L. J. Reinders has had an active career in high-energy physics, earning a PhD from Utrecht University in 1976 and working as a post-doc at various research centres in Europe and Japan until 1988, when he switched to law and legal translation. In this book he combines his earlier expertise as a physicist with his long-standing interest in Russian culture and science.

Introduction.- Shubnikov's early years in St. Petersburg/Petrograd/Leningrad.- Shubnikov's scientific work in Leningrad; papers with Obreimov.- Shubnikov in Leiden.- Shubnikov's Scientific work in Leiden: Shubnikov-de Haas effect.- Founding of the Ukrainian Physico-Technical Institute in Kharkov.- History of UFTI in the thirties.- Shubnikov's scientific work at UFTI.- Repression at the Leningrad Physico-Technical Institute.- The UFTI Affair: The case of Weissberg and Weisselberg.- The UFTI Affair: The case of Shubnikov, Rozenkevich and Gorsky.- The UFTI Affair: Other repressed UFTI physicists.- The Landau-Korets-Rumer Case.- Shubnikov's rehabilitation.- Afterword.- Appendix 1: Shubnikov's statement on research in cryogenics.- Appendix 2: Interrogations of members of the UFTI staff.- Appendix 3: Documents of the case of Shubnikov, Rozenkevich and Gorsky.- Appendix 4: The rehabilitation of Shubnikov, Rozenkevich and Gorsky.- List of Shubnikov's publications.- Abbreviations.- Timeline of Shubnikov's life.