Chairman of the Council of Ministers, and Iosif Shikin, the political director of the Red Army, survived but their political careers were hampered for some time. References Political repression in the Soviet Union Political and cultural purges History of Saint Petersburg 1949 in the Soviet Union 1950 in the Soviet Union 1940s in Leningrad 1950s in Leningrad 1949 in Russia Persecution by the Soviet Union Persecution of intellectuals