Updates of Historical Archives
in the Post-Soviet Space
In this digest, we present a review of recent key events and archival discoveries in the historical sphere, covering various regions of the post-Soviet space. Researchers and history enthusiasts are invited to explore fascinating materials spanning the XVI-XVII centuries in Ukraine, virtual exhibitions in the Russian Federation, and digital resources in Lithuania and Latvia.
UKRAINE

Attention to historians of Ukraine's XVI-XVII centuries and a wider audience is drawn to the enrichment of the electronic resource of the Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine (CSHAK/ЦГИАК) on the "Archium'' platform with new digital copies of 50 documents. There is an extensive array of General Military Chancellery documents shedding light on various aspects of the functioning of the Cossack state - the Hetmanate. Among them are decrees of Ukrainian hetmans, as well as charters and decrees of kings and emperors (XVIII century copies), confirming previous privileges, granting lands, appointing positions to Cossack elders, cases of tax collection, land disputes, inheritance division, debt collection, provision of provisions, and the dispatch of Cossack units to the Ukrainian border. The archives also cover raids by Haidamaks, trade with the Crimean Khanate, and records of Cossacks and civilians in various Hetmanate regiments.

RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The Russian Society of Archivists and the Russian Historical Society, with the support of the "History of the Fatherland" Foundation, present a virtual exhibition of archival documents dedicated to the first anniversary of the occupation of so-called Donetsk People's Republic by the Russian Federation (in Russia it was announces as the first anniversary of the Donetsk People's Republic joining the Russian Federation). The exhibition features documents from four federal archives (ГА РФ, РГАСПИ, РГИА, РГАДА) and the State Central Museum of Contemporary History. The exhibition explores the history of the Donbas region as a socio-economic center within the Russian Empire from the early XVIII to the beginning of the XX century.

November 22, 2023, marked the 60th anniversary of the assassination of the 35th President of the United States, J.F. Kennedy, in Dallas.
The Russian State Archive of Recent History (РГАНИ) has prepared and published a video with materials reflecting the Soviet leadership's perspective on this high-profile event. Readers can explore unique documents, including cipher telegrams from the Soviet embassy in Washington in the first hours and days after the assassination, personal condolences from N.S. Khrushchev and his wife to Kennedy's widow and the new U.S. President L.B. Johnson, messages from A.I. Mikoyan about the farewell ceremony at Arlington Cemetery, Jacqueline Kennedy's message, and materials about L.H. Oswald.

LITHUANIA

Lithuania's Special Archive has expanded its electronic surname archive database. The database now includes information about individuals listed for deportation in 1941 and during 1945-1953. To find more information and documents, one can simply enter a surname into the archive's search engine.

LATVIA

Continuing the project "Latvian Archives Worldwide," initiated in 2021 with the support of the Ministry of Culture, the World Association of Free Latvians is pleased to announce the publication of a digital archive. This archive, available on the project's website, contains digitized archival materials held by Latvian communities worldwide. What makes this digital archive unique is that its content is created by representatives of Latvian communities, independently processing and digitizing archival materials using instructions prepared by PBLA.
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