი მხოლოდ იმათთვის ვისაც სამხედრო თემატიკა მოსწონს და აინტერესებს წიგნის წაკითხვა შეუძლია ნებისმიერ ადამიანს, როდესაც ვიქტორ სუვოროვს ГРУ-ში იღებდნენ, უთხრეს: ჩვენი ორგანიზაცია აკვარიუმს ჰგავს, რომლიდანაც ჩქამიც არ ისმისო. ალბათ ამიტომ შეარჩია სათაურად აკვარიუმი. თვითონ ვიტია საკმაოდ საინტერესო ადამიანია ის თამამად საუბრობს როგორც სისტემის მანკიერ გამოვლინებებზე ასევე საკუთარ თავზე მასაც აწუხებს საბოლოოდ შეკითხვა თუ რა არის გაქცევის მიზეზი რახან სისტემამ კუდზე დააბიჯა თუ იმიტო რომ სისტემა სძულს? ის იმ ეპიზოდშივე სცემს პასუხს, მაგრამ საკმაოდ საკამათაო პასუხს რისიც მე პირადად, მგონია რომ მასაც არ სჯერა.ვიქტორ სუვოროვს დაუსწრებლად გაქცევის შემდეგ სასამართლომ სიკვდილი მიუსაჯა რაზეც თვითონ ხუმრობდა: ახლა სასიკვდილო განაჩენსა და მის აღსრულებას შორის პერიოდში ვცხოვრობ, მაგრამ ეს პერიოდი ჩემს ცხოვრებაში ყველაზე ტკბილიაო. ის დღესაც ცოცხალია და კვლავაც განაგრძნობს მსოფლიოს გაოცებას თუ რა კარგად იცნობს საბჭოთა სამსახურების შინაგან ბუნებას. მისი ინტერვიუები ძალიან საინტერესოა და სკრიპალების საქმეზეც მან საკმაოდ დამაფიქრებლად და საინტერესოდ ისაუბრა.
შესვლა მანეთი, გამოსვლა – ორი მანეთი,
იგულისხმება, რომ ორგანიზაციაში შესვლა რთულია, გამოსვლა კი კიდევ უფრო რთული.
ვიქტორ სუვოროვი
ეს წიგნი ეძღვნება რუსულ სამხედრო დაზვერვას გრუ-ს. ვიქტორ სუვოროვი მისი ფსევდონიმია, როგორც თვითონ ამბობს მან ეს ფსევდონიმი სრულიად შემთხვევით შეარჩია მისი ნამდვილი სახელი და გვარი ვლადიმერ რეზუნია.
ახლა რაც შეეხება წიგნს, ეს არ არის წიგნი მხოლოდ იმათთვის ვისაც სამხედრო თემატიკა მოსწონს და აინტერესებს წიგნის წაკითხვა შეუძლია ნებისმიერ ადამიანს, როდესაც ვიქტორ სუვოროვს ГРУ-ში იღებდნენ, უთხრეს: ჩვენი ორგანიზაცია აკვარიუმს ჰგავს, რომლიდანაც ჩქამიც არ ისმისო. ალბათ ამიტომ შეარჩია სათაურად აკვარიუმი. თვითონ ვიტია საკმაოდ საინტერესო ადამიანია ის თამამად საუბრობს როგორც სისტემის მანკიერ გამოვლინებებზე ასევე საკუთარ თავზე მასაც აწუხებს საბოლოოდ შეკითხვა თუ რა არის გაქცევის მიზეზი რახან სისტემამ კუდზე დააბიჯა თუ იმიტო რომ სისტემა სძულს? ის იმ ეპიზოდშივე სცემს პასუხს, მაგრამ საკმაოდ საკამათაო პასუხს რისიც მე პირადად, მგონია რომ მასაც არ სჯერა.ვიქტორ სუვოროვს დაუსწრებლად გაქცევის შემდეგ სასამართლომ სიკვდილი მიუსაჯა რაზეც თვითონ ხუმრობდა: ახლა სასიკვდილო განაჩენსა და მის აღსრულებას შორის პერიოდში ვცხოვრობ, მაგრამ ეს პერიოდი ჩემს ცხოვრებაში ყველაზე ტკბილიაო. ის დღესაც ცოცხალია და კვლავაც განაგრძნობს მსოფლიოს გაოცებას თუ რა კარგად იცნობს საბჭოთა სამსახურების შინაგან ბუნებას. მისი ინტერვიუები ძალიან საინტერესოა და სკრიპალების საქმეზეც მან საკმაოდ დამაფიქრებლად და საინტერესოდ ისაუბრა.
June 3, 2018
I liked this book though it is an odd duck. It is a first person, autobiographical account of a GRU (Soviet Miitary Intelligence and counterpart to the KGB) who started as a tank captain around...1968(?) and gradually worked his way up before being recruited to the GRU. Obviously, there is undoubtedly a lot of spin but, as a child of that era, I thought it was pretty interesting in giving the Soviet era mindset.
The guy was never even a true believer, he claims, but merely trying to survive, get by, or do well with the options given and the knowledge that you either maintain and move forward or wind up being put into a prison camp or outright murdered within the Soviet system once you are tied into intelligence and systems of power. He basically makes it clear he didn't believe but was getting by and the reason he defected is he saw something he didn't want to see, which caused a senior officer to be recalled (and probably either imprisoned or killed) and knew he'd be next because he saw it all while working at the embassy in Vienna.
The guy was never even a true believer, he claims, but merely trying to survive, get by, or do well with the options given and the knowledge that you either maintain and move forward or wind up being put into a prison camp or outright murdered within the Soviet system once you are tied into intelligence and systems of power. He basically makes it clear he didn't believe but was getting by and the reason he defected is he saw something he didn't want to see, which caused a senior officer to be recalled (and probably either imprisoned or killed) and knew he'd be next because he saw it all while working at the embassy in Vienna.
August 3, 2020
OK, everyone has heard something about the KGB, but what about the GRU? A Soviet military intelligence officer talks about his career in the GRU, working as a foreign diplomat and the defection.
It was very interesting to learn how the Soviet military "manufactured" their own spies for the working in the invisible world wide web of spies during the Cold War. And, of course, within the system, neither money, nor morality, nor personal interests mattered...
It was very interesting to learn how the Soviet military "manufactured" their own spies for the working in the invisible world wide web of spies during the Cold War. And, of course, within the system, neither money, nor morality, nor personal interests mattered...
July 18, 2019
A very serious account of working within the Soviet GRU military intelligence. If this is all true I don't see how anyone could work under that much tension and fear all the time. The least little mistake gets you thrown into prison or exterminated. I don't see why there were not many more GRU defectors!
December 7, 2014
This is a fine read, and a timely one given the apparent resurgence of the Russian Bear. It is particularly forceful in its depiction of Russian military intelligence (formerly the GRU), which often held the stick over the KGB.
January 18, 2013
A nice one, with some psychical damage to my brain.
July 4, 2013
Wgniata!
November 12, 2014
this book is in my top-10
August 27, 2018
Amazing story from former soviet spy. Incredible methods and resources used by communists to gather information will really surprize anyone.
Definitely goes to my "must read" shelf.
Definitely goes to my "must read" shelf.
February 2, 2024
Must read for so-called "friends of russia" and other useful goofs.
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