Projects
This project investigates Soviet counterintelligence operations in the Dnipropetrovsk region during the Khrushchev Thaw (mid-1950s to early 1960s), focusing on the KGB’s role in securing classified defense-industrial information, exerting control over urban life, and recruiting locals for intelligence operations. Due to its status as a pivotal hub for missile and rocket production, Dnipropetrovsk (now Dnipro) was designated a “closed city” in 1959. The research examines how the KGB managed industrial espionage by both monitoring foreign visitors and mobilizing local professionals – engineers and scientists – as informants. Additionally, the study explores how Soviet authorities implemented strict security protocols, controlled information flows, and influenced the everyday lives of residents through surveillance, censorship, and ideological enforcement. Through the analysis of newly accessible archival materials and previously overlooked historiographical sources, this study reveals the intricate mechanisms of secrecy enforcement and internal surveillance. Grounded in theories of state surveillance and social control (Foucault, Scott, Popper), this research highlights the complex interplay between technological progress, state control, and the lived realities of citizens. Ultimately, this research contributes to Cold War studies by shifting the focus from external espionage to domestic counterintelligence, offering fresh insights into Soviet industrial security and the impact of strict surveillance on local society.