Inside Kyiv’s former Soviet secret police prison
As I visited this NKVD dungeon I couldn’t help but think of my great-great-grandfather, who had suffered in a similar prison – and how little has changed behind Russian imperialist thinking.
Editor’s note: Today we explore the dark history of Soviet prisons, including the vestige of one dungeon still sitting in Kyiv as a reminder of Russian brutality. Upgrade to a paid subscription now to help us continue writing these unique stories:
The dampness seeps into my lungs, making it hard to breathe.
I can’t see a thing: the dungeon is covered by darkness.
Decades ago, Ukrainians were executed here.
Our group was small, around 15 locals, led by a guide. We were visiting an underground prison in downtown Kyiv once used by the notorious NKVD — one of the Soviet Union's agencies responsible for mass political repression.
Inside the dark dungeon, memories flooded back of my great-great-grandfather – who was once held in a similar prison by Soviet forces.
The NKVD was a secret police institution, tasked with rooting out anyone who undermined the Soviet Union. For decades, until Joseph Stalin's death, it waged a brutal campaign against national liberation movements. It systematically exterminated Ukrainian intellectuals, and anyone who opposed the Soviet regime.
Today the prison in Kyiv stands as a reminder that Russia has not truly evolved since the Soviet era, despite the dissolution of the NKVD. Decades later, Moscow is still using Soviet-era methods against Ukrainians. It persecutes Ukrainians for the desire to exist separately from Russia, shoots prisoners of war, and creates a network of prisons for the detention of Ukrainians.
Various torture methods, once pioneered by the NKVD, are still being used against Ukrainian military personnel and civilians in Russian detention. The NKVD’s successor, the FSB, strikes out against perceived enemies, both foreign and domestic. Any opposition is swiftly crushed, the information sphere is tightly controlled, and propaganda permeates.
Want to support our on-the-ground Ukraine reporting? Our team brings you more immersive reporting, closer to the story, than any other news organization! Sign up as a paid subscriber today to read this and much more! Plus, gain access to the comment section and our regular chats!
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to The Counteroffensive with Tim Mak to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.