Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

In his final years, Solzhenitsyn defended aspects of the restoration of state authority under Vladimir Putin, strongly criticised Western policy towards Russia and accepted an important award presented by Putin in 2007, having refused awards under other leaders.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Solzhenitsyn publicly rejected the classification of the 1932–1933 famine as a genocide specifically directed against Ukrainians and denounced what he described as a Ukrainian nationalist construction adopted by the West.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

In 'Two Hundred Years Together', Solzhenitsyn examined the history of relations between Russians and Jews and the role of Jewish revolutionaries in Soviet power. Jewish representatives and historians accused the book of factual errors and of providing material that could fuel antisemitism.

State of the evidence

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Directly implicated

After twenty years in exile, Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia. Before the Duma, he denounced the concentration of power, impoverishment, privatisation and party politics, while repeating his project for Slavic unity. The deputies' reception was noticeably colder than that accorded to the symbol of dissent.

State of the evidence

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Directly implicated

Solzhenitsyn called for the dissolution of the USSR but proposed that a new Slavic entity unite Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and certain parts of Kazakhstan. He argued that Russians and Ukrainians formed one deeply intertwined people.

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Directly implicated

At Harvard, Solzhenitsyn delivered 'A World Split Apart', a speech sharply criticising the West for materialism, excessive legalism, an intrusive press, political weakness and loss of courage. He stated that he could not recommend Western society as a model for Russia.

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Documented

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Directly implicated

During a visit to Spain early in its democratic transition, Solzhenitsyn compared conditions there with Soviet realities and argued that freedoms were far greater than in the USSR. His remarks were strongly criticised as minimising Franco's dictatorship.

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Directly implicated

Awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970, Solzhenitsyn published 'The Gulag Archipelago' abroad. The authorities arrested him in February 1974, accused him of treason, stripped him of his citizenship and expelled him to West Germany.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

Following the exceptional authorisation to publish 'One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich' in 1962, the political climate became more restrictive. Solzhenitsyn's manuscripts circulated abroad and his relations with the Soviet authorities deteriorated until his expulsion from the Writers' Union in 1969.

State of the evidence

Documented

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Directly implicated

A decorated Red Army captain, Solzhenitsyn was arrested in 1945 after private letters criticising Stalin were intercepted. He was sentenced to eight years' imprisonment and forced labour, followed by internal exile. After Stalin's death, he was released and rehabilitated.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Protagonist is the victim

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome