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We present translations of two article in the newspaper “Argumenty i Fakty”:

– “The history of repressions devoid of emotion. Viktor Zemskov’s arguments and facts” from July 25, 2015, dispelling one of the myths surrounding Stalin – that of “tens of millions of repressed”, replacing it instead with impartial historical research.

– This is followed by a translation of an earlier article from 1989, “‘The Gulag Archipelago’: through the eyes of a writer and a statistician”, where Zemskov counters the misinformation in Solzhenicin’s work.

Read also: Myths about Stalin. Where do legs grow from? Reblog of a detailed research article!

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The man who believed the facts

The official website of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences reported that on July 21, 2015, Viktor Nikolaevich Zemskov, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Chief Researcher at the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Scientific Secretary of the Center for Military History of Russia, died suddenly at the age of 70.

“Viktor Nikolaevich’s whole life was inextricably linked with the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, where he worked for more than 50 years,” the report says. — Viktor Nikolaevich became especially famous for his archival research. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was the discoverer of archival funds on the history of political repression in the USSR that had previously been closed to scientists.

Viktor Zemskov’s name won’t say much to a wide audience. His books were not published in millions of copies, they were not decorated with catchy titles. He preferred painstaking work with historical documents, rather than a pursuit of high-profile sensations.

In 1989, at the peak of “perestroika”, Zemskov joined the commission for determining population losses at the Department of History of the USSR Academy of Sciences, headed by Corresponding member of the USSR Academy of Sciences Yuri Polyakov. The Commission gained access to the statistical reports of the OGPU-NKVD-MVD-MGB, stored in the Central State Archive of the October Revolution.

These previously classified documents contained all the factual information about the real history of political repression during the Soviet period.

As already mentioned, Viktor Zemskov did not chase after sensations, but the research materials he published overturned ideas about the scale of political repression in the USSR.

The secret that has become disclosed

The historian, who had never hidden his negative attitude towards the Stalinist repressions, came to the conclusion that the data on tens and hundreds of millions of repressed people, which appeared in foreign studies and in media materials from the time of “perestroika”, do not reflect the reality.

Having thoroughly studied all the materials, Zemskov established that in the period from 1921 to 1953 in the USSR, 4,060,306 people were convicted of “counterrevolutionary and other particularly dangerous state crimes”, of which 799,455 people were sentenced to capital punishment.

Zemskov also refuted the popular statement about “a country where every second person went through prison camps”. According to the results of the study, it was found that the maximum total number of prisoners in camps in the entire Soviet history was recorded as of January 1, 1950 — 2,760,095 people, while the average number of prisoners ranged from 1.5 to 2.5 million people. At the same time, we are talking about both political prisoners and those convicted of criminal offences.

For comparison, the number of prisoners in the United States reached 2.2 million in 2013.

Documents versus Emotions

The results of Viktor Zemskov’s research did not correspond at all to the ideas about repression in the USSR, which were formed under the influence of Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s book “The Gulag Archipelago” and various revealing journalistic materials of the “Perestroika” era.

Zemskov was accused of “falsification” and many tried to refute his conclusions. But the historian calmly, with facts in hand, countered all the arguments of his opponents.

For example, Anton Antonov-Ovseenko, director of the State Museum of the History of the GULAG, the son of the executed revolutionary and Soviet statesman Vladimir Antonov-Ovseenko, accusing Zemskov of distorting reality, stated that in 1946 there were 16 million prisoners in the GULAG. Antonov-Ovseenko claimed that these data are based on the number of food rations issued.

“It should be understood that by the date Antonov-Ovseenko is referring to (1946), there were not 16 million, but 1.6 million prisoners in GULAG camps and colonies. You should still pay attention to the period between the numbers,” Viktor Zemskov coolly objected in his work “On the Scale of Political Repression in the USSR”, noting along the way that the list of those who worked with the document referred to by Antonov-Ovseenko does not include the name of his respected opponent, which means that the material know to him is by hearsay.

It soon became obvious that against Zemskov’s factual material, his opponents could only present emotions and evidence in the style of “I was told by a knowledgeable person”.

The work of his life

In the end, fans of talking about “tens of millions of victims of the Soviet regime” decided that it was easiest to ignore Viktor Zemskov’s work.

But Zemskov continued his work, dismantling the vast number of myths about Soviet history that have been formed over the past decades.

There is no doubt that in due time this outstanding historian will be honoured for his work, which is important not only for understanding the past, but also for the future of our country.

Viktor Nikolaevich Zemskov has repeatedly spoken from the pages of Arguments and Facts.

In 1989, the material “‘The Gulag Archipelago’: through the eyes of a writer and a statistician” was published, which we again bring to your attention today in memory of Viktor Nikolaevich Zemskov.

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“The Gulag Archipelago”: through the eyes of a writer and a statistician

– The material was first published in the weekly “Argumenty i Fakty” No. 45, 1989.

“The experience of artistic research” – as the master himself defined his work – is in the spotlight today. And whatever the reader’s reaction — horror, indignation, surprise, tears, outrage, sympathy — it is followed by the question: “Where are the documents of that tragic time?”. We have little hope for civilian statistics, although “it knows everything”, according to perhaps the most talented jokers of those bloody years, Ilf and Petrov. Could the “servant” of Stalin’s “victories” adhere to the truth in everything? The statistics of the Beria accountant are another matter. It would be interesting to apply it, like tracing paper, to the “Gulag Archipelago” and reliably understand the greatest crime of the era.

The ominous archive is securely stored in armoured safes. But it is not known for what reasons (we will not speculate) a significant part of the Gulag documentation ended up in the civil archive, among the most harmless papers. Viktor Zemskov, a scientist who discovered them, Candidate of Historical Sciences, senior researcher at the Institute of the History of the USSR of the USSR Academy of Sciences, introduced them to the editorial staff of AiF.

S. Cholak, AiF: Viktor Nikolaevich, can you provide documentary clarity: what is it, “the amazing GULAG country, geographically torn into an archipelago, but psychologically shackled into a continent, an almost invisible, almost intangible country”?

Viktor Zemskov: As of March 1, 1940, the GULAG consisted of 53 camps (including camps engaged in railway construction), 425 correctional labour colonies (including 170 industrial, 83 agricultural and 172 “contractors”, i.e. working on construction sites and in farms of other departments), united by regional, krai, republican departments of correctional labour colonies (ICCS), and 50 colonies for minors.

Along with the isolation authorities, the GULAG system included the so-called “bureau of correctional labour” (BIRa), whose task was not to isolate convicts, but to ensure the implementation of court decisions against persons sentenced to forced labour.

The total number of prisoners held in GULAG camps and correctional labour colonies was estimated at 1,668,200 as of March 1, 1940, according to centralised records. Of this number, 352,000 were held in correctional labour colonies (including 192,000 in industrial and agricultural ones).

According to the nature of crimes, prisoners were distributed as follows (March 1, 1940): for counter-revolutionary activities — 28.7%; for particularly dangerous crimes against the order of administration — 5.4%; for hooliganism, profiteering and other crimes against management — 12.4%; theft — 9.7%; official and economic crimes — 8.9%; crimes against individuals — 5.9%; theft of socialist property — 1.5%; other crimes — 27.5%.

– “I don’t dare to write the history of the Archipelago: I didn’t get to read the documents,” thus Solzhenitsyn devalues his work. Have you read them, and in this light, how accurate was the Nobel laureate?

— To be more specific, I suggest we limit ourselves for now to the initial chapters published in the 8th issue of Novy Mir. I will give individual lines and their “decoding”.

“Those who go to guard the Archipelago are called up through military enlistment offices.”

At the beginning of 1940, the paramilitary guard of the GULAG numbered about 107,000 people, the cost of whose maintenance per year was determined by the amount of 790 million roubles. From year to year, the administration of camps and colonies experienced difficulties in recruiting freelance security personnel and therefore often involved trustworthy prisoners in this case. In January 1939, the number of riflemen guards formed from among the prisoners was 25,000, and by early 1940 it had dropped to 12,000.

“In the strained years 1945-1946, when trains were coming and coming from Europe and they had to be absorbed all at once and sent to the GULAG…”

During 1946, 228.000 repatriates were checked in the screening and filtration camps. By January 1, 1947, 199.000 of them had been transferred to the special settlements, transferred to industrial personnel (to “workers’ battalions”) and sent to their place of residence. The remaining 28.900 repatriates continued to be subjected to screening (in addition to screening and filtration, some of them were in correctional labour camps).

“However, I am not afraid to make a mistake when I say: the stream of the thirty–seventh and thirty—eighth was neither the only one, nor even the main one, but only, perhaps, one of the three largest streams that filled the gloomy, fetid pipes of your prison sewer system.”

The reference “Movement of the Gulag camp population” speaks for itself.

In addition, there is also a certificate on the total number of prisoners in the NKVD camps.

Years	By January 1	Year average
1930	179 000	190 000
1931	212 000	245 000
1932	268 700	271 000
1933	334 300	456 000
1934	510 307	620 000
1935	725 483	794 000
1936	839 406	836 000
1937	820 881	994 000
1938	996 367	1 313 000
1939	1 317 195	1 340 000
1940	1 344 408	1 400 000
1941	1 500 524	1 560 000
1942	1 415 596	1 096 876
1943	983 974	731 885
1944	663 594	658 124
1945	715 506	697 258
1946	600 897	700 712
1947	808 839	1 048 127

“The release of 1939 is an incredible case in the history of Organs, a stain on their history! But, however, this counter–flow was small, about one or two percent of those taken before…”

In 1939, 327.400 people were released from the GULAG, including 223.600 from camps and 103.800 from the colonies.

“… After all, there were mothers… wives and children left behind. Using an infallible social analysis, it was easy to imagine what kind of mood they were in after the arrest of the heads of families. Thus, they simply also had to be imprisoned as well!”

And they were imprisoned. The number of family members of “traitors to the Motherland” held in the GULAG (as of January 1): 1939 — 13,172; 1940 — 13,044; 1941 — 12,128; 1942 — 12,429; 1943 — 8817; 1944 — 6033; 1945 — 5698; 1946 — 2197; 1947 — 1014.

“Some of them (prisoners — editor’s note) managed to break back in a small reverse flow — head on! They were the ones who remembered that life is given to you only once and nothing is more precious than our life.”

In July 1947, the proportion of the intelligence and information network in the GULAG covered about 8% of prisoners, or 139,000 people, of which 10,000 – residents, 4,000 – agents, 65,000 – informants and 60,000 – the anti—escape intelligence and information network.

The figure of 8% was a matter of special pride for statistics, since ten years beforeit was eight times less.

— And what was the situation with the “all-sweeping” fifty-eighth article, which empowered “all the long-term activities of all-pervading and eternally awake Organs”? How many people have experienced her “all-encompassing embrace”?

— The proportion of those convicted of counter-revolutionary crimes among GULAG camp prisoners was: in 1934 — 26.5%; 1935 — 16.3%; 1936 — 12.6%; 1937 — 12.8%; 1938 — 18.6%; 1939 — 34.5%; 1940 — 33.1%; 1941 — 28.7%; 1942 — 29.6%; 1943 — 35.6%; 1944 — 40.7%; 1945 — 41.2%; 1946 — 59.5%; 1947 — 54.3%; 1948 — 38.0%. There is also data on individual sub-paragraphs of these articles. The Beria accountants were scrupulous in their calculations. They counted their prisoners by age, nationality, and gender. They dispassionately calculated the increase in the death rate of prisoners due to the reduction in the “caloric intake” during the war years, and determined the annual change in “living space per prisoner.”

— What struck you most about what you found?

— In the preliminaries to the annual reports of the GULAG, it was constantly emphasized that the GULAG is not so much a punitive body as an educational/correctional one. In the view of the drafters of these documents, the archipelago looked almost like a charitable institution helping misguided citizens to become active builders of socialism. The consolidated reports of the GULAG, which are one hundred page volumes, look more like reports from national economic enterprises. They even take into account the number of nails used to build containers.

— You have introduced us to unique documents. What will be the fate of the others?

— If the readers of AiF are interested in them, we will continue this conversation on the pages of your weekly magazine.

MOVEMENT OF THE GULAG CAMP POPULATION

	1934	1935	1936	1937	1938	1939	1940	1941	1942	1943	1944	1945	1946	1947
Present by January 1	510 307	725 483	839 406	820 881	996 367	1 317 195	1 344 408	1 500 524	1 415 596	983 974	663 594	715 506	600 897	808 839
Total incoming	593 702	524 328	626 069	884 811	1 036 165	749 647	1 158 404	1 343 663	806 047	477 175	379 589	423 917	636 188	748 620
Including:
From NKVD camps	100 389	67 265	157 355	211 486	202 721	348 417	498 399	488 964	246 273	114 152	48 428	59 707	172 844	121 633
From prisons	445 187	409 663	431 442	636 749	803 007	383 994	644 927	840 712	544 583	355 728	326 928	361 121	461 562	624 345
From being on the run	46 752	45 988	35 891	35 460	22 679	9838	8839	6528	4984	3074	1839	953	1203	1599
Others	1374	1412	1381	1116	7758	7398	6237	7459	10 207	4221	2394	2136	579	1043
Total outgoing:	378 526	410 405	644 594	709 325	715 337	722 434	1 002 286	1 428 591	1 221 905	797 555	327 677	555 524	428 246	449 402
Among them:
To NKVD camps	103 002	72 190	170 484	214 607	240 466	347 444	563 338	540 205	252 174	140 756	64 119	96 438	182 647	153 899
To other detention areas	17 169	28 976	23 826	43 916	55 790	74 882	57 213	135 537	186 577	140 093	39 303	70 187	99 332	58 782
Released	147 272	211 035	369 544	364 437	279 966	223 622	316 825	624 276	509 538	336 153	152 131	336 750	115 700	194 886
Died	26 295	29 328	20 595	25 376	90 546	50 502	46 665	100 997	248 877	166 967	60 948	43 848	18 154	35 668
Escaped	83 490	67 483	56 313	58 264	32 033	12 333	11 813	10 592	11 822	6242	3586	2196	2642	3779
Other outgoing	1298	2383	1832	2725	16 536	13 651	6432	16 984	12 917	7344	7590	6105	9711	2388
Present by December 31	725 483	839 406	820 881	996 367	1 317 195	1 344 408	1 500 524	1 415 596	983 974	663 549	714 506	600 897	808 839	1 108 057