Mikhail Ruvimovich Kheifets (Russian: Михаи́л Руви́мович Хе́йфец; 18 January 1934 – 25 November 2019) was a Soviet dissident who later became an Israeli writer and historian.
[2] Kheifets was arrested in 1974 on charges of anti-Soviet agitation after writing a preface to a collection of Joseph Brodsky's works, as well as copying Andrei Amalrik's essay Will the Soviet Union Survive Until 1984?.
[3] He was imprisoned at Camp 17-A in Ozerny, Zubovo-Polyansky District [ru; uk], where he met Ukrainian dissident leader Viacheslav Chornovil.
Kheifets referred to Chornovil as "general of the zeks"[4] for his ability to gather other prisoners into a united front against the Soviet government despite disparate and contradictory political views, including Ukrainian and Russian nationalism.
[7] Following his 1980 release from his prison, Kheifets made aliyah to Israel, where he continued his writing career.