“Currently it is in general risky to be friends with anybody”: The military specialists of Kiev United school of commanders of the Red army named after S. S. Kamenev under the supervision of state security agencies in 1924-1926

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the materials of agent monitoring on former officers who served in the mid-1920s in the Kiev United school of commanders of the Red army named after S. S. Kamenev. These documents are stored in the Departmental archive of the Security Service of Ukraine and have not yet been subjected to an indepth study by specialists. Meanwhile, the materials of intelligence surveillance are a fairly objective historical source about the moods of former officers. The analysis of the observation data allowed to draw conclusions about the mood of military experts of the Kamenev school and their attitude to the Soviet power. The study of the materials of agent surveillance in the future will make a comprehensive view of the moods and everyday life of the Red army commanders. The focus of the observers was the former major general Vladimir Alexandrovich von Olderogge, as well as his entourage. Intelligence surveillance showed that the professors did not conduct anti-Soviet underground work, but were disloyal, and in their statements directly hostile to the authorities. Hostility toward the White military experts was not experienced. On the contrary, former officers kept in touch with the white emigration and compared whose situation was better. Not being able to speak openly against the situation in the country, the military experts were forced to passive resistance.