1959–
The VPK's chronicler, the historian who dissected the Soviet military-industrial complex
He wrote: "The history of the Soviet VPK is a continuous cycle of war and preparation for war — and in that sense, the history of the entire Soviet economy."
A Russian historian who first systematically mapped the Soviet military-industrial complex. His 1996 monograph on the VPK in the 1920s–1950s remains foundational, and his collaboration with Cambridge scholars Barber and Harrison earned international recognition. Born to a peasant family in the Kirov region, he taught village school before studying at Moscow State University and joining the Institute of Marxism-Leninism in 1988. After the Soviet collapse he continued at the Russian Academy of Sciences, interspersed with advisory roles in the Presidential Administration and banking posts at Sberbank.
Activities and affiliations
Career Timeline
- 1959Born in Kirov Oblast
- 1981Graduated Kirov State Pedagogical Institute, history and English
- 1988PhD in history, Moscow State University
- 1988–1991Senior researcher, Institute of Marxism-Leninism, CPSU CC
- 1991–1997Senior researcher, Institute of Russian History, RAS
- 1999Dr. hab. in history, Russian Academy of State Service
- 1998–2000Consultant to Federation Council; adviser, Presidential Administration
- 2001–2010Deputy director at Sberbank; VP at Neftyanoy Alyans Bank
- 2011–2017Leading researcher, Institute of Russian History, RAS