Betrayal and Intrigue: The NKVD Organized Crime Plot

The 2026 film Two Prosecutors, directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Serhiy Roznytsia, explores the oppressive atmosphere of the Soviet era through a narrative centered on betrayal and the machinery of state terror. The film depicts a critical encounter between a character named Kornev and Prosecutor General Vyshinsky, portrayed by Anatoly Veli.

In a pivotal sequence of the movie, Kornev seeks an audience with Vyshinsky to request assistance in addressing organized crime within the NKVD. While the Prosecutor General initially appears to be cooperative and willing to help, this gesture proves to be a deception, ultimately leading to the arrest of Kornev.

The Historical Backdrop of the NKVD

The plot of Two Prosecutors is set against the history of the NKVD, or the People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs. This organization served as the primary instrument of control for Joseph Stalin, utilizing a vast apparatus of surveillance, repression, and espionage to maintain order and eliminate perceived threats to the regime.

Between 1934 and 1946, the NKVD was responsible for terrorizing a vast number of Soviet citizens. This period was marked by the Great Purge, which saw the brutal murder of countless individuals accused of disloyalty to Stalin. The organization managed the system of gulags, where millions of prisoners were sent, and carried out mass executions, such as the Katyn massacre involving thousands of Polish prisoners of war.

Under the direction of leaders such as Genrikh Yagoda, the NKVD expanded its influence to target not only political rivals and critics within the Communist Party but also ethnic minorities, academics, artists, writers, and senior military officials. This centralization of power under Stalin replaced earlier Bolshevik policies of indigenization and multicultural benefit with forced mass deportations and violent arrests.

Espionage and State Terror

The film’s focus on organized crime and betrayal within the secret police reflects the real-world operations of the NKVD’s intelligence and special operations unit, known as the Inostranny Otdel. This specific unit was tasked with organizing the overseas assassination of political enemies of the USSR, including former Tsarist officials, leaders of nationalist movements, and personal rivals of Stalin.

A prominent example of the NKVD’s relentless pursuit of dissidents was the orchestrated downfall of Leon Trotsky. Once a key figure in the Bolshevik Revolution and a close associate of Stalin, Trotsky became a target of the NKVD’s intelligence-gathering machine after voicing opposition to Stalin’s policies. The NKVD infiltrated Trotsky’s inner circle by exploiting personal relationships and vulnerabilities to ensure his eventual elimination.

Stalin’s pervasive paranoia drove the NKVD to scrutinize both internal enemies and external allies. This culture of constant surveillance ensured that even the most entrenched rivals could be dismantled through a combination of political intrigue and ruthless determination.

By centering its narrative on the interaction between a seeker of justice and a high-ranking prosecutor, Two Prosecutors examines the futility of seeking help from the very institutions designed to enforce a dictator’s will. The arrest of Kornev serves as a cinematic representation of the systemic betrayal that characterized the era of the NKVD.