Jan C. Behrends

Jan Claas Behrends (born 5 December 1969) is a German historian, who is known for his research on Stalinism, propaganda, public discourse, violence and wars in the Soviet and post-Soviet space. He is regarded as a leading expert on the history of Soviet and Russian security services. He was a Feodor Lynen Fellow at the University of Chicago in 2007, sponsored by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He teaches Eastern European history at the Free University of Berlin and the Humboldt University of Berlin. He has written extensively on the Russo-Ukrainian War and the political developments in Russia under Vladimir Putin. Die Welt described him as one of the most renowned experts on the Soviet secret police, the Cheka, and its successors until the present day, including today's FSB.

In March 2022 Behrends was appointed professor of history at the European University Viadrina in Frankfurt (Oder).

Behrends is a member of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Osteuropakunde and the Association for Slavic, East European and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES). He was also involved in the establishment of Historians without Borders where he is a member of the coordinating committee. He has participated in the Körber Foundation History Forum.