View source for Talk:Vasily Blokhin

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{{DYK talk|18 August|2008|entry=... that '''[[Vasili Blokhin]]''', chief [[executioner]] of the [[Stalinism|Stalinist]] [[NKVD]], led a company of executioners that performed more than 828,000 official executions during [[Joseph Stalin]]'s reign, including tens of thousands by his own hands?|views=11039}}
{{Translated page|ru|Блохин, Василий Михайлович (чекист)}}

==Page Create ==
I'll continue to improve this page with inlines as I get a chance.

Incidentally, while googling up references, I found [<nowiki>http://www.stormfront.org</nowiki>/forum/showthread.php?t=480081 this] "interesting" thread at Stormfront. The thread actually contains a couple of additional NPOV historical references, but the overall jist of course is that they ought to make a page pointing out that Blokhin's penchant for carnage was likely due to him being a crooked-nose Jew bastard. The thread calling for a new page was created back in April, and it's good to see none of those jackasses managed to put their money where their mouth was. Just in case, keep an eye on the page to make sure it's not turned into an anti-Semitic screed, alright? <span style="font-family:impact, serif;background:black;color:red;border-style:single;letter-spacing:1px">Bullzeye</span><small><sup><i>[[User talk:Bullzeye|  (Ring for Service)]]</i></sup></small> 17:12, 31 July 2008 (UTC)

Well considering the fact that Vasili Blokhin was Jewish, I think it's important to at least note that here.  No need to add any more details, but Vasili Blokhin being a Russian Jew is important to include so please edit the original page to do so.  <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/24.109.239.233|24.109.239.233]] ([[User talk:24.109.239.233|talk]]) 07:41, 9 September 2010 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

Was Blokhin born into a Jewish family or not? If the Wikipedia entry on Hitler mentions that he was raised as a Catholic, we should likewise mention the relgion Blokhin was raised in -- if it is known. What's considered fair and objective when covering Hitler and other Nazis should be considered fair and objective when covering advocates of other -isms as well. ([[Special:Contributions/71.22.47.232|71.22.47.232]] ([[User talk:71.22.47.232|talk]]) 23:41, 26 November 2010 (UTC))

:Yes, Blokhin was jewish, but it is not important. btw most of Cheka members were jewish as well as most of secret service executioners and guards in soviet concentration camps. I do not know why, maybe it was good paid job and it is not suitable for everyone. <small><span class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:217.23.241.3|217.23.241.3]] ([[User talk:217.23.241.3|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/217.23.241.3|contribs]]) </span></small><!-- Template:Unsigned -->

::If you can find a source, then it can surely be added. <big>[[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:deeppink">'''Lara'''</span>]]</big> 21:01, 4 March 2011 (UTC)
:::Read this book
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Hundred_Years_Together  <span style="font-size: smaller;" class="autosigned">—Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/217.23.242.168|217.23.242.168]] ([[User talk:217.23.242.168|talk]]) 14:59, 8 May 2011 (UTC)</span><!-- Template:UnsignedIP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

==Note on TT==
Apart from reliability issues (300 rounds a day is quite a load for any handgun) - the reason for discarding them (and choosing a small-bore, .25 weapon) was excessive and unbalanced recoil. TT recoils harder than .45 [[Colt 1911]]. From personal experience, shooting a whole mag from [[Makarov PM]] (itself an unbalanced design) fatigues the arm less than one shot from TT. [[User:NVO|NVO]] ([[User talk:NVO|talk]]) 18:25, 13 August 2008 (UTC)
:An excellent point, NVO. I have not personally fired the TT, but I'd imagine arm fatigue is a likely consideration. He had the manual mass-execution business down to a science. As grisly as it is to think of, he seemed to have directly modeled his operation in Kalinin after modern "assembly line" style slaughterhouses, right down to his outfit. Click, boom, next in line, please. No waste, no mess, quota fulfilled for the day, let's go have a vodka. Chekist efficiency is scary stuff. Keep in mind the President of Russia was a career Chekist... <span style="font-family:impact, serif;background:black;color:red;border-style:single;letter-spacing:1px">Bullzeye</span><small><sup><i>[[User talk:Bullzeye|  (Ring for Service)]]</i></sup></small> 15:58, 19 August 2008 (UTC)In the page on Katyn Massacre it is stated that Blokhin used a Walther PPK 7.65mm caliber (.32ACP) which contradicts what is said on this one. In my opinion .32ACP is more appropriate for performing "efficiently" such amount of murders than the small and underpowered .25 ACP caliber. Forensic documents produced by the investigating commissions should be reviewed in order to have an accurate reference for this. [[User:Badubko|Badubko]] ([[User talk:Badubko|talk]]) 02:01, 22 February 2012 (UTC)

The TT would also be very loud in an enclosed space, not to mention easily penetrate a human body at point blank range.  I doubt the NKVD used any kind of earpro either.  A Walther pocket pistol is simply more efficient and easier on the shooter.[[Special:Contributions/107.4.166.57|107.4.166.57]] ([[User talk:107.4.166.57|talk]]) 03:33, 10 February 2014 (UTC)

==Should there be special category for this fellow and his Nazi counterparts?==
Please reference [[Friedrich Jeckeln]].  These two people, and some of their cohorts deserve a category on their own, I am thinking [[:category:Organizers of mass murder by shooting]] or something like that.[[User:Mtsmallwood|Mtsmallwood]] ([[User talk:Mtsmallwood|talk]]) 09:21, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

I'll add a wikilink to his article at the bottom. In terms of operational organization of mass murder these two definitely seem to have been similar "experts" in their field. 

Keep in mind, though, while Blokhin and Jeckeln were both officers in charge of units that dealt in mass homicide, the operating principles were unique to their individual systems. Jeckeln was SS (loosely-regulated paramilitary), not Gestapo (state secret police), and like the rest of the SS he operated almost entirely on his own initiative. I would lump him in with SS men like [[Oskar Dirlewanger]], who basically were called up to newly conquered territories to carry out the furtherance of Hitler's desire to exterminate the newly-captured Jews of the Slavic countries they conquered. Thus, his was a simple mission of extermination, not requiring or attempting any legal justification or paperwork. While he was unquestionably an expert, his massacres were [[war crimes]], not internal [[state terror]]. I also haven't read anything that suggests he shot anybody himself; he appears to have simply organized, sub-delegated and observed his massacres, never actually bloodying his hands.

Blokhin was a Chekist, a secret security policeman for the state, and the handpicked chief of a unit of executioners headquartered right in Moscow; he took his orders directly from Stalin. He was the quintessential obedient axe man. There is no evidence he ever shot anyone without a signed order from the Generalissimo's hand, and every person he shot was likely "legally" condemned as a criminal before he was shot and a record kept somewhere that he had been properly disposed of as an enemy of the people. These were not war crimes, but secret internal civil executions carried out as part of Stalin's state terror system. Stalin didn't want the Polish officers shot because he was trying to exterminate the Poles; he did it because he was a paranoid dictator who killed anyone in his country who might conceivably threaten or oppose him, and he wanted records so that he could prove it was all legal and organized. Blokhin operated in secret not because Stalin feared people in the USSR finding out; people were being shot all the time, and nobody would dare utter a peep if Stalin shot their own mother. He kept it under wraps because he was paranoid about fifth-columnists, seeing one under every rock. There's also no evidence Blokhin ever shot women or children, although that's likely because none of them were particularly famous or complicated enough to justify his personal intervention; like the article says, he only handled a tiny fraction of the multiple millions that died at the hands of the Cheka by during his career, most of which were either condemned and shot by local Chekists in the course of normal business during the Great Purge or shipped off to Siberia and deliberately worked to death. Dying of malnutrition, exposure and exhaustion while breaking boulders in the Siberian Gulag couldn't be legally called an "execution", although that's precisely what its purpose was. Stalin's bureaucracy was funny like that; he insisted on keeping meticulous track of his criminals. [[User_talk:Bullzeye|Bullzeye]] [[Special:Contributions/Bullzeye|<sup>contribs</sup>]] 08:43, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

:The Polish POWs killed by Blokhin were hardly an "internal" matter; murdering POWs is about as clear-cut a war crime as one can find.

:Working prisoners to death is in fact how the Nazis killed a very great many of their victims.  At least as many were worked to death under conditions intended to be unsurvivable as were gassed or shot.

==Workspace for expansion==
[http://books.google.com/books?id=NDgv5ognePgC&pg=PP1&dq=0275951138&lr=&ei=W-wVSvGsDoiCzASX7amOBw#PPA150,M1 This book]. Search for "Blokhin" and go to page 150. [[User:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting Italic;color:#9B30FF">'''ل'''enna</span>]][[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Lucida Handwriting Italic;color:#63B8FF">vecia</span>]] 05:08, 22 May 2009 (UTC)

Rayfield reference:
*p. 339: Blokhin executes [[Nikolai Yezhov]]. After, "Beria gave Stalin a list of 346 of Ezhov's associates to be shot. Sixty of them were NKVD officers, another fifty were relatives and sexual partners."
*p. 361: Wife of [[Grigory Kulik]], Kira Simonich Kulik, is "interrogated by Beria and, believing she had been recruited as an agent, sent by [[Bogdan Kobulov|Kobulov]] to be shot by Blokhin at [[Sukhanovka]] prison."
*p. 365: "... [[Vasiliy Ulrikh|Ulrikh]] sentenced [[Isaak Babel]] to death. All three were shot by Vasili Blokhin ... their ashes thrown into Burial Pit No. 1 at the [[Donskoe Cemetery]]."
*p. 378: "The executioners of the [[Lubyanka|Lubianka Sukhanovka]] under Vasili Blokhin had in March 1940 finished the elimination of [[Nikolai Yezhov|Ezhov]]'s men and the intellectuals implicated by [[Mikhail Koltsov]] ..." 

Montefiore reference:
*p. 110: Blokhin supervises the execution of [[Georgy Pyatakov]]. 
*p. 197: "Blokhin, a pugnacious Chekist of forty-one with a stalwart face and black hair pushed back, was one of the most prolific executioners of the century, killing thousands personally..."
*p. 198: "There were many Chekists who sometimes doubled as executioners but Blokhin himself, assisted by two murderous brothers, Vasily and Ivan Zhigarev, handled the important cases. V.M. Blokhin ... had risen to head the Kommandatura Branch that was attached to the Administrative Executive Department. This meant he was in charge of the internal prison at Lubianka; among other things, he was responsible for executions. Major-General Blokhin was retired after Stalin's death and praised for his "irreproachable service" by Beria himself. After Beria's fall, he was stripped of his rank in November 1954 and died on 3 February 1955."
*p. 323-4: "On 2 February, [[Vasiliy Ulrikh|Ulrikh]] tried [[Nikolai Yezhov|[Yezhov]]] in Beria's office. Yezhov ... denied all charges of spying." Beria sentenced him to death and he was "loaded into a Black Crow in the early hours of 3 February and driven to his special execution yard with the sloping floor and hosing facilities at Varsonofyesvsky Lane. There Beria, the Deputy Procurator ... and executioner, Blokhin, awaited him." ... "The ashes of these men, Yezhov the criminal, Babel the genius, were dumped into a pit marked 'Common Grave Number One&mdash;unclaimed ashes 1930-42 inclusive' at [[Donskoy Monastery#Old Donskoy Cemetery|old Donskoi Cemetery]]. Just twenty paces away there is a gravestone that reads: 'Yezhov, Yevgenia and Babel lie close.'" Yevgenia either refers to Babel's first wife, Yevgenia Gronfein, or his mistress, Yevgenia Feigenberg Yezhov, whom he kept during his second marriage. Seems most likely to be the latter, considering she was a lover to each of the men and she committed suicide in a mental institution and her grave is about twenty paces away from Babel's and Yezhov's grave. This headstone is most likely on her grave. I'll do further research to confirm this. 
*p. 325: "Beria, cleansing the Augean stables of Yezhov's detritus, brought Stalin the death sentence for Blokhin the executioner himself. Stalin refused Beria's request, saying that this ''"chernaya rabota"''&mdash;black work&mdash;was a difficult job but very important for the Party. Blokhin was spared to kill thousands more."
*pp. 332-3: Marshal Kulik's wife, Kira Kulik, was kidnapped on 5 May 1940. Beria, on a phone call with Stalin, in front of Marshal Kulik, discussed announcing a search in which they would "do everything possible to find her." Both Stalin and Beria were aware that she was being held in a cell beneath Beria's office, where he and Marshal Kulik were during this call. She was transfered a month later to "Beria's special prison, the Sukhanovka, where Blokhin murdered her in cold blood with a shot the head."
*pp. 333-4: This gets into the killing of the Polish officers. There were 26,000 officers, later clarified to "14,700 officers, landowners and policemen and 11,000 'counter-Revolutionary' landowners were 'spies and saboteurs ... hardened ... enemies of Soviet power' ..." It goes on to read "This massacre was a chunk of "black work" for the NKVD who were accustomed to the ''Vishka'' of a few victims at a time, but there was a man for the task: Vasili Blokhin travelled down to the Ostachkov camp where he and two other Chekists" ... "He brought a butcher's leather apron and cap which he put on when he began one of the most prolific acts of mass muder by one individual, killing 7,000 in precisely twenty-eight nights, using a German Walther pistol to prevent future exposure. The bodies were buried in various places&mdash;but the 4,500 in the Kozelsk camp were interred in Katyn Forest." Is this the unfenced site described in the article?
Gah, time for sleep. I'll work on this more in a couple days. <big>[[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:deeppink">'''Lara'''</span>]]</big> 06:07, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

== Some IPs are politically vandalizing the page, please consider watchlisting it. ==

This is also a problem on other Stalinist/USSR pages. Stalinism has been dead every place but North Korea for half a decade, but it seems stupidity and destruction are eternally nostalgic. Keep a special eye out for subtle vandalism, including changing wording to deny facts and changing statistics to minimize them. The latest was from an IP claiming that a reference claiming 828,000 official NKVD executions under Stalin was "Misquoted" and actually meant 828k in the entire history of the USSR. This is exactly the kind of minimizing/apologist tendency the other articles tend to see a lot of. The book is in Google Books and easily accessible, and he surely knew he was lying, but he had hoped nobody would question a small change with a neutral edit summary. He was wrong. The correct citation is below for reference.

"One Chekist who deserves a special mention is V.M Blokin, quite possibly the greatest executioner in history. In August 1992, the Soviet government reported that during Stalin's rule, the NKVD carried out 828,000 official executions..."
--Parrish, Michael. "The Lesser Terror: Soviet State Security, 1939-1953". Praeger Pub, 1997. p324. ISBN: 9780275951139. [[User:Bravo Foxtrot|Bravo Foxtrot]] ([[User talk:Bravo Foxtrot|talk]]) 08:21, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
:I don't think that such terminology as "subtle vandalism" is applicable here. Possibly the IP made a [[WP:Good faith|good faith]] edit, having read some sources with different figures (which are plenty) and having had no possibility to check the particular source in question.

:Page 324 of Parrish book is inaccessible by web preview. The cited fragment is highly dubious, since there was no Soviet government in August 1992. Furthermore, there were many different estimates by the Soviet officials, and the exact number of executions is still debated. One more problem about the quote is the fact that NKVD existed under that name only in 1934—1946. And finally, the period of Stalin's reign may be defined in different ways.

:I have checked the sources at Russian wiki article about political repressions at Stalin's time, and there is quite a number of different figures (including various estimates by Soviet government and officials). It seems however, that figures exceeding 800,000 refer to the number of sentenced to death, rather than the number of executions, which is typically put around 700,000-750,000 between 1922-1953. One late 1988 estimate by KGB gives a number of 835 194 executions between 1918-1953, that is including period before Stalin rule.

:Therefore, it seems claiming some exact numbers is very problematic, especially in such inaccurate way it is currently done in the article. All such total figures certainly belong to the articles like [[Stalinist repressions]], but I do not think that that the entire discussion of many possible numbers should be reproduced here. The article about Blokhin should deal only with the numbers of people executed by him, and not the total numbers of executions in the country which include the periods before and after he took the job. I'm removing the sentence with total figure completely, at least until it is proposed how to insert such an information in more relevant and balanced way, with better sourcing. [[User:Greyhood|<span style="color: darkgrey;">Grey</span><span style="color: grey;">Hood</span>]] [[User talk:Greyhood|<span style="color: black;"><sup>Talk</sup></span>]] 14:12, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
::''"Page 324 of Parrish book is inaccessible by web preview."'' <br />
:::This is incorrect, as it is accessible through Amazon. Furthermore, it doesn't need to be accessible by web preview to be a [[WP:RS|reliable source]], nor does any lack of any such ability count against it. The publisher is [[Praeger Publishers]], a notable company. 

::''"The cited fragment is highly dubious, since there was no Soviet government in August 1992."''<br /> 
:::I believe this is merely a misreading of Parrish's quote. The "August 1992" refers to the date when the Soviet State archives were opened for the first time by the new Russian government, allowing access to records (such as the number of NKVD executions during Stalin's lifetime) for the first time. It was this new government that announced the figures that Parrish cites. This site confirms what I'm referring to. <http://www.massviolence.org/The-NKVD-Mass-Secret-National-Operations-August-1937> 

::''"And finally, the period of Stalin's reign may be defined in different ways."''<br />
:::While that is a noble-sounding platitude, the correct tool for determining the relative value of sources in Wikiedia articles is not editor opinion, but the relevant policies, in this case [[WP:NPOV]], [[WP:WEIGHT]] and [[WP:FRINGE]], all of which my source adheres to. Multitudes of scholarly opinions can be present in the same article, but "one way or none at all" is not a collaborative editing environment.

::''I have checked the sources at Russian wiki article about political repressions at Stalin's time, and there is quite a number of different figures (including various estimates by Soviet government and officials).''<br />
:::Excellent, and so long as they meet [[WP:RS]] and [[WP:V]] the article would benefit from their inclusion! I and the other editors will be available to discuss them here whenever you're ready.

::''"It seems however, that figures exceeding 800,000 refer to the number of sentenced to death, rather than the number of executions, which is typically put around 700,000-750,000 between 1922-1953. One late 1988 estimate by KGB gives a number of 835 194 executions between 1918-1953, that is including period before Stalin rule."''<br />
:::Do you have valid English-language citations for these figures? I have never seen any modern Western figures that low. I am unable to read Russian so I feel I'm at a disadvantage, though. In any case, we can't use them as a counterpoint in the article until they are translated. My 828,000 figure is cited directly to Parrish and refers clearly to executions "carried out"; however, [[Wikipedia:Verifiability#Non-English_sources]] gives my source precedence at the moment anyway.

::''"Therefore, it seems claiming some exact numbers is very problematic, especially in such inaccurate way it is currently done in the article."''<br />
:::Citing the figure directly to Parrish rather than claiming it generally in a sentence resolves the first problem. Your characterization of the figure as "inaccurate" is unwarranted since you've posted no citations to disagree with it, just a blanket refusal to acknowledge it.

::''"All such total figures certainly belong to the articles like [[Stalinist repressions]], but I do not think that that the entire discussion of many possible numbers should be reproduced here."''<br />
:::Nor do I, but luckily there is no need to have that hypothetical discussion you dread here, since I have a cited figure and you have yet provided none. I feel it's a bit presumptuous to simply declare the matter concluded before you've brought any data to the table as I have. The idea is to construct collaboratively, not boldly delete and walk away.

::''"The article about Blokhin should deal only with the numbers of people executed by him, and not the total numbers of executions in the country which include the periods before and after he took the job."''
:::I must admit I find your strict concern for the article's scope rather odd. Not being allowed to mention the NKVD executions ''at all'' is a akin to composing a biography of [[J. Edgar Hoover]] without being allowed to list US crime statistics during the years he ran the FBI. The 828k executions is a valid and relevant figure to Blokhin's position as state executioner and helps frame his involvement in Stalin's overall terror apparatus. I am confused who we are supposed to concerned about offending with statistics. From a direct historical relevance perspective, the question answers itself.

::''"I'm removing the sentence with total figure completely, at least until it is proposed how to insert such an information in more relevant and balanced way, with better sourcing."''
:::And I have restored it with improved and more precise wording, as I have fairly and reasonably addressed your issues with the relevance, balance and quality of the source, and I don't believe it violates any of Wikipedia's policies as they apply to relevance, balance or quality. As I mentioned above, please feel free to add your own cited English-language sources to the article. I await your improvements and am always available to discuss. [[User:Bravo Foxtrot|Bravo Foxtrot]] ([[User talk:Bravo Foxtrot|talk]]) 18:54, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
::::I wonder, if you could provide a direct link to the cited page, or cite it here in more detail? Thanks in advance, if you could. I'll return to this discussion later, when I have more time. For now, I want only to point out just few things.
::::*''There was no Soviet government in 1992''. This means that there could be no misreadings, but just a mistake on somebody's part (either the author was wrong or the citation is incorrect).
::::*We could use even untranslated Russian sources, either in case they present a different and important point of view, or in case they provide more accurate analysis.
::::*Anyway, the number of executions will be huge, but I think you will agree it is fair and relevant to have the most exact figure possible, preferably confined to around 1926-1953 period. If we can't have an exact figure, better use a range of estimates, with explanation of what is denoted by those estimates (executions or convictions to death).  [[User:Greyhood|<span style="color: darkgrey;">Grey</span><span style="color: grey;">Hood</span>]] [[User talk:Greyhood|<span style="color: black;"><sup>Talk</sup></span>]] 19:46, 2 April 2011 (UTC)
::::As a note on the future, I kindly hope you will take actions of others (like me or that poor IP) in more easy and calm way. Just let's discuss sources, facts and WP policies, and not try to guess the motivations of other editors, what they "dread" and so on (Sorry for my own violation of this proposal in this sentence and the previous one, but we need to get the right line from the beginning). Best regards, hope it won't be long before I return to this thread. [[User:Greyhood|<span style="color: darkgrey;">Grey</span><span style="color: grey;">Hood</span>]] [[User talk:Greyhood|<span style="color: black;"><sup>Talk</sup></span>]] 19:46, 2 April 2011 (UTC)

:::::I believe [http://www.amazon.com/Lesser-Terror-Soviet-Security-1939-1953/dp/0275951138/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1301773315&sr=8-1 this] is the link you are looking for. <big>[[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:deeppink">'''Lara'''</span>]]</big> 02:40, 3 April 2011 (UTC)
::::::Thank you, but page 324 is not included into Amazon preview as well. [[User:Greyhood|<span style="color: darkgrey;">Grey</span><span style="color: grey;">Hood</span>]] [[User talk:Greyhood|<span style="color: black;"><sup>Talk</sup></span>]] 09:48, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

:::::::Perhaps you have not utilized the function properly? Click the main book image and enter "828,000" into the search box. That brings up only one result, page 324. That page is then fully viewable. If you're still not able to view it, perhaps the function is not available in your country, in which case let me know and I'll type out the relevant paragraph(s). <big>[[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:deeppink">'''Lara'''</span>]]</big> 12:17, 3 April 2011 (UTC)
::::::::I've already attempted various search items, including the figure, but it seems that only the first pages and the bibliography is available for me. If you could provide the relevant paragraphs to the citations in this article, that would be great. [[User:Greyhood|<span style="color: darkgrey;">Grey</span><span style="color: grey;">Hood</span>]] [[User talk:Greyhood|<span style="color: black;"><sup>Talk</sup></span>]] 12:38, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

{{deindent|:::::::}}Well, that's no good. Okay, so here's the relevant portion as well as some other info that may be helpful:

"One Chekist who deserves a special mention is V.M. Blokhin, quite possibly the greatest executioner in history. In August 1992, the Soviet government reported that during Stalin's rule, the NKVD carried out 828,000 official executions, a figure strongly disputed by the Pamiat Society and by the aforementioned N. Grashoven and M. Kirillin. Blokhin, as head of the execution squads under Iagoda, Ezhov and Beriia must have been responsible for a good percentage of them. Unlike Beriia and Himmler, who were physical cowards and remote-control killers, Blokhin was a hands-on executioner, taking part, for instance, in the shooting of the Polish POW officers from the Oshtakov camp who were killed in April 1940 in the headquarters of the NKVD in Kalinin." 

There is some further relevant information to the above on page 292. It reads: "The total population of the Gulag remains a controversial subject and has been studied during the Glasnost years by [many people in the East and the West, and others] ... In 1955, the Gulag archives contained more than 11 million files containing the names of 9.5 million individuals. On January 1, 1948, [[Sergei Kruglov (politician)|Kruglov]] reported to Stalin that there were 2,199,535 prisoners in camps and 27 new camps had been built. In a report to N.P. Dudorov in September 1957 to head of MVD (''Bugai Collection'', p. 279), Colonel V. Novikov, Head of MVD 4 Special Branch, stated that at the start of the war, 977,110 individuals were under custody. This number, however, nearly tripled over the next 12 years to 2,760,471 by January 1, 1954 (1953?). Subsequently, 2,582,108 inmates were released. Incidentally, these relatively low figures are disputed by the Pamiat Society and by Col. N. Grashoven and Major M. Kirillin, officials of the Russian Federation Ministry of Security who claim that between 1935 and 1945 alone 18 million people were repressed and seven million were executed (''RFE/RL Research Reports'', No. 36-1989 and 18-1192)."

Page 293 includes "The Rudenko/Kruglov report also stated that of the nearly 3.8 million who were arrested, 642,980 were sentenced to death, 2,369,220 were sentenced to up to 25 years in camps or prison, and 765,180 were exiled. Only 877,000 were sentenced by courts and military tribunals, the rest, nearly three million, received their sentences in the hands of OGPU and NKVD troikas." 

Page xii: After talking about the people who died as a result of Stalin ignoring clear warnings of a German invasion it reads "how many other people died as a result of Stalin's orders? A confidential study of such matters was prepared at [[Nikita Khrushchev|Khrushchev]]'s orders seven years after Stalin's death&mdash;using documents many of which have since been destroyed. The [[Old Bolshevik]] and ''gulag'' veteran [[Olga Shatunovskaya]], a member of the Party commission that did the study, says that between 1935 and the beginning of the war in 1941 more than 19 million people were arrested, seven million of those arrested were executed outright. Recent statements by Russian security officials and by the historian General [[Dmitri Volkogonov]] about the death and arrest toll are consistent with the Shatunovskaya's numbers." 

Page 53: "As complex an operation as the mass killing of the Poles required the full cooperation of almost every department in NKVD's vast bureaucracy even though as Stalinist crimes went, Katyn was not such a major event: after all, nearly a million people had been "legally" executed during Stalin's rule." <big>[[User talk:Jennavecia|<span style="font-family:Bradley Hand ITC;color:deeppink">'''Lara'''</span>]]</big> 13:29, 3 April 2011 (UTC)
:Thank you. So the direct qoute contains a strange mistake about a "Soviet government" in 1992. And this book itself cites estimates lower than 828,000. As for the figures such as 7 million executed or 18 million arrested, such claims are very outdated and highly implausible, non-supported either by research of documents or by archaeology or by demographics research. [[User:Greyhood|<span style="color: darkgrey;">Grey</span><span style="color: grey;">Hood</span>]] [[User talk:Greyhood|<span style="color: black;"><sup>Talk</sup></span>]] 14:08, 3 April 2011 (UTC)

:*Speaking about data by "Soviet government", one should certainly mention book "Sumerki" ("Twilight") by [[CPSU Politburo]] member [[Alexander Nikolaevich Yakovlev]] who was the government. He tells (page 216) that the number of ~800,000 executed provided by [[Sergei Kruglov (politician)|Kruglov]] to Khuschev was intentional falsification. ("These numbers are false"). He gives number of "killed" (including man-made hunger) as 20-25 million, but this is his own approximate estimate. However, according to officially published numbers (he tells), the ''incomplete'' number of people convicted in Russian Federation ''alone'' (~50% of Soviet Union) from 1923 to 1953 was more than 41 million. That includes people convicted on criminal charges, for being late at work, etc. [[User:My very best wishes|My very best wishes]] ([[User talk:My very best wishes|talk]]) 02:41, 5 October 2012 (UTC)

==Interesting==
Here is [http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/39554.html good source (Russian)] about this ("Even dogs run away from us" - dogs on the street felt something and run away from the executioners even though they washed and changed their cloths). It provides full list of 125 executioners involved in Katyn. It also tells that orders for executions in 1920s were signed by Г. Хрусталев (Chrustalyev), later a senior bodyguard of Stalin, who allegedly killed Stalin on the order from Beria, according to Stalin's biography by Radzinsky (Radzinsky came to this conclusion after interviewing another Stalin's bodyguard). Here are some other great sources about practically the same.

[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/2389.html]
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/48143.html] 
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/40784.html]
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/40327.html]
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/37734.html] 
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/42316.html] 
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/2884.html]
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/3384.html]
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/1993.html] and a 
[http://www.novayagazeta.ru/gulag/45520.html slightly different subject]. [[User:My very best wishes|My very best wishes]] ([[User talk:My very best wishes|talk]]) 18:22, 4 October 2012 (UTC)

== Detail ==

Greater detail is needed about back-ground. An exact place of birth is needed.  <small class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/86.178.39.104|86.178.39.104]] ([[User talk:86.178.39.104|talk]]) 15:13, 6 November 2014 (UTC)</small><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:If the exact date of birth is known, the place should be, too.  <small class="autosigned">— Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/86.178.39.104|86.178.39.104]] ([[User talk:86.178.39.104|talk]]) 15:15, 6 November 2014 (UTC)</small><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
::A place of birth, Gavrilovskoye, is now given.  <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Jezebel641|Jezebel641]] ([[User talk:Jezebel641#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Jezebel641|contribs]]) 08:56, 11 July 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:::Suzdal as place of birth and 1887 have also been mentioned, for Blokhin.  <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Jezebel641|Jezebel641]] ([[User talk:Jezebel641#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Jezebel641|contribs]]) 09:06, 11 July 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

==Katyn murder numbers don't add up==
"His count of 7,000 shot in 28 days remains the most organized and protracted mass murder by a single individual on record". But it says he worked 10 hours each night with one murder every three minutes. That's 5600 murders. ?? The rest done by others ? [[User:Rcbutcher|Rcbutcher]] ([[User talk:Rcbutcher|talk]]) 13:32, 22 November 2015 (UTC)

These numbers are just crazy. No way they reflect the truth. This is usual misinformation surrounding communist officials. [[User:Xaniared|Xaniared]] ([[User talk:Xaniared|talk]]) 18:15, 30 December 2019 (UTC)

== Chernaya rabota ==

While literally "chernaya rabota" indeed translates to "black work", in this context it rather means "dirty work"  <small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/217.165.23.162|217.165.23.162]] ([[User talk:217.165.23.162|talk]]) 13:47, 29 February 2016 (UTC)</small><!-- Template:Unsigned IP --> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

== Officially reported as a suicide ? ==

There are two stories, the other one a hearth attack.[[User:Xx236|Xx236]] ([[User talk:Xx236|talk]]) 10:07, 15 May 2017 (UTC)
:I think that "heart attack" is being mentioned.

== Jews ==

Jews  <!-- Template:Unsigned IP --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[Special:Contributions/79.30.228.184|79.30.228.184]] ([[User talk:79.30.228.184#top|talk]]) 23:40, 16 July 2017 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
:A full stop should be used.  <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Jezebel641|Jezebel641]] ([[User talk:Jezebel641#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Jezebel641|contribs]]) 08:58, 11 July 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->
::There are a few photographs of Blokhin.  <!-- Template:Unsigned --><small class="autosigned">—&nbsp;Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned]] comment added by [[User:Jezebel641|Jezebel641]] ([[User talk:Jezebel641#top|talk]] • [[Special:Contributions/Jezebel641|contribs]]) 09:08, 11 July 2024 (UTC)</small> <!--Autosigned by SineBot-->

== The Blokhin family ... ==
''The Blokhin family traced its roots back to Jochi, the eldest son of Genghis Khan, through their ancestor Berkay of the Golden Horde who passed into the service of Ivan I of Moscow during the 14th century.[6]'' - oh, yes. Due to the nearly perfectly documented genealogical lineage, well to be followed some 7 centuries back, and covering nearly complete North Asia, we can surely trust that this information ! is true. At least in 1962 an otherwise unknown person of presumably russian or so origin claimed that, and, in the end, this ''asiatic'' cruelty must be the result of such ominous heritage, as a normal russian was not capable of this slaughter. So it Must have done  a human monster of Ghengissian-blood ? Gossipate & triviate Wikipedia ?  --[[Special:Contributions/88.217.96.134|88.217.96.134]] ([[User talk:88.217.96.134|talk]]) 20:24, 1 August 2017 (UTC)

:"[[Taya Zinkin]]" was a journalist by profession. I removed the material as she's not [[WP:RS]]. - [[User:LouisAragon|LouisAragon]] ([[User talk:LouisAragon|talk]]) 02:48, 9 August 2017 (UTC)

== Opinion ==

It would be interesting to have the opinions about him from his superiors or co-workers.
Was he shunned by other NKVD officials?
Did the NKVD chiefs he later executed approve of him or did they rightly fear they could be next?
Or did they not were his actual superiors since he took orders directly from Stalin?
--[[User:Error|Error]] ([[User talk:Error|talk]]) 14:16, 28 August 2020 (UTC)

==Joseph Stalin's death==
Please discuss here whether the recent addition of a section entitled 'Joseph Stalin's death' is justified before adding it back in again. The main problem with the edit is it fails to mention Blokhin and his link to the events. He is not even mentioned in the single source cited (''The Spokesman Review''). I have reverted the change for now. [[User:Meticulo|Meticulo]] ([[User talk:Meticulo|talk]]) 03:50, 7 June 2021 (UTC)

:Late to this; but the IP editor who was adding it is [[WP:LTA/GRP|permanently banned]]; he uses proxies to abuse Wikipedia. Please revert all such edits made by IPs, and if the banned user starts to revert-war using the proxies, please request protection to stop his abuse. ''[[User:JavaHurricane| <span style = "color:green">Java</span>]][[User talk:JavaHurricane|<span style = "color:red">Hurricane</span>]]'' 14:21, 1 April 2022 (UTC)

== A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion ==
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion:
* [[commons:File:Vassily Blokhin.jpg|Vassily Blokhin.jpg]]<!-- COMMONSBOT: discussion | 2021-08-16T22:38:45.649713 | Vassily Blokhin.jpg -->
Participate in the deletion discussion at the [[commons:Commons:Deletion requests/File:Vassily Blokhin.jpg|nomination page]]. —[[User:Community Tech bot|Community Tech bot]] ([[User talk:Community Tech bot|talk]]) 22:38, 16 August 2021 (UTC)

== Blochin ==

I don't  believe V. Blochin killed all those people. 
He he was in charge of overseeing the executions but not carrying them out.  For simple reasons.  He was to high up in NKVD USSR NKGB MGB as a commandant of ACHU NKVD/NKGB/MGB . [[User:Ataman|Ataman]] ([[User talk:Ataman|talk]]) 03:09, 2 January 2022 (UTC)