SMERSH, an acronym for the Russian words "death to spies," was formed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin in 1943.
If you're a James Bond fan, the word SMERSH (СМЕРШ) may look familiar. If you're a little rusty with 007 lore, check this out.
SMERSH was Stalin's military counterintelligence agency which eventually became part of the KGB – the predecessor to Russia's FSB.
So Vladimir Putin, a former lieutenant colonel in the KGB, is reviving SMERSH.
Russia has revived SMERSH, a Stalin-era spy hunting organization, in parts of Ukraine that were illegally annexed and are partially under the control of Kremlin forces, a Russian politician and Kremlin propagandist announced Sunday. Andrey Gurulyov, a Russian parliament (Duma) member and former military commander, made the remarks during an appearance on state television channel Russia-1, an excerpt of which was posted to his Telegram channel. SMERSH, an acronym for the Russian words "death to spies"—"smert" meaning death and "shpionam" meaning spies—was the name of an organization formed by Soviet leader Josef Stalin. It was tasked with the elimination of anti-communist activity during World War II. "We talked about SMERSH, today we created a department that works in approximately the same way in new territories," said Gurulyov, referring to the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
Those recent Ukrainian attacks on Russian railroad infrastructure in Siberia and the Russian Far East possibly had something to do with the timing of the SMERSH reboot.
The organization, notorious for its brutality, was behind the arrest, torture and execution of thousands of people, including any its own agents suspected of sabotage, desertion, or disloyalty. However, the group prevented many attempts on the lives of top Soviet officials, including Stalin himself, Russian news outlet Lenta reported. Gurulyov said a similar structure should also operate once again in Russia. "Today they are trying to interfere with [our operations in non-frontline areas]. I talked to the Far East, where we have nuclear submarines and [where] our ships [are] based. They may also be in danger, so we need to approach protection issues a little differently," the politician said.
By "differently", Gurulyov likely means more ruthlessly. People in Russia have already gotten visits from the police for having blue and yellow curtains in their windows.


















