This fear has burned itself deep into society: in the Stalin era, the time of… Great terrorthe secret service’s henchmen came at night, towards morning. People who took them with them brutally interrogated them, tortured them, and some were immediately shot. Others were convicted in trials that were partly secret and partly public. To avoid drawing attention to themselves, people did not turn on their lights at night. At night they listened to which entrance the secret police cars stopped at. They listened for which floor the elevator stopped on and hoped that there would be a knock on another door. Many people always had a packed suitcase in case they disappeared into camps for a long time without being allowed to return. Some returned but were forced to write reports and denounce other people. Many took advantage of this and denounced others in order to gain possession of them.
These were years full of fear because terror could affect anyone, regardless of whether they were for or against the regime. There was no law, only mistrust. And almost every family was affected. There were perpetrators and victims everywhere. Even as a teenager, Putin wanted to become part of this repressive apparatus. Today, after 26 years in power, he is the most successful Chekist to date, as the secret service agents in Russia are called.
His secret police still use these methods today. It terrorizes people, especially in the occupied parts of Ukraine. She also comes there towards morning, there too she interrogates, tortures, kidnaps and murders critics. In the countries that were once occupied by the Soviet Union, fear of the secret police does not have to be created; it has never gone away. Putin’s repressive apparatus has merely awakened them. This trauma still shapes society today. Putin’s power rests on this trauma.
