To start with, the procedure for accessing archival collections has seen changes. Whereas previously a researcher could submit a personal request directly to an archive, now there is a high probability that you will be redirected to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Federal Archival Agency (Rosarkhiv), where you will have to fill out a lot of paperwork and wait several months for a decision, potentially ending in a denial. This procedure is not enshrined in law but, as practice shows, such cases are widespread. Researchers spend long months waiting, unable to influence the processing of their request and forced to pause work on their projects. Note that the new procedure has not affected Russian citizens.
While the possibility of accessing documents from Russian state archives – directly through the archive or with ministries in the middle – remains real, the collections of departments ( "special archives") seem practically inaccessible. The archives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the FSB and the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), along with the Foreign Policy Archive and others – which hold valuable investigative and intelligence documents – are difficult to access even for researchers who have the right to access them. A researcher, having submitted a request to work with these documents, undergoes multiple stages of screening by government agencies and must submit a massive set of documents, both to provide background information and to argue why access should be granted. The share of denials from department archives remains high. Note that these special archives periodically publish some documents from their collections, as well as books written using such sources (you can find them on the corresponding websites).
Personal visits of American and Western European scholars to Russia remain difficult to organize. Even with a visa and funding, researchers face many obstacles on the ground. Submitting a request in person, just like online, does not guarantee that the researcher will be granted access to archives. When physically visiting Russian archives, researchers also run into onerous bureaucracy and must fill out numerous questionnaires and forms, with many archives requiring the use of Russian. In fact, scholars will encounter language barriers throughout all stages of their archival research. Regrettably, there is also a certain bias toward foreign researchers on the part of some archivists, reflected in more thorough screening and registration, longer waiting times for requested files, some files and even collections being placed off limits, and a complicated copying procedure. Of course, this is not common, but even isolated cases of this kind deserve attention and consideration when organizing research trips to Russia.
Most of the trends described above relate to the central archives. Traditionally, the archives of Moscow and St Petersburg are the most popular among scholars, including the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History (RGASPI), and the Russian State Historical Archive (RGIA). At the same time, regional archives are no less valuable and sometimes even unique sources of information. They contain a variety of documents that shed light on all periods of Russian history. However, regional archives are much less known and accessible to researchers. These local entities generally do not have digitized catalogs, spacious reading rooms or sometimes even websites, meaning that work must be done in person. Additionally, their remoteness from Russia's big cities presents a serious obstacle for foreign scholars, who must organize expensive visits. Against this backdrop, most researchers refuse to work in regional archives; some turn to acquaintances in Russia for help, though this also requires time and effort to set up.
Another issue of interest to most American and Western European scholars is the use of archival documents and their publication. Interestingly, though archival materials are often difficult to access, Russian legislation on the use and publication of documentary sources remains quite liberal. For example, as long as references are formatted properly, the use of images and documents is allowed without special permission. In addition, Russian legislation allows the use of archival images for educational and academic purposes. Certainly, in some cases additional steps are required, especially if documents or materials protected by copyright are involved.
The Bridge has encountered similar situations and resolved each case individually. In addition,
The Bridge has provided an
overview of the relevant parts of Russian laws that govern the use of archival sources.
All the factors and trends described above certainly complicate the already difficult process of conducting archival research in Russia. Foreign scholars are forced to spend a lot of time, effort, and money just to understand the constantly changing processes involved with accessing Russian archives and the documents they seek.
Having studied how Russian archives work and what American and Western European researchers need, The Bridge offers full and comprehensive assistance to research projects in Russia. Our expertise, combined with more than five years of experience in remote field research in Russia, has helped hundreds of American and Western European researchers to prepare their dissertations, academic articles and books, as well as put together impressive collections of archival documents and images.
The Bridge is happy to help with preparing a research plan, organizing research in Russia, communicating with archives, and collecting sources. We provide answers to your questions.
Contact us for a free consultation.