Russkii Arkhiv

95-103

Authors: Evgeniya M. Goryushina

Socio-political transformations caused by the collapse of the USSR led to the emergence of a series of post-Soviet conflicts in the South of Russia and adjacent territories. In turn, conflicts require the study and understanding of their consequences which led to the need to collect oral evidence from eyewitnesses and (or) their participants. The article describes the key stages in the development of oral history, which is one of the most important tools for reconstructing forgotten stories. It is concluded that over time, oral history has turned into a vast interdisciplinary field of memory studies referring to the interview method. The specifics of interviewing participants and (or) eyewitnesses to the five armed conflicts are considered separately: the South Ossetian war (1991–1992), the Ossetian-Ingush conflict (1992), the Georgian-Abkhaz war (1992–1993), armed conflicts and counter-terrorism operations in the Chechen Republic(1994–2009) and the armed conflict in South Ossetia (2008).

111-123

Authors: Alla V. Shadrina

For the Don Army, the Resurrection Cathedral of the village of Starocherkasskaya was a significant monument testifying to the history of the Cossacks. By the middle of the XIX century the temple needed restoration, in connection with which, in the 1890s. The government of the Don Army began a petition to the War Ministry not only for the allocation of the necessary funds for restoration work, but also for their control by the Imperial Archaeological Commission. Only in 1916–1917 restoration began, which primarily affected the iconostasis and icons of the XVIII century. The documents presented for publication show details of inspections of the condition of the buildings of the Resurrection Cathedral and the bell tower, the results of the examination of the iconostasis, the course and results of restoration work carried out by the Moscow masters brothers M. and G. Chirikov in 1916–1917.

136-155

Authors: Anastasia V. Gazdanova

The first stage of the Ethnographic Department of the Russian Museum of Emperor Alexander III (1902–1913) was marked by the collection of funds. The formation of the museum collection was attended not only by employees of the Department, but also by correspondents. One of the collectors of ethnographic collections of the peoples of the North Caucasus was a student of the Moscow Imperial Technical School Zakhary Petrovich Valaev. In 1906, the first collection of ethnographic objects of Ossetians came from him to the museum. The following year, he collected another Ossetian collection, and also replenished the Caucasian fund with items of Kabardians and Balkars. The correspondence shows how the Ethnographic Department interacted with correspondents, how collecting work was carried out, and also reveals some aspects of Z.P. Valaev and K.A. Inostrantsev.

173-183

Authors: Victor B. Belous

A young Ukrainian girl is taken to forced labour to Germany during World War II. First she finds herself in a camp in Breslau, the city, turned by the Germans into a fortess to stop the advancing Soviet troops, later – at a munitions plant at Nieder Petersdorf in Silesian countryside. Ukrainian girls and young women are put to production of artillery shells, an exacting and health-hazardous process, combined with harsh living conditions at their labour camp. Being of Jewish origin, Monastyrskaya has to conceal it to avoid extermination, and registers under an assumed name. Some of the girls have accepted their position and collaborate with Germans, examples of their thoughts and behaviour are cited in the document. Others, Monastyrskaya among them, have organized a resistance group and try to sabotage German war effort by spoiling shells and slackening production processes. Despite abhorring conditions of labour camp existence many of the girls remain true patriots. Monastyrskaya writes some poetry, it helps her to mentally stay in touch with home and family. Young age optimism, patriotism and resilience help the labourers to survive and meet their liberation. This is what Fanya Monastyrskaya writes about in her reminiscences.