The author examines the many local conflicts of the Cold War, where not just Soviet military advisers served, but also secret special troops, engaged in direct conflict. The book is the first, complete encyclopedia of these secret wars of the USSR and is based on archival documents only recently released.

Compiled by a leading Russian specialist on the Caucasus, this dictionary was not previously published - the author was a victim of Stalin's regime and died in 1941. The dictionary includes a description of the Tabasaran language and examples of Tabasaran texts compiled by the author.

The author seeks to remove one of the greatest obstacles to closer Russian-Polish relations, the legacy of the Katyn massacre of Polish prisoners on Soviet territory during the outbreak of World War Two.

The authors examine the battle between the Tsarist secret police and the Free Masons.