The review is dedicated to the book by A.M. Popov, published in 2023, «Two Steps to the Abyss. Intrigues against the Minister of War and the self-destruction of power in Russia in 1907-1915». Its main themes are considered: the so-called «Myasoedov Affair», political intrigues against the Minister of War in 1912 and 1915, and the specifics of the functioning of the state apparatus of the Russian Empire in 1907-1915. Special attention is paid to the establishment of a counterintelligence service in Russia.
S. Sergushkin (Wed,) studied this question.