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A quite enjoyable puzzle, but certainly on the easier side of some of the more recent entries. Fortunately there is very little, if any, grid staring needed, but I would never have finished this without the help of Wiktionary.

Same here. This may be jumping the gun a bit could anyone suggest why the word "wholly" appears in the preamble in relation to the two personal names? Altering one letter of each name in a specific way produces the required foreign word which I'm sure is correct - are we meant to enter the whole of each name in altered form - and if so how?

I'm assuming that in one name the letters are upside down and in the other are rotated 180 degrees. However, my assumptions don't always comply with some other devious interpretation by the setter.

My thinking was that both had to be reflected -- if one inverts one wholly the letters will be in the wrong places. Still having difficulty understanding the significance of the foreign word.

My previous comment referred to the letters individually and to the answer as a whole.

I agree that the two names are to be reflected in vertical axes. Apart from 28a, only unchecked letters are affected. Very neat. I suppose the puzzle is intended as a tribute to the Soviets’ contribution to this particular field.

Hmm. If 28a has two connecting personal names I think I've gone adrift with 25d which I had as one of the topographic features. It also leaves me puzzled over 40a. I'm confident over the first three crossing letters in 25d.
Other puzzles are 17 down - only the 5th and 7th letters missing but I can't make a rabbit fit - a guinea pig, yes, but that misspells the word which I assume needs an 'o' in, not an 'a'.

Hi, granama1,

25dn is one of the two persons. Wordplay is abbreviations for American and island around Irish TV channel.

For 17dn, the last four letters are a rabbit, but you need to replace V (five) with N (number).

40ac’s definition is entrances (a Greek plural). A word meaning gods surrounding a type of musical revival.

Got 17dn slightly wrong in previous post. Replace N with V in the rabbit.

I think that should be replace number with five, but why is m** group of mice (and - assuming it is one- in what way is 26a a topographic feature)?