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In the Gunsight of the KGB
An account of a Soviet defector's escape from his country describes how Ushakov, under investigation for anti-Soviet writing, was denounced as an enemy of the state and fled to the West. Reprint.
303 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published July 1, 1992
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October 7, 2016
Professor Ushakov certainly puts many misconceptions and rumours to rest in this book. It was given to me as a gift, and according to the gifter, it was a seriously difficult book to obtain - having read it, I wonder why it is not more widely published - it is a prize.
Incredibly, he managed to escape from the KGB and made his way into the borders of Turkey, putting his skills from the Soviet Army to good use, and in writing this book, his scholarly background is given free reign to explain his theories on Marxism and the reasons for its decline.
Starting from his arrest, Mr. Ushakov describes his life in Soviet Russia with a mother belonging to a persecuted Cossack tribe and a Russian father who fought in the Soviet Army and an unwavering faith in God.
He is arrested by the KGB and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment due to his writings on the decline of the Soviet empire. As a professor of social studies, he saw the decline of Marxism coming and, according to him, tried to warn them, but he was taken more as a traitor than anything else.
What followed was a plan to escape from the KGB and make his way to the Caucasus mountains into Turkey on foot. His journey is described in detail, and I thought his analysis of why Communism failed is remarkable. Furthermore, he has quite a droll sense of humour which came through in his writing.
His description of the Turkish people he encountered was heart-warming and his description of the contrasts between American life and Soviet life was fascinating. certainly, he comes across in this book as a man of conviction and that conviction would take him on a journey few would ever attempt.
Incredibly, he managed to escape from the KGB and made his way into the borders of Turkey, putting his skills from the Soviet Army to good use, and in writing this book, his scholarly background is given free reign to explain his theories on Marxism and the reasons for its decline.
Starting from his arrest, Mr. Ushakov describes his life in Soviet Russia with a mother belonging to a persecuted Cossack tribe and a Russian father who fought in the Soviet Army and an unwavering faith in God.
He is arrested by the KGB and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment due to his writings on the decline of the Soviet empire. As a professor of social studies, he saw the decline of Marxism coming and, according to him, tried to warn them, but he was taken more as a traitor than anything else.
What followed was a plan to escape from the KGB and make his way to the Caucasus mountains into Turkey on foot. His journey is described in detail, and I thought his analysis of why Communism failed is remarkable. Furthermore, he has quite a droll sense of humour which came through in his writing.
His description of the Turkish people he encountered was heart-warming and his description of the contrasts between American life and Soviet life was fascinating. certainly, he comes across in this book as a man of conviction and that conviction would take him on a journey few would ever attempt.
Displaying 1 of 1 review