Ukraine Throws KGB Archive Doors Open
By Sean at 29 January, 2009, 10:02 am
Here’s something that should wet the palates of scholars and induce wet dreams among the necrophiliacs of Soviet history. Ukraine announced that it plans declassify the entire KGB archive dating 1917-1991. The number of documents stamped “secret” and “top secret” is estimated at 800,000. The announcement comes after the law “On the declassification, promulgation, and study of archival documents connected with the Ukrainian Liberation Movement, political repression, and famine in Ukraine” was signed by Viktor Yushchenko on 23 January.
Among the documents are “Cheka instructions, execution lists, deportation maps, albums with photographs of fighters of rebel armies, reports of the KGB to the Central Committee on the development of the Ukrainian dissident movement.” Interestingly, this declassification is so sweeping that it will even go against normal archival practice in protecting living individuals. “Not a single agential file or report that possibly contains information about current politicians will stop the process of declassification,” says Valentin Nalivaichenko, the current head of the Ukrainian Security Service. And what about those who aren’t politicians? Do they or their families have rights to privacy?
The documents will certainly prove to be a treasure trove for historians as Ukrainian police and Party communications to and from Moscow will give some roundabout access to classified documents in Moscow’s FSB archive. But while such a move is welcomed from a scholarly standpoint (though I won’t be rushing to Ukraine since I think there is more to history than being a bloodhound), this shouldn’t justify turning a blind eye to its political dimension. History is about the politics of the present and archives are armories of ammunition. There is no doubt in my mind that this declassification is not about some sudden realization on the part of the Ukraine’s government to reckon with the past. These materials will certainly be employed in the further crafting of Ukraine’s “imagined community” of victimization by, rather than a participant in, the Soviet regime. Sadly, using these documents for this purpose has little to do with scholarly inquiry, history, or even historical reconciliation. It has to do with nationalism.
Popularity: 8% [?]
Comments
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Sadly, using these documents for this purpose has little to do with scholarly inquiry, history, or even historical reconciliation. It has to do with nationalism.
Scholarly inquiry, history, and nationalism tangled up together? Now, that’s unprecedented!
Okay, you do have a point.
It has to do with nationalism.
It’s probably more to do with pissing off Russia. The last thing the Russians want is for its former Soviet allies opening its KGB archives, there’s a good chance a lot of the Russian archives will be duplicated in the Ukrainian ones.
It’s probably more to do with pissing off Russia.
Isn’t that the form of Ukrainian nationalism these days?
I’m not so sure if it would whet (’scuse the pedantry) my appetite.
I find it hard to believe that all the secret documents will be liberated. If the wording is along the lines of “…all of the existent KGB archive..” then it would make sense, i.e. destroying the proper embarrassing stuff. Then again since the Mitrokhin debacle, I’m pretty sure that not only Moscow took care that its KGB archive would give up no more secrets…
And of course, when dealing with spooks or anything spookista, ‘ex’ or otherwise, employ extreme caution. I look forward to the bacon sandwiches.
Duh, from the beeb story “…a decree by President Yushenko”. A poisoned parting gift then. Pork alert!
A further thought. If these are duplicate files from Moscow as Tim thinks is likely, what is the chance that there will be plenty of dirt (if not already cleansed) on now independent states such as the ’stans, Ge, Am? Wouldn’t it be advisable to inform such states beforehand to agree some sort of deal rather than potentially upsetting them? Then again, never underestimate stupidity as a real factor.
If these are duplicate files from Moscow as Tim thinks is likely, what is the chance that there will be plenty of dirt (if not already cleansed) on now independent states such as the ’stans, Ge, Am?
You will probably find a lot of duplicate files in Ukraine that were sent from Moscow. For example, you will probably have case files for purge victims. My experience is that the closer to the ground the thicker the files. They tend to get redacted and summarized as they go up the food chain. But I’ve found duplicate documents in regional archives that I’ve seen in the central archives, so I would figure it is no different in this case.
But I doubt there will be much in regard to police stuff on other republics in the Ukrainian files. My guess is (and this is just a guess) that most communication for the Party and police was vertical rather than horizontal. For example, I’ve rarely found much by way of communication between provinces within Russia (unless it concerned personnel issues.) For the most part the chain of the flow of documents looks more like a spiral with Moscow in the center than a web.
On the cleansing of archives. This happens quire rarely and when there are archival purges, they tend not to be political. Archivists don’t cherry pick documents to destroy. This is based on the fact that there are a whole lot of incriminating documents that are open for use. Hell, even when there are archival purges (usually conducted because of lack of storage) it is hard to find an archivist that will admit to one. However, there are thefts and the illegal sale of documents in the 1990s (to a lesser extent now) so who knows what has been lost.
I have been told that in 1991 the “democrats,” to use the term of archivist who told me this, tried to break into Party archives to find incriminating documents against hardline communists. This caused more destruction than anything (for example, a good portion of the photograph collection of the Komsomol archive was destroyed) since the “democrats” had no real clue on the structure of the archives. For example, a bunch of them apparently showed up at the Party Archive in Moscow when they should have gone to another up the street. RGASPI only carries Party docs up to 1953. They wanted more contemporary stuff which was housed in a different archive.
Archives also tend to lose stuff then they are moved. I know the Komsomol archive lost a lot of material during WWII when it was evacuated. Whole collections were lost. I would imagine they weren’t the only ones.
Which brings up the an issue for the Ukrainian archives. I wonder how much was destroyed during the war. The Bolsheviks either evacuated or burned archives so the Nazis wouldn’t get them. Given this, I wonder how juicy the Terror years are. I’ve never worked in them so I don’t know
Do you have an idea how many former KGB officers and people who were KGB informers during the time of the USSR are currently in the Ukrainian government?
“Do you have an idea how many former KGB officers and people who were KGB informers during the time of the USSR are currently in the Ukrainian government?”
Who cares?
“its former Soviet allies”
Ukraine was not an ally of the USSR. It was part of the USSR.
Sean, thanks for your insights into the archives. V. interesting!
Ukraine was not an ally of the USSR. It was part of the USSR.
However, the USSR was a union of states and therefore could be considered an alliance.
In the same way, if Florida left the USA and decided to be more closely aligned with Cuba, one might reference Florida as acting in opposition to its former ally, the USA.
First definition of ally: “to unite or form a connection or relation between”
Technically Newman used this word correctly.
I thought you were an editor or something?
I am going to hunt you down and beat you.
What, isn’t that the kind of conversation that editors have … about words and their meanings?
I think any other way of writing that statement would have been much longer.
You can have an alliance of states with a central government (USA or USSR or even Russian Federation might serve as examples) or an alliance of States with no central government. I believe you were referencing the later. But both are alliances.
I’m not sure the various Soviet republics were technically states. (?)
Thanks Wally. I’d also point out that it is common to refer to US and UK as Nato allies, yet both are part of Nato.
I’m not sure I’d call the USSR an “alliance,” but it is true that the Soviets maintained the fiction (with the agreement of the other organizers of the UN) that the Ukraine (along with “Byelorussia”) was enough of a state to have its own seat in the United Nations.
Well, I guess Putin have to open documents that Yushchenko and escpecially his wife are CIA spies.
Everyone in Russia knows this, only documents are needed.
How effective this decision to declassify proves to be remains to be seen.
Regarding the privacy rights of politicians who may be exposed for cooperating with the secret police, the former KGB, US libel law, to take one example, does not recognize any right to privacy of individuals who are in the public view. On the other scale is the public’s right to know important facts about those who would govern them.
One of the principal reasons Ukraine is in a mess is that its top politicians are practically all former high-level officials in the communist party or the komsomol. Contrast this with the Central European countries, which widely practiced lustration, in various forms, with Poland and the Czech Republic coming prominently to mind.
“Imagined” victimization? The Holodomor, which took up to 10 million lives in a man-made famine in 1932-33, the Gulag, the Red Terror and constant repressions, these were not participated in by Ukraine. The proof lies in 1991 when, at the first opportunity, Ukraine became independent and is resisting all efforts by the Kremlin to bring it back. The phrasing used is insulting to Ukrainians.
Nationalism as a deviant form of patriotism is to be decried. But Ukraine is lacking in patriotism. De-nationalized first by the Russian empire and then the USSR, Ukrainians need to regain a sense of self.
Kharkov is going to host Euro-2012 games. The city will accept ten thousand fans from Europe. And none of them knows, that during 2007 year 10423 tuberculosis infected persons have died in Ukraine. Many of them have forgotten, that illness. Germany, Finland, Austria, Italy do not inoculate their citizenzs against this lethal disease.
Unfortunately, funds became insufficient and the Kharkov authorities made an original decision. Keeping within the limits of Euro-2012 preparation Kharkov reduces the number of tubercular departments. So, by March, 15th 345 places of 545 available will be reduced in the first Kharkov’s antitubercular clinic №1. But do not worry, it is a temporary situation: liquidation of last two hundred places and complete liquidation of the whole clinic will occur till the end of this year.
http://ua-ru-news.blogspot.com/2009/01/shvonders-struggle-with-crisis.html
–I won’t be rushing to Ukraine since I think there is more to history than being a bloodhound–
I agree that there’s more to history than that, but is that really the reason you won’t be rushing there? Does your research really hinge on what might be contained there? I’d like to see a lot of what’s there, and I don’t doubt that I could find a lot that was useful, but I don’t speak Ukraininan, and I don’t relish the thought of trying to get by in Russian in Kiev, and there’s so much more that relates directly to my own research still in Moscow & StP, that to travel there would, yes, be stooping to “bloodhoundism.” Perhaps that’s what you meant? In the end, though, I want _somebody_ to do that work (Kuromiya’s done some of that in his most recent book).
By the way, a group of Russian historians are responding directly to this Ukrainian challenge to historiography. I ran across the webpage “Aktual’naia Istoriia,” and its principal agenda appears to be disputing Ukrainian claims about abuse at the hands of Russia.
(http://actualhistory.ru/) or “Istoricheskaia pamiat’” (http://historyfoundation.ru/)
“and I don’t relish the thought of trying to get by in Russian in Kiev”
Why not? It’s a Russian-speaking city. They speak Ukrainian around Lviv.