According to his dossier, Shukhov was in for treason. He’d admitted it under investigation—yes, he had surrendered in order to betray his country, and returned from POW camp to carry out a mission for German intelligence. What the mission could be, neither Shukhov himself nor his interrogator could imagine. They left it at that—just “a mission.” The counterespionage boys had beaten the hell out of him. The choice was simple enough: don’t sign and dig your own grave, or sign and live a bit longer. He signed.
