Svitlana Pavlenko (Gerda Henkel Fellowship, Mar – Jul ‘26) will give a talk on her study on:

Soviet Counterintelligence in Dnipropetrovsk: Secrecy, Control, and Industrial Espionage (1950s–1960s)

25 June 2026 (Thursday), 16:30 h.

Moderated by: Oleksandr Kryvobok

Abstract: Based on declassified documents from the Sectoral State Archive of the Security Service of Ukraine in Kyiv and the Archive Department of the Security Service of Ukraine in Dnipropetrovsk Region, this study examines the activities of Soviet state security organs in Dnipropetrovsk (today Dnipro) during the 1950s and early 1960s, with particular attention to Plant No. 586 and Plant No. 933.

The archival evidence demonstrates that long before the city was officially closed to foreigners in 1959, Dnipropetrovsk already functioned as a semi-closed city. Concerns about the protection of information and maintaining control gradually led to increasing restrictions on foreign movement within the city. By analyzing surveillance operations, counterintelligence activities, foreign contacts, and industrial intelligence, the research demonstrates how Soviet authorities attempted to maintain strict control over information while simultaneously using foreign contacts to acquire valuable scientific and industrial knowledge.

The presentation examines the local KGB structure, its networks of residents, agents, and informants, as well as cases of information leakage, security breaches, and disciplinary violations. Special attention is paid to the 1959 operation of Agent “Lux,” who was sent to Dnipropetrovsk to test the effectiveness of local secrecy measures and identify possible channels of information leakage.