The confrontation between the ‘Stalin's Falcons’ and the Luftwaffe in the early years of the Great Patriotic War is full of tragedy. What did the Soviet Air Force represent, and why did it find itself on the verge of defeat? How did they manage to turn the tide and gain air superiority? To what extent is the fame of German aces exaggerated and the fame of Soviet aces underestimated? The answers...

This book is dedicated to the people often called ‘heroes of the invisible front.’ It is based on the memoirs of participants in unique operations conducted by our intelligence services during the Civil War and the Great Patriotic War. As is known, intelligence officers had their own front line. They competed with the enemy in military cunning, fought behind enemy lines, obtaining prisoners and...

The author examines the golden age of the battleship.

In 1932, Vasily Emelyanenko, a student at the Moscow Conservatory, had no idea that his decision to leave the conservatory, join a flying club, and train as a pilot would lead him to the then-yet-to-be-established title of Hero of the Soviet Union. But to earn this title, he had to complete 92 combat sorties to attack the enemy in 1942-1943 – one of the most difficult periods for the country,...

The book examines the social processes underway in Chechnya in the middle of the 1990s. The author examines the tactics used by Russian forces, the role of Islamic fundamentalism.