Glorified Images of Soviet State Security and Intelligence Services: A Survey of Books Published in Putin's Russia

This survey article critically evaluates books about the Soviet-era state security and intelligence services published in Russia over the past quarter century by eight major pro-regime publishers. The article underscores the publishing houses' efforts to foster a laudatory image of Soviet-era security and intelligence services in the broader context of the return of "Chekism" (idolization of state security agencies) under Russian President Vladimir Putin, who himself was a product of the Soviet State Security Committee (KGB), and the restoration of a repressive, authoritarian system in Russia. The article surveys more than 50 books and provides short biographical notes on the intelligence authors, historians, and retired Chekists-turned-writers in Putin's Russia.