On the Question of Viacheslav Zaikin as a “Provocateur”

Abstract

The article reexamines the question, previously raised in historical scholarship and journalism, of the possible role of Viacheslav Zaikin, a well-known historian and graduate of Kharkiv University, as a “provocateur” during World War I. In Ukrainian historiography, in contrast to Russian, the work of imperial law enforcement institutions with covert agents has been given little to no attention. The necessary sources are either lacking or unavailable. The purpose of this study was to try and compare the well-known accusations against Viacheslav Zaikin, made by his contemporaries, with gendarmerie documents, primarily agent reports, about the activities of Ukrainian youth organizations in which he may have been involved. This approach does not guarantee an accurate answer to the question. But at least it should enable one to take steps in that direction, namely: to determine whether or not Viacheslav Zaikin’s acting as a “provocateur” was possible at all (and thus to exclude the opposite); to ascertain the (im)possibility of his supplying intelligence to law enforcement by placing it into the context of the circumstances of his life and activities; to determine the correspondence of the contents of this intelligence to Viacheslav Zaikin’s status and connections in Ukrainian organizations, etc. The author’s research establishes that: a) the quality of information in the agent reports fits Viacheslav Zaikin’s capabilities and his place in the Ukrainian youth circles of Kharkiv; b) the fact that Viacheslav Zaikin himself does not figure in gendarmerie documents looks very suspicious; and c) no categorical conclusions can be made due to the insufficiency and inconsistency of the available evidence.