Yezhov

Nikolai Yezhov was a Soviet secret police official who served as the head of the NKVD during the Great Purge from 1936 to 1938. He was instrumental in orchestrating widespread political repression, leading to the imprisonment and execution of countless individuals, including party members and military leaders. Yezhov's ruthless methods earned him a notorious reputation, but by 1939 he fell out of favor with Stalin and was arrested, eventually executed in 1940.