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Glite Dictionary
Soviet KGB

Soviet KGB

7.5
The main secret police and spy group in the former Soviet Union
  • proper noun
translation icon : KGB soviético
  • The Soviet KGB played a crucial role in maintaining state security throughout its existence.

Examples

  • Many people feared the Soviet KGB during the Cold War.

  • During the Cold War, the Soviet KGB was notorious for conducting espionage activities worldwide.

  • Former agents of the Soviet KGB have published memoirs revealing the agency's secret operations.

  • The Soviet KGB played a crucial role in maintaining internal security within the USSR.

  • The Soviet KGB was known for its extensive surveillance operations.

  • During the Cold War, the operations of the Soviet KGB were shrouded in secrecy and intrigue.

  • Many political dissidents were monitored by the Soviet KGB due to their opposition to the regime.

Synonyms

KGB
vsSoviet KGB
373 6.0

A Soviet government security service that collected secret information and acted as secret police until 1991

is the same name in full form and more formal in tone
Committee for State Security
vsSoviet KGB
7.1

The Soviet Union's main secret police and intelligence agency

is the same meaning but often appears in shortened, everyday form

Surface Forms

Soviet KGB main

Morphology

Soviet + KGB

The phrase simply combines 'Soviet' (connected to the former Soviet Union) with 'KGB' (the state security/intelligence agency), so the meaning — the KGB of the Soviet Union — is directly derivable from the constituents. This is a transparent, compositional name-like expression that is also commonly reflected across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will understand it.

Etymology

Soviet KGB comes from Russian words that literally mean Committee for State Security. That committee was a secret government group that watched people, did spying, and protected the state, so the name now makes people think of 'state spying and secret police'.