Nicolái Yezhov

Nicolái Yezhov was a Soviet secret police official who served as the head of the NKVD from 1936 to 1938 during the Great Purge under Joseph Stalin. Known for his ruthless methods, Yezhov played a key role in the persecution and execution of perceived enemies of the state, orchestrating widespread arrests and brutal crackdowns on dissent. His tenure was marked by a significant increase in political repression and terror, leading to his eventual fall from grace as he became a victim of Stalin's purges himself, disappearing from history in 1940.