On the Victory Parade on June 24, 1945 (Russian: ), Soviet leader Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (left) and the Supreme Deputy Commander of the Soviet Armed Forces Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov (right) were present. Original NameТрофейное делоDate1946—1948Всё о Второй мировой（2025年）Placethe Soviet UnionTypeAnti-corruption (the official reason of the Soviet Union) Political persecution (as claimed by some historians) MotiveCracking down on the abuse of power by military commanders (the official reason of the Soviet Union) Suppressing Georgy Zhukov (some historians hold this view) The Soviet War Trophy case, or Prize Case ( , also known as the General Case ( ) or the Zhukov Incident) was a law enforcement operation carried out by the Soviet Ministry of State Security from 1946 to 1948 under the instructions of Soviet leader Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, A law enforcement operation organized by its minister, Viktor Semenovich Abakumov, targeting soldiers who were seizing the spoils of war. This case is one of the secret cases led by the Ministry of State Security after the war, and is rarely mentioned publicly.
After the Soviet Union launched its counteroffensive, the collection of enemy war spoils became increasingly institutionalized, while some generals were found to have illegally occupied the spoils. In November 1947, Abakumov informed Stalin about the abuse of power and seeking personal gain by the leadership of the Soviet military headquarters in Germany and the relevant personnel of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Subsequently, a large number of officers involved were arrested. The Soviet authorities claimed that the purpose of this case was to expose the corrupt behavior of the generals, but some historians believe that the starting point of this movement was Stalin's attempt to crack down on Georgy Konstantinovich Zhukov, a highly respected general in the military. In the "Aviators Affair ", Abakumov subjected Air Marshal Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov to torture and interrogation, forcing him to provide evidence of Zhukov's attempt to stage a coup. However, at a meeting on June 1, 1946, Zhukov received the support of most of the attending generals, and Stalin failed to arrest him, but removed Zhukov's position as the Chief of the Army General Staff. 在 The investigation then turned to the war spoils, not only seizing a train belonging to Zhukov carrying a large amount of furniture, but also discovering a large number of artworks and jewels from Germany in his private residence, as well as the arrest of many of Zhukov's close associates and military personnel, and obtaining testimony from them about his plundering of war spoils during the German occupation.
Three of the defendants were sentenced to death, while the others were sentenced to terms of 10 to 25 years of labor imprisonment. Zhukov was relieved of his position as the commander of the Odessa Military District . After Stalin's death in 1953, all of them were rehabilitated and released, but most of the confiscated property was not returned.Abakumov, who led this movement, was sentenced to death and executed on December 4, 1954.
Background
Soviet military's loot system
During World War II, the Soviet army had strict regulations for the collection and management of spoils. Initially, the military spoils (mainly equipment and weapons) captured by the Soviet army were handled by the spoils task force under the command of the army group commander. However, as the Soviet army gradually launched a counteroffensive, they also began to capture enemy military warehouses, and the army group commander would use their materials and equipment to improve their own logistical situation In January 1943, the Defense Committee passed a resolution that from February, the spoils captured in battle should be handled in accordance with the regulations, and a special committee led by Marshal Semyon Mikhaylovich Budyonny was established to supervise In April of the same year, this committee was reorganized into the Spoils Committee under the Defense Committee, and Kremenchuk Evgenyevich Voroshilov Marshal was appointed as the chairperson From then on, the spoils business of the Red Army would be handled by the Spoils Committee, the Red Army Spoils Weapons and Equipment Bureau, the Army Group Spoils Weapons and Equipment Bureau, and the Unit Spoils Weapons and Equipment Department.
On December 26, 1944, the Ministry of Defense issued Order No. 0409, allowing soldiers with good performance to send parcels to their families every month. The weight regulations were as follows: ordinary soldiers and non-commissioned officers could send 5 kilograms, officers 10 kilograms, and senior officers 16 kilograms. Weapons, precious gems and metal products, antiques, and items symbolizing the Nazi regime were prohibited from being sent. Among them, the counter-espionage bureau responsible for supervision was relatively strict in inspecting ordinary soldiers, but rather perfunctory in inspecting officers. On June 23, 1945, the Resolution No. 9054-S of the Defense Committee stipulated that demobilized soldiers could receive free daily necessities from the spoils, and were allowed to purchase the spoils according to the standard in cash. On June 9, Resolution No. 90360 stipulated that each general could receive a war trophy car for free, while other officers could receive motorcycles and bicycles. In addition, they were also allowed to purchase war trophy furniture, carpets, musical instruments, tableware, furs, etc. in cash.
Meanwhile, looting within the Red Army was strictly prohibited and punished to maintain military discipline. In early 1945, over 1,500 soldiers were sentenced for looting charges. In September 1945, Viktor Semenovich Abakumov, the head of the Counterintelligence Bureau, signed Order No. 00170, requiring a thorough investigation of all properties under the Counterintelligence Bureau and stipulating that if any officials at all levels of the agency held unrecorded property, they would be sent to a military court for trial.
"Aviation case" and Zhukov
In the official account of the Soviet Union, the "Spoils of War Case" originated from the "investigation into the abuse of power by generals", but many historians believe it originated from the Soviet Union's top leader Joseph Visarionovich Stalin's hope to find testimony unfavorable to Marshal Georgi Konstantinovich Zhukov. Zhukov was the main military leader of the Soviet Union during World War II (officially known as the "Great Patriotic War" by the Soviet Union), holding the position of Supreme Deputy Commander. When Nazi Germany surrendered, he signed the Instrument of German surrender as the representative of the Soviet Union and served as the commander-in-chief of the Soviet Command in Germany. In March 1946, he was also appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Soviet Army.
The accusations against Zhukov began with the so-called "aviation case". Stalin's son, Vasily Iosifovich Stalin, wrote a letter to his father complaining about the overall poor quality of the Soviet Air Force, which was regarded as the main cause of this case. Zhukov was appointed as a member of the investigation committee in this case. On April 30, 1946, Marshal Alexander Alexandrovich Novikov, the commander of the Soviet Air Force, was accused of "disruptive activities" and arrested. Then he was subjected to torture and interrogation by Abakumov, who was already the Minister of the State Security Department. Novikov was forced to admit receiving substandard military equipment and providing the accusations against Zhukov On June 1, 1946, Zhukov was summoned to a meeting of the Supreme Military Council. Zhukov's account of this meeting is as follows:
On June 3, Zhukov was relieved of his position as the Chief of the Soviet Army and was appointed as the Commander of the Odessa Military District.
Due to previous opposition from senior generals, the charges against Zhukov shifted towards spoils of war, and a relevant investigation was initiated on June 4. In a short period of time, the authorities collected evidence indicating that Zhukov had brought back a large quantity of furniture, tableware, weapons, artworks, jewelry and other types of spoils from Germany for personal use, which was consistent with the facts. On August 23, Nikolai Alexandrovich Burganin, the Minister of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, reported to Stalin that "seven carriages were intercepted at the Yagodino Customs (near Kovel), which contained 85 boxes of furniture. After document verification, these furniture belonged to Zhukov" . This accusation is also widely regarded as the beginning of the "Trophy Case". In November 1947, Abakumov informed Stalin that the leadership of the Soviet Command in Germany and relevant personnel from the Ministry of the Interior had abused their power for personal gain. At the beginning of December, Stalin reviewed Abakumov's report and other collected materials and immediately began the arrest operation.
Arrest Generals and officers closely related to Zhukov were subject to large-scale arrests and interrogations, including:
General Ivan Alexandrovich Sherov, the deputy commander for civil affairs of the Soviet Military Administration in Germany, had a close relationship with Zhukov. Zhukov had previously served as the commander of the Special Military District of Kiev, while at the same time Sherov held the position of the People's Commissar of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. Even at that time, Sherov would occasionally give gifts and 50,000 German marks to Zhukov, as well as various other presents. General Vasily Nikolaevich Gordov, the commander of the Volga Military District, and his chief of staff, Lieutenant General Filipp Trofimovich Rebalichenko, expressed dissatisfaction during their conversation about Stalin's treatment of Zhukov. However, the conversation was recorded by the Ministry of State Security. Both were arrested on January 12, 1947.Герои страны Singer Lyudmila Andreyevna Ruslanova was arrested on September 24, 1948, due to the fact that in August 1945, Zhukov had awarded her a military medal during her visit to Berlin. Vasily Grigorievich Zalizhcheev, a major general, was a special envoy of ZhukovНоводевичье кладбище и некрополь Новодевичьего монастыря and was arrested on November 1, 1947. General Konstantin Fedorovich Chelygin, a political officer who had served with Zhukov for a long time, was convicted for signing the commendation order awarding the medal to Ruslanova. He was arrested on January 24, 1948. Colonel Leonid Fedorovich Minyuk, who served as adjutant and special military attaché to Zhukov during World War II.Generals of World War IIPOISK.RE Vladimir Viktorovich Krykofov, a lieutenant general, was the husband of Ruslanova. He was arrested on September 18, 1948. General Grigory Ivanovich Kulik was arrested on January 12, 1947. Major General Alexei Matveievich Sidenev (Head of the Operations Department of the State Security Bureau of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Berlin) was arrested in December 1947. Major General Grigory Akimovich Bezanno夫 (Deputy Chief of Operations at the State Security Department of the Interior Ministry of the State Security of Thuringia), was arrested in December 1947. Major General Sergei Alekseyevich Klyapov (Deputy Chief of Operations at the National Security Department of the State Security Committee of the Saxony Region), was arrested in December 1947. A. S. Semochkin (А. С. Семочкина), a former adjutant of Zhukov.
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