After reviewing the current situation and speaking with our clients and colleagues in the US and Western Europe, The Bridge is launching a cycle of guides on remote research in Russia. In this one, we look at the main archives and their collections.

The Potential of Russian Archives and Remotely Accessing Catalogues and Materials (Part 1)

The Potential of Russian Archives and Remotely Accessing Catalogues and Materials (Part 2): Archival Guides and Printed Catalogues

The Bridge has compiled a list of the best VPNs for accessing Russian websites.

In recent years, substantial changes have been made to Russian legislation on archives, copyrights and access to information. They affect procedures for using documents, as well as copying and publishing them, and conditions for access for foreign researchers. The Bridge has reviewed the most recent developments and summarized the key updates.

The political climate, bureaucratic friction, and limited digitization make access to Russian archival documents both costly and complex, yet demand for these sources remains strong. The key is legal fluency: Russian archival law is often more flexible than it first appears, and can be a powerful instrument for researchers willing to employ to get the sources. The Bridge has assembled a comprehensive guide to what researchers are legally entitled to and how to apply the law it. We offer a practical walkthrough of how archival access is regulated and how these materials can be effectively leveraged in academic research.

In Eastern Europe, and especially in Russia, the tone and nature of interactions with archival staff often determine the success of archival research. Given the importance of bureaucratic procedures in Russia, as well as the difficulties frequently encountered by international researchers, The Bridge has prepared a short guide on how to submit an application to an archive and establish effective communication with archival personnel.

Russia's major libraries hold vast collections of primary and secondary materials that remain largely inaccessible through Western institutions: regional newspapers, Soviet-era dissertations, government publications, prerevolutionary manuscripts, and emigrant literature that have never been translated or reissued. The Bridge has prepared a practical guide to navigating Russia's library system remotely, from the RSL's online catalog and digital reading rooms to the hybrid model that defines the broader landscape, where digitized collections remain substantial yet incomplete, and where the most valuable materials often exist only in physical form.

For foreign historians and researchers working on family and local history, Russian genealogy has long been viewed as an area that required in-person work in regional archives. In recent years, however, the system has undergone major digitalization. In the latest installment of our series on remote research, The Bridge provides a comprehensive overview of how genealogy research works in Russia, the legal framework governing access to records for foreign citizens, and the most effective ways to conduct research remotely, either independently or through trusted local representatives.

In this article, the Bridge provides answers to key questions regarding archival research in Russia and the post-Soviet space. It explains how the "75-year rule" allows access to documents without proof of kinship, what alternatives exist if access to an archive remains restricted, how documents are translated from less common regional languages (including Belarusian and Armenian), and why interest in archival research in Russia continues to grow despite tightening restrictions on access to information.