November 01, 2025

Tamara Eidelman Arrested in Absentia


Tamara Eidelman Arrested in Absentia
Tamara Eidelman, a historian speaking truth to power.

According to Izvestia and the Moscow Prosecutor's Office, a court in Moscow arrested historian Tamara Eidelman in absentia for "rehabilitating Nazism" and "spreading fakes" about the actions of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.

Eidelman was History Editor for Russian Life magazine for 18 years (from 2003-2021, penning over 300 articles), as well as Founding Editor of Chtenia (2008-2017). She now has an extremely popular YouTube channel that covers all aspects of Russian and world history, as well as current affairs (her clear diction and pleasant speaking voice also makes it a superb Russian language learning resource). The channel has nearly two million subscribers. She has also started a new subscription history program, Secret Hunters (Охотники за тайнами), and is a popular lecturer on history leading courses and tours all over the world. On her website she styles herself as a "historian, honored teacher of the Russian Federation, writer, foreign agent" (историк, заслуженный учитель РФ, писатель, иностранный агент).

Eidelman was declared a foreign agent by the Russian government in September 2022. She had left the country soon after Russia began its War on Ukraine, and now lives and travels freely abroad, making videos and leading history tours.

The nut of the government's beef with Eidelman was apparently a video posted on May 5, 2024, "The Day of Stolen Victory," which the prosecutor's office avers "contains negatively colored statements about the actions of the USSR during World War II, the days of military glory, and memorable dates of Russia related to the defense of the Fatherland, as well as about veterans of the Great Patriotic War." The video is embedded here so you can watch it yourself (click the Youtube logo to watch it over there and turn on the auto-translate feature with the gear icon):

A criminal case against Eidelman – who has a long history of supporting democratic movements and speaking out against all forms of authoritarianism – alleging she was working for the rehabilitation of Nazism was opened on January 4, 2025. She was accused of committing a crime under the infamous paragraph "b" of Part 2 of Article 354.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Rehabilitation of Nazism using the Internet").

Reached for comment, Eidelman told Russian Life, "It was expected, but still it is really sad that my country does such things to me and much worse to those who dare stay in Russia. It seems that the authoritarian machine simply cannot stop, it has to go on and on. But we will also go on standing up to them."

A few of Eidelman's articles from our pages are linked below...

 

You Might Also Like

All Good Things
  • November 01, 2021

All Good Things

In which we say goodbye to a longtime editor and look toward the future by looking back.
The Victory That Wasn't
  • May 01, 2006

The Victory That Wasn't

In 1916, the Brusilov Offensive was a surprise breakthrough on the Russian-Austrian front. Had those in command recognized its potential, WWI could have had a very different outcome.
The War to End All Wars Ends
  • November 01, 2019

The War to End All Wars Ends

The final shots of the First World War (“The War to End All Wars”) were fired on November 11, 1918. In Russia, this event went largely unnoticed.
Kremlin Ghosts
  • May 01, 2004

Kremlin Ghosts

Hidden behind the walls of Moscow’s ancient fortress are phantoms and shades from centuries gone by.
Khrushchev's Secret Speech
  • January 01, 2006

Khrushchev's Secret Speech

In an interview with the son of Anastas Mikoyan, one of the key players in the 20th Party Congress, we take a trip behind the curtain of Soviet Oz.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Okudzhava Bilingual

Okudzhava Bilingual

Poems, songs and autobiographical sketches by Bulat Okudzhava, the king of the Russian bards. 
The Latchkey Murders

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
At the Circus (bilingual)

At the Circus (bilingual)

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955