This historical essay is dedicated to the activities of the Soviet NKVD military counterintelligence in the early period of the Great Patriotic War. It was written during a time when interest in national history in Russian society was growing, and when people were ready to evaluate the past independently and understand historical truth.
The authors focus on unknown pages of the history of Soviet special services, the difficult daily and specific work of military counterintelligence officers in army and navy units and subdivisions—primarily on the front and in the frontline zone.
This edition presents reforms, personnel policy, and the legal status of the state security organs, as well as the main lines of activity of the special departments of the NKVD of the USSR: fighting espionage, desertion, and treason against the Motherland; protecting the rear of the Active Army; informing the political leadership of the country and the command of the Red Army; work behind the front line, and others.