Open Access
Access granted
Subscription Access
No 3 (2025)
To the centenary of V.N. Vinogradov and G.L. Arsh
International Relations in the Balkans (Introduction to the Jubilee Selection of Articles)
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):5-7
5-7
Moldovans from the Lower Dniester Region in the Russian Captivity: A Case of the Imperial War Policy of the 18th Century. 1.
Abstract
The article is devoted to a previously unknown dramatic episode from the history of the Russo-Turkish War of 1768–1774 – the fate of a large group of ethnic Moldovans from the left bank of the Dniester river in captivity in the Russian Empire. In October 1769, during military actions near the Bendery Fortress, Russian troops devastated the villages inhabited by Moldovans on the left bank of Dniester, which were under the jurisdiction of the Crimean Khanate. About a thousand of their inhabitants, including women and children, were taken prisoner and taken away to Russia. The commander of the advanced Russian corps, Major General Count Ch.L.K. zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, under the pretext of saving these people from starvation, distributed them among the officers of his troops, effectively turning them into serfs. This decision not only did not comply with the European laws and customs of war of that time, but also ran counter to the interests of the state policy of Russia in the context of the struggle with the Ottoman Empire, contradicted specific orders of the supreme power regarding people from Moldova. The article is written on the basis of archival documents of the military and diplomatic departments of the Russian Empire, introduced into scientific circulation for the first time.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):8-25
8-25
Greek Aristocrats in Russia in the Late 18th – Mid-19th c. (According to the Memoirs of A.V. Neklyudov)
Abstract
The article analyzes the integration of Greek Phanariote aristocrats into Russian society, who arrived in Russia in the late 18th – early 19th centuries, based on the memoirs of the famous diplomat Anatoly Vasilyevich Neklyudov (1856–1943). The author's ancestors came to Russia as political emigrants fleeing repression in the Ottoman Empire during the Russo-Turkish wars. In his «Family Chronicle», he describes the history of his family, which descended from several influential Phanariote families (Mouruzi, Komneno, Katakazi, Fetala). Despite its subjectivity and factual inaccuracies, this source contains valuable information for understanding the life, customs, and preservation of national traditions of the Greek diaspora in Russia. A study of the memoirs of A.V. Neklyudova and their comparison with other sources allows us to assess the complexity of the process of assimilation and preservation of the ethnic identity of Greek aristocrats in a new cultural environment, to identify the main factors that influenced these processes, to determine the sources of material well-being of the Greek elite, and to analyze its political and social connections.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):26-36
26-36
Unofficial Diplomacy in Russian-Serbian Relations in Early and Mid-19th Century
Abstract
At the beginning of the First Serbian Uprising (1804–1813), in addition to official authorities, its leaders used other channels in their contacts with Russia. The key figures were two clergymen with political influence: the Karlovac Metropolitan Stefan Stratimirović and Archpriest A.A. Samborsky. A new surge of unofficial diplomacy emerged after the Crimean War, and the scenario and roles of the participants in the interaction resembled what had happened at the beginning of the century. However, by this time, a fairly broad and extensive network of supporters of the «Slavic cause» had already formed in Russia. Its key figures were the Empress's maid of honor A.D. Bludova and the rector of the embassy church in Vienna Archpriest M.F. Raevsky. The Moscow Slavic Benevolent Committee, approved by the tsar at the beginning of 1858, was also considered an auxiliary instrument of Russia's Balkan policy. Unofficial diplomacy could partially compensate for the lack of official resources of influence. The latter gained the necessary flexibility, but risked falling into a trap due to incomplete coordination of actions. A similar situation arose in connection with the support that was provided to M. Ban in preparing the uprising in Bosnia in 1860–1861.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):37-48
37-48
Franciscan Monasteries in Herzegovina Through the Eyes of Russian Diplomats in the 1850s–1870s
Abstract
The readers are invited to another story from the life of the Bosnian Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire, which does not contain bright conclusions, but is interesting information for reflection. It is about two Franciscan monasteries in Herzegovina – Humac and Shirok Breg in the 1850s-1870s. The source for the preparation of the study were materials from the reports of Russian diplomatic agents in Mostar N.A. Ilarionov and Ia.P. Slavliubov, as well as their other colleagues in the service in Bosnia and Herzegovina. These sources are kept in the funds of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Empire. The Orthodox population of the region was the main object of Russian attention and assistance. In diplomatic documents there are very rare references to and characterizations of Catholic monasteries and educational institutions. In the archival heritage of the consulate in Mostar we managed to find references to the escape of Catholic novices from the monastery Shiroki Breg, information about the structure and organization of educational institutions, brief descriptions of the monasteries, compiled by Ia.P. Slavliubov after a personal visit to each of them in the 1870s. The facts presented in this article probably might be useful for the researchers engaged in reconstructing the history of the monasteries Humac and Shiroki Breg, as well as for the researchers of Russian policy in the Balkans.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):49-60
49-60
The Economic Situation in Romania in the Early 1950s According to Documents from the Russian Archives
Abstract
The article presents Soviet assessments of Romania's economic situation in the early 1950s. Based on documents from the Russian archives, the sources of information received in Moscow on the state of the Romanian economy and the main economic problems have been identified. According to the documents, the personnel policy, the activities of mixed Soviet-Romanian enterprises («sovroms»), the effectiveness of economic management etc. were in the field of view of Soviet observers and experts. There was also a question about the objectivity of the information received. Special attention is paid to economic projects, the need for which was prompted by the Soviet leadership and personally by Joseph Stalin, such as the monetary reform of 1952 and the construction of the Danube–Black Sea canal. The past reassessment of the importance of the «Soviet factor» in the process of the country's socialist industrialization in modern Romania and the relevance of turning to the study of bilateral Soviet-Romanian economic relations are noted, given the strong influence of politicized assessments on the public consciousness of these countries.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):61-76
61-76
Foreign Policy of Greece in the Balkans: The European Integration Factor
Abstract
Greece was the first Balkan state to join the European integration project. At the beginning of the 21st century Greece was a locomotive of European integration for the other countries of the region and built the corresponding foreign policy ties with them. However, Greece's efforts to promote the Balkan states to the European Union were not always consistent and fruitful, since sometimes their contradicted Greece's own interests. In addition, for the Balkan countries that were not members of the EU, Greece ceased to be a model of a successfully implemented integration project after the beginning of the 2010s sovereign debt crisis. Nevertheless, Greece continues to play the role of an European integration guide to this day for the states of the Western Balkans.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):77-92
77-92
* * *
Syntactic Constructions with Coordinating Conjunctions in Homilies of Kirill of Turov. 1.
Abstract
The article is devoted to the analysis of the syntactic constructions with the coordinating conjunctions in the Homilies of the Old Russian writer of the XII century Kiril of Turov, who created the original works, continuing the Byzantine rhetorical traditions. The syntax of the works of Kiril has not been considered by the researchers before. In the first part of the article the semantics and use of the conjunctions и, а, но and the rare да (да и), ли, или are considered on the material of the six texts. The neutral conjunction и is present in all the Homilies; the use of the conjunctions а and но is conditioned by the content of the text. Kiril of Turov uses the conjunctions и, а, но in the complex constructions comparable to the compound sentences and at the beginning of predicative construction. The main function of the conjunction и in the Homilies, as in other texts, is the function of the connection. The temporal relations between the parts of complex constructions traditionally emphasized in Old Russian sources are not relevant for the Homilies; the parts are related by the relations of the connection and of the union. The other meanings of the complex constructions with the conjunction и (results, consequence etc.) are rarely found in the Sermons of Kiril. The conjunction и at the beginning of the sentence indicates the continuation of the narrative and the new subject. The conjunction a is used less often than и and но. Its usual position was the second part of a complex construction. The use of the union in the Homilies appears to be the same as in the modern Russian. The union a at the beginning of the sentence was peculiar to Old Russian syntax, including business sources; Kiril uses it rarely to convey the complex antithetical-comparative semantics. The conjunction но in the second part of the complex construction has a general antithetical meaning. In the beginning of the predicative construction но indicates a new semantic fragment or the resumption of the previous narrative. In contrast to the sentences with и, constructions with the conjunction но in these cases have the former comparative and antithetical meaning. The conjunction да and the compound conjunction да и and were mostly used in business writing and in the texts reflecting the lively colloquial speech. Kiril uses, though rarely, both conjunctions in the usual accusative sense.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):93-107
93-107
The Rise of the Slovenian Catholic Movement in the Mid-1880s – Early 1890s
Abstract
The article examines the initial period of the development of the Slovenian Catholic political movement, which was marked by the activities of the Ljubljana bishop J. Missija and the professor of theology in Gorica A. Mahnič. The years 1885–1887 were characterized by the struggle of Catholics against the so-called «liberal offensive» – the demands of Slovenian liberals to revive Slavic worship and their desire to spread the ideas of Slavic reciprocity and, in particular, Russophilia. However, overly harsh statements by the liberal press provoked strong opposition from the Austrian authorities and the Catholic Church. The Catholics strengthened their positions and took a course on creating their own political organization and intensifying the fight against liberal views. The split of national forces led to the formation of the Catholic National Party and the Liberal National Party, and over time, largely due to the socio-economic policy pursued by the Christian Socialists (who were part of the Catholic Party) to the final victory of Catholics on the Slovenian political scene. In the new conditions of the beginning of party building, the intensification of the struggle for influence on the masses, the attempts of the liberals to preserve or, subsequently, to revive the policy of «harmony» for the sake of the unity of national forces could not lead and did not lead to success.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):108-124
108-124
From the history of Slavic studies
«Disputes Promote Collective Work»: B.D. Grekov's Meeting with Bulgarian Historians in the Autumn of 1950
Abstract
The article presents publication of the materials from the Scientific Archives of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, dedicated to the visit of the Director of the Institute of History of the USSR Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Slavic Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, Academician B.D. Grekov, to Sofia in September 1950. The consultations of the Soviet scientist fit into the process of Sovietization of the educational and scientific spheres of Bulgaria, that is, their reform according to the Soviet model. During the trip, B.D. Grekov met several times with Bulgarian colleagues – T. Pavlov, D. Kosev, S. Romansky, V. Georgiev, Khr. Gandev and others. The Soviet guest was asked to share his experience in organizing and planning scientific work in academic institutes, preparing multi-volume collective publications. Bulgarian colleagues were also interested in how Soviet historians in a Marxist vein studied the problems of the emergence of feudal relations, the influence of Byzantium and the Bulgarian Kingdom on Kievan Rus.
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):125-141
125-141
Reviews
V. Adadurov. «Rearranging Words in the Centuries»: Intellectual Biography of Ilko Borshchak
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):142-144
142-144
Kovtun E.N. The Intertext of the Afterlife Universe in Science Fiction and Fantasy of 20th – 21th Centuries
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):145-147
145-147
Scolarly life
International Conference «"Time for Change" in Slavic and Jewish Cultural Traditions»
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):148-153
148-153
anniversaries
Towards the Jubilee of Victoria Mochalova
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):154-157
154-157
In memoriam
In Memory of Iskra Vasilievna Churkina (1931–2024)
Slavic Studies. 2025;(3):158-160
158-160