Watch KGB: The Sword and the Shield

KGB: The Sword and the Shield is a gripping six-part documentary series produced by ARTE, based on the book by Christopher Andrew and Vasili Mitrokhin. The show explores the history of the Soviet secret police and intelligence agency, the KGB. The series provides an in-depth look at the KGB's inner workings through interviews with historians, former KGB officers, and their victims.

The first episode explores the beginnings of the KGB, which was founded shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917. The KGB's primary function was to protect the Communist Party against its adversaries, but its scope soon expanded to include the monitoring and persecution of Soviet citizens deemed a threat to the regime. The episode also highlights the KGB's role in purges, gulags, and the assassination of Leon Trotsky.

The subsequent episodes delve deeper into the KGB's various departments and the methods they employed to gather information. The second episode focuses on the KGB's internal security branch, responsible for infiltrating dissident groups and suppressing opposition within the Soviet bureaucracy. The third episode introduces the infamous KGB Department 13, which was responsible for assassinations and sabotage abroad. The fourth episode discusses the KGB's vast network of informants and their techniques for extracting information from them.

The fifth episode sheds light on the KGB's role in the Soviet-Afghan War and the arms race, particularly after the arrival of Mikhail Gorbachev. The series concludes with a detailed examination of the KGB's collapse and the consequences of the organization's disruption for the former Soviet Union and the world at large.

Each episode is anchored by a specific theme and is structured around interviews with historians, former KGB officers, and those who were targeted by the organization. These interviews are interspersed with archival footage, news reports, and previously classified documents that provide a fascinating insight into one of the most infamous intelligence agencies in history.

The series is particularly effective in highlighting the KGB's successful recruitment of spies abroad. One interviewee, a former KGB officer, details how he duped British intelligence by posing as a disillusioned KGB official looking to defect. The KGB effectively used blackmail and bribery to gain the cooperation of individuals from all walks of life, including members of the US government and the British establishment.

While the show offers an insightful and nuanced look at the KGB, it is not without its flaws. The series offers a male-centric perspective, with relatively few female interviewees or discussion of the experience of women who were targeted by the agency. Additionally, the series tends to paint the KGB as an all-knowing and all-powerful entity, with relatively little discussion of the limitations and difficulties the organization faced.

Despite these flaws, KGB: The Sword and the Shield is a compelling and informative exploration of one of the most infamous intelligence agencies in history. It offers a detailed and comprehensive look at the KGB's various departments, the techniques they employed, and the consequences of their actions. The series is a must-watch for anyone interested in Cold War history, espionage, or political intrigue.

KGB: The Sword and the Shield is a series that ran for 1 seasons (4 episodes) between April 9, 2019 and on Arte