The case of Prof. V. P. Petrov In. Svoboda, 1956, 25th October, pp. 2-3.

This article examines the disappearance of Viktor Petrov in Germany. The author reconstructs the main hypotheses regarding his subsequent fate and shows how Petrov's disappearance became part of an ideological debate between supporters of different theories. He is sceptical of the assumptions regarding Petrov's presence in the USSR. The author is equally sceptical of the allegations that Petrov was eliminated by the Security Service of the OUN(r). He considers the version of Petrov's stay in the USSR, which is based on his mention in Monhait's publication, to be insufficiently substantiated: this reference pertains to the period preceding the 1940s.

At the same time, the author presents another argument in favour of the hypothesis that Petrov returned to the USSR. He draws attention to the publication Brief Reports on Lectures and Field Research of the Institute of Material Culture. An article by Nadiia Pohrebova, published in 1956, mentions Petrov as a participant in Soviet archaeological expeditions in 1953. This may indicate that, following his disappearance, Petrov was present in the USSR and engaged in academic activities there.

The author concludes that the available information does not provide sufficient grounds for an unequivocal conclusion that Petrov ended up in the USSR after his disappearance. Nor does it allow him to be accused of spying for the Soviet authorities. It remains unclear under what circumstances and for what reasons he might have returned to the USSR, if such a return did indeed take place. It is for this reason that the author cautions against premature moral judgements and categorical assessments regarding Petrov's character.