Russian Colonization Research Articles

On the question of the origin of the subethnic group of Russian Arctic old-timers of Yakutia

For the first time, the article identifies three stages in historiography on the topic of Russian settlement of the Arctic part of Yakutia: pre-revolutionary, Soviet and post-Soviet. The first of them was dominated by the idea of the resettlement of Russians by the Northern Sea Route from Pomerania to Indigirka. The second stage is characterized by the finds of the remains of a trade and fishing expedition of the XVII century on Taimyr, which proved the existence of ancient traditions of northern navigation. In the third period, evidence of the liquidation of the Russo-Georgian archive appeared, and works on the migration of Russians by the Northern Sea Route began to be evaluated as "local patriotic discourse". For the first time, documents from the United States prove the complex nature of the genesis of Russians in the Arctic occurred by sea and land, as well as assimilation with indigenous peoples. The methodological basis of the study was the civilizational approach, since the genesis of the Russian old-timers of the Arctic was associated with the formation of their ethnocultural characteristics. In the pre-revolutionary period, based on folklore data and the Russo-Georgian archive, the question of Russian migration by sea from Pomerania to Yakutia was first raised. During the Soviet period, the discovery of the remains of a 17th-century commercial and fishing expedition on the Taimyr testified to the existence of ancient shipping traditions in Eastern Siberia. The genesis of historical legends began to be considered as the result of litigation over fishing areas between indigirschiki and Yakuts. The absence of archival documents on the voyages of the Pomors along the Northern Sea Route was noted and it was said about the flight of the ancestors of the indigirschiks from the epidemic from the south to the north. Russian Russian migration route in the post-Soviet period began to be regarded as not an academic, but a local patriotic discourse, the desire to increase their social status, turning them from "not quite Russian" into "the most Russian". The formation of Russian subethnoses occurred due to migration waves by the Northern Sea Route and the Cossack explorers of the XVII century. Indigenous peoples played a decisive role in the emergence of the Russian Arctic old-timers of Yakutia. Also, for the first time, archival documents introduced here in the United States support the conclusions about the centuries-old experience of Pomeranian sailors. The combination of oral traditions, archaeological data and archival materials confirm the guess about the multi-component nature of the origin of the Russian Arctic old-timers of Yakutia.

GENGHIS KHAN'S LEGACY IN SAKHA CULTURE: MYTHS, NATIONAL IDENTITY, AND POST-SOVIET NARRATIVES

The Chingissid are descendants of Genghis Khan. In addition to the Mongolians, Kazakhs also consider themselves Chingizids, not by bloodline but because they were part of the Genghis Khan empire. Nevertheless, it is a little-known fact that the Sakha people in the Russian Far East see themselves as descendants of the great Mongol ruler. In my paper, I will explore historical myths, cemented with some ethnographical and archaeological facts, on how this narrative came to life. I also give an overview of how this myth (sometimes to absurdity) is used in theatre, cinema, and even in advertising. Ethnographically, Sakha people are different from other indigenous people of the region, and their interaction with nature is different; which has led to the creation of a different national narrative. I also explain how the history of being under Russian colonization contributed to such beliefs. At the end of my paper, I show how this myth was utilized in the post-Soviet period, to demonstrate Sakha superiority over other Indigenous groups in their republic, and how this is channeled into the ideology and activities of today’s Sakha nationalists.

Belgorod as a Reception Center for Newcoming Cherkassy in the First Half of the 17th Century

Introduction. During the 17th century, Belgorod, built close to the border with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, retained its importance as an important military strategic point. Methods and materials. The article is devoted to the study of the history of Belgorod in the context of migration processes that affected many cities of the South of Russia in the first half of the 17th century. The methodological basis of the research was the fundamental principles of historical cognition – objectivity and historicism. The source base of the study covers diverse materials, the most important of which are volumes of documents and materials on the reunification of Ukraine with Russia, published under the editorship of P.P. Gudzenko. The materials of the Russian State Archive of Ancient Acts – the columns of the Belgorod and Prikaz offices – were also involved in the research. Analysis. Belgorod became one of the most popular centers, where cherkassy, immigrants from the Ukrainian lands of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, came with their families. The voivodes of the border city administered them an oath, temporarily placed them, gave them salaries, and, if necessary, appointed attendants to move to other Russian settlements. Results. The study concluded that Belgorod became not only one of the points of reception and further relocation of cherkassy but also the place of permanent residence of a small group of cherkassy – 60 people led by Ataman Khandogoy, who is mentioned in written sources from 1640 to 1655. Larger groups of cherkassy did not live in Belgorod during the period under review.

Villages of the Black Earth Region of European Russia in the 17th – First Third of the 18th Centuries

Introduction. In the 17th century, in the south of European Russia, in the Black Earth districts, the process of economic development of vast fertile lands took place. The effectiveness of this process was associated with the increase in the number of Russian settlers to work on arable land. Economic success played an important role in the confrontation between Russia and the Crimean Khanate. The war between the two states lasted throughout the 17th century. In recent decades, the study of the history of the development of black earth districts in Russia has continued in various directions, but the problem of economic development of new territories remains relevant for study. Methods and materials. The authors of the article use data on the number of villages as a criterion for assessing the process of reclamation of empty lands. The authors focus on the villages of the three largest regions of the Black Earth region – the Belgorod, Voronezh, and Yelets regions. Materials from the Kozlov region are used as additional information. The materials for the work were mass sources – census books of the 17th – first quarter of the 18th centuries. Results. As a result of the study, an increase in the number of rural settlements and changes in their internal structure were recorded in favor of the increase in large villages. All this testifies to Russia’s economic success in the region and allows us to understand some of the features of this process. There is also no doubt about the steady demographic growth throughout the 17th century. These factors played an important role in the struggle for the annexation of the Black Earth Strip to Russia during periodically escalating military conflicts and political confrontations. Contribution of the authors of the article: D.A. Lyapin – concept development, writing of the introduction, analysis of the results. A.R. Melnikova – processing of materials for the article, writing of the section “Materials and methods,” design of the article. D.A. Lyapin – 50%, A.R. Melnikova – 50%. Funding. The research was carried out at the expense of a grant from the Russian Science Foundation (project No. 24-68-00011, https://rscf.ru/project/24-68-00011/) on the basis of Bunin Yelets State University.

Questioning Russian settler colonialism: resettlement strategies and indigenous agency in the post-imperial Sakha (Yakut) region

ABSTRACT This article explores how indigenous Sakha intellectuals responded to Russian colonialism during a period of transformation in the Sakha (Yakut) region. It examines the impact of penal and resource colonialism in the late nineteenth century, the response of local intellectuals to potential settler colonialism in the early twentieth century, and their efforts to transition the Sakha population from nomadism to more sedentary or mixed lifestyles. Sakha intellectuals not only challenged Russian settler colonialism, but also appropriated its discourse, arguing for the designation of the Sakha as a sedentary community in the early Soviet period. They sought to counter imperialist representations of the Sakha as ‘backward' while asserting indigenous agency in shaping regional development. By resisting and reframing colonial practices, these intellectuals became key actors in the socio-political transformation of Yakutia during the late Russian Empire and early Soviet Union. The article focuses on how sedentarization facilitated this transformation, revealing the complexity of colonial dynamics in early Soviet Yakutia.

RUSSIAN PEASANTS IN THE ALEXANDROPOL DISTRICT: EMERGENCE, ORGANIZATION OF COMMUNAL LIFE, AND FORMS OF LAND TENURE FROM THE NINETEENTH TO THE EARLY TWENTIETH CENTURY

The objective of this study is to examine the emergence of Russian peasants in the Alexandropol district of the Erivan province, as well as their communal life in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The study of Russian ethnic groups in foreign environments presents several challenges. One significant question is whether to preserve or alter certain aspects of migrants’ traditional way of life. In new surroundings, some traditions may change, while others may disappear. The significance of this work lies in the examination of local groups of Russians residing in a different ethnic environment. This prompts inquiry into the nature of cultural and economic interplay between Russians and the local populace. The study of cultural and domestic interactions between different ethnic communities has become a significant area of focus in modern historiography as nationalities continue to come closer together. This field of study holds scientific importance and provides practical knowledge. To ensure a comprehensive review, it is important to consider factors such as the number of settlers, duration of residence, settlement features, cultural affinity with the local population, and other relevant factors. This paper examines the migration of Russian peasants to Alexandropol district and their economic and social development as they adapted to new natural, socioeconomic, and political conditions. In the literature produced prior to the revolution, the issues of interest to us were not adequately addressed. Some information on the history of Russian settlements can be found in articles by ethnographer S. Maximov and historian K. Borozdin.1 Small historical and ethnographic descriptions of the Russian settlers in Eastern Armenia can be found in local periodicals in the form of articles, travel notes and correspondence. These works, descriptive in their content, are valuable because their authors observed the life of Russian peasants directly. For example, S. Bunyatov, a priest, lived among Russian peasants for five years and wrote on the basis of his personal impressions.2 The publications on Russian settlers contained in the Memorial Books of the Erivan Province are of some value.3 During the Soviet era, the study of the Russian population of Eastern Armenia began only in the 1960s and was mainly devoted to the religious study of the sectarians of Transcaucasia.4 In recent years, historical works devoted to the issues of tsarism’s resettlement policy toward the Russian peasants of Eastern Armenia have appeared. A. Haityan, along with other issues, tried to trace the process of the formation of Russian villages in Eastern Armenia.5 The monograph by D. Ismail-Zadeh also deserves attention. The author gives a general characterization of the economic and social life of the Russian peasants of Transcaucasia, but the issues of interest to us are reflected only in a general way.6 Thus, in the works of both pre-revolutionary and Soviet authors, the issues of studying Russian peasants in Eastern Armenia and, in particular, in Alexandrolop district, have not the subject of a special study. This study intends to fill the existing gaps on the subject. This paper draws extensively on the archival documents of the National Archives of Armenia, many of which have been introduced for the first time in this study. The documents contain a wealth of information on the history of Russian resettlement in Transcaucasia, the policy of the authorities toward them, relations between Russians and native Armenians, and data on the state of agriculture, including crops and livestock numbers. It is imperative to approach these documents with a critical lens, as they were compiled by officials and reflect the government’s views on the settlers and their role in the new region. 1 Maksimov 1861; Borozdin 1891. 2 Bunyatov 1898; Bunyatov 1902. 3 Pamyatnaya knizhka Erivanskoy gubernii na 1892g., Pamyatnaya knizhka Erivanskoy gubernii na 1904g. 1903. 4 Kozlova 1966; Klibanov 1965. 5 Aytyan 1989. 6 Ismail-Zade 1982.

Генетический ландшафт севера Европы от Скандинавии до Волго-Окского междуречья во второй половине I – начале II тыс. н.э.: археогенетические исследования последних лет

The articles gives an analytical review of the research findings dedicated to the genetic history of the North and North-East Europe in the last quarter of the 1st – early 2nd millennium AD. By the era of vikings population of Scandinavia could be genetically divided into three local subclusters, such as a)Danish-like, b)Swedish-like and c)Norwegian-like. This clusters partially match the modern boundaries of these countries. During the viking era the gene pools of the local populations started to merge. The most rapid spreading was found in the Danish-like component. Migration processes influenced people in the coastal and main territories. During the viking era West Scandinavia was exposed to migrants from the British Islands. Sweden and Gotland were exposed to the eastern population of Ruthenia and East Baltic region. Danemark and South Sweden were found with individuals of South European origins. During the viking era Scandinavian people were actively moving outside the region. Norwegian immigrants moved to Ireland, the Isle of Man and settled across Iceland and Greenland. Danish immigrants mostly explored Britain. Swedish immigrants spread across the Baltic coast in Estonia and Poland and internal Eastern European plains crossed by river routes. DNA data obtained in Ladoga and Gnezdovo highlight significance of both local and alien Scandinavian population. The Volga-Oka interfluve population in the first half of the 1st millennium AD was genetically close to the west Finno-Ugric people and revealed a lot of the West Siberia component in its gene pool. The early Medieval Russian colonization led to a different genetic group in this area. It was related to the contemporary Belarusians, Ukrainians and Ryazan Russians. In 900s–1200s Slavic ancestors co-existed with Finno-Ugric people in the Volga-Oka interfluve. Unlike the Old Ladoga and Gnezdovo Scandinavian genetics was not found here. The West Ingria lacks genome-wide data. Y-chromosome researches suggest that the early Medieval Russians appeared here as late as in 1000s–1100s. By the late 1200s they had mixed with the local Finnish population. Novgorod sopkas and Pskov long kurgans cultures have not yet had ancient DNA data obtained. Such data could have thrown light on the history of Slavic migrations across the North-West Ruthenia. The viking era migrations finished and led to the migrants’ genes being absorbed by locals from the internal Scandinavia. In the same way, outside Scandinavia Scandinavians’ genes were absorbed. In 1200s Slavic colonists’ ancestors absorbed ancestors of the local Finno-Ugric populations in the Volga-Oka interfluve. These mixed gene pools resulted in the contemporary Russians from this region being far from Belarusians and Ukrainians. The Finno-Ugric enclaves lasted in the West Ingria.

Vietnamese Migrants in Modern Russia: Resettlement, Institutions and Social Boundaries

In the post-Soviet period, migrants from Asian countries were unevenly distributed across Russian regions, which influenced the emergence of ethnic markets in the 1990s. In order to advance the field of migration and border studies, it is important to understand why communities of Vietnamese rather than Chinese or Central Asian migrants have formed in some cities. The presence of migrants suggested designating certain places with ethnic terms, etc. The paper is intended to answer the following questions: what is the geography of the settlement of migrants from Vietnam, in what cities and why exactly were Vietnamese markets formed and what migration institutions arose thanks to them. The archival documents from the post-Soviet era, and the results of the Autor’s field work in Magnitogorsk, Orenburg and Ufa made the source base for the research. The materials collected in Moscow, Chelyabinsk and Yekaterinburg provided great assistance. The methodological basis of the manuscript is the theory of mobility. Vietnamese communities were formed by migrants who did not leave Russian cities after 1991. The Vietnamese in these cities were engaged in commercial entrepreneurship, established Vietnamese markets and social infrastructure, invited compatriots through these institutions, and provided various kinds of support to “their own” people. However, the economic instability in Russia led to the immobility of the Vietnamese, both intentionally or involuntarily, which had a profound impact on the geography of the Vietnamese settlement in Russia and the ways of organizing social ties.

From Northern Abundance to Crises Resistance: Strategies and Survival Practices in the Russian North in the Crisis of the 1990s

The paper focuses on the analysis of survival practices in northern Russian settlements that developed in the 1990s. Most of the northern settlements were in a state of decline: changes in the socio‑demographic composition and population size, transformation of the local economy, degradation of transport infrastructure, deterioration in the quality of life. The reason for the decline was the decentralization of the northern regions of the country – the destruction of established economic and social ties and supply problems. It was in the 1990s that northern settlements began to notice their isolation from the central regions of the country and develop their own survival strategies and practices in difficult climatic conditions. For comparison, two cases were chosen: the agglomeration of Kirovsk-Apatity (Murmansk region) and Ust’-Kamchatsk (Kamchatka Peninsula); materials collected in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous District, Murmansk region, and Sakhalin are also used. The concept of resilience is used as a methodological basis. The basics for the analysis were the materials of field expeditions in a number of regions of the Russian North conducted in 2017‑2022.

The Russians ‘Americanize’ Hawai‘i: Russian Molokan Migrants and the Failed Labour Domiciling Experiment in Kaua‘i, 1905–6

ABSTRACT Drawing on the archival correspondence between the parties involved and the English-language newspaper coverage, this article analyses the failed scheme to settle 110 Russian Molokan migrants in Kaua‘i in 1905–6. Supported by a part of Hawai‘i’s sugar planter elite, the experiment was to provide a blueprint for gradually replacing the predominantly Asian labour force with a White one, thus opening the door to a decisive ‘Americanization’ of the archipelago. I argue that the myth of the Molokans as model colonists, originating in the South Caucasus (where they had aided the Russian colonization effort in their capacity as settlers from the 1840s on), intersected with American settler mythologies. The article also discusses reasons for the experiment’s eventual demise, such as the Molokans’ struggles with unfamiliar climate conditions and agricultural technology and the resistance of the incumbent Asian and European labour force on the plantation where the Molokans settled.

Assessment of the Impact of Aviation Passenger Flow on the Economic Activity of a Settlement in Russia

Assessment of the Impact of Aviation Passenger Flow on the Economic Activity of a Settlement in Russia

The horse as a symbol of cultural identity and resistance in Kazakhstan’s colonial history

This article examines the history of Russian colonization in Kazakhstan, focusing on identity, resistance, and independence within Russia’s neo-imperial ambitions. It addresses the socio-political barriers in postcolonial Kazakhstan due to ties with Russia and explores how the Soviet migration policies shaped Kazakhstan’s demographic and political landscape. The study outlines the phases of Russian colonization, contrasting Russian narratives of a civilizing mission with Kazakh perspectives on exploitation and cultural erasure. Using postcolonial theory, it deconstructs these narratives and reveals power dynamics. Kazakh literature and poetry are analyzed as mediums of resistance, emphasizing the horse as a symbol of cultural identity. The article concludes by discussing the post-Soviet cultural transformations and the role of literature in nation-building, highlighting the importance of reclaiming cultural symbols and myths for understanding Kazakhstan’s colonial history and postcolonial transformation.

Disruption of Pastoral Nomadism: The Impacts of Russian Colonialism on the Kazakh Steppe during the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ Centuries

This study examines the multifaceted impacts of Russian colonization on the Kazakh Steppes during the 19ᵗʰ and 20ᵗʰ centuries. The colonization process caused significant destruction in various fields in the region, including migration routes, livestock herds, socioeconomic life, trade networks, housing and dietary patterns of nomadic communities. Russian expansionism, aimed at establishing control over the steppe, led to the blockage of ancient migration routes and the restriction of nomadic economic resources. The blockage of migration routes, forced transition to capitalism, forced sedentarization and interaction with sedentary life transformed the livestock herds of the nomads. Socio-economic life and trade were restructured by the Tsardom for reasons such as integration into the Russian Empire market, change of commercial centers and concentration of wealth. The changing structure of pastoral nomadism also led to transformations in housing and diet. Comprehending the complex dynamics of Russian colonialism on the Kazakh Steppe will reveal the destruction of nomadic life by scrutinizing the historical and contemporary sociocultural landscape of the region.

Анализ изменений демографической нагрузки в контексте здорового старения населения страны

The increase in the demographic burden is associated with the ongoing demographic aging of the population, a decline in the birth rate in recent years and an increase in the proportion of elderly people in the total population. The purpose of the study is to analyze the dynamic changes and trends in the demographic burden of the population in the context of healthy aging of the country’s population. Materials and methods. The research materials are limited to the results of the analysis of official statistical information, in particular, for the analyzed period (2009–2023). The following methods were used: statistical, comparative analysis, study and generalization of experience. The obtained data were processed using modern software packages SPSS22 and MS Excel 2007. Results. In the course of this study, statistical data on the demographic burden of the population in urban and rural settlements in Russia were studied, the methodological basis for calculating this indicator was analyzed, the values in different countries of the world were compared, and modern trends in the context of healthy aging of the country’s population were compared. Conclusion. The results of this study can be used in the preparation of medium-term demographic forecasts and state programs aimed at improving the quality of life of the population and creating optimal conditions for the healthy aging of citizens.

To the issue of identifying multi-temporal complexes in urban cultural layer (based on excavations of Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral, Tobolsk Kremlin)

The paper describes archaeological complexes identified among materials of the excavations inside Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral in Tobolsk Kremlin. The archaeological works were imposed on the cape. The cape hosted the town, the Kremlin and, later, the residency of the highly placed clergyman. History of these processes is kept as records. It helps compare the processes with archaeological materials and distinguish multi-temporal complexes among them. The excavations revealed traces of an ancient settlement. The settlement dated back to the early Iron Age – early Middle Ages and had existed long before the town was established. The research apparently identifies the cultural layer dated the late 1500s – middle 1600s. This layer refers to the activities of the first Russian settlers in Siberia. The same period applies to discovered burials of the Orthodox Christian cemetery by the wooden Church of Our Savior. The researchers especially highlight layerings and objects from the construction of brick Sophia-Uspensky Cathedral (late 1600s). They reflect the beginning of stone construction in Siberia. In the excavations, the researchers discovered several brick tombs. These tombs were made for burying highly placed clergymen known by their names. The findings and multi-temporal complexes allow to describe main phases of Troitsky cape development. They also show how the status of this territory changed. The archaeological materials are a valuable source of information about the material culture, funeral rites, stone architecture of both the town and the whole vast Siberian region.

Studies of the cultural layer of the cities of Ufa and Birsk (based on the example of the work of the archaeological expedition of the "Ancient Ufa" museum-reserve)

The article presents the results of an analysis of the latest data of recent years, obtained during archaeological research of the first fortified settlements on the territory of the Republic of Bashkortostan. In the course of the work the analysis reviewed materials from archaeological heritage sites located in the historical center of the modern cities of Ufa (“Hillfort Ufa-II” and “Cultural layer of Ufa dated the late 18th – early 20th century at 29 Sochinskaya street”) and Birsk (“Old Birsk, historical cultural layer and burial ground”). Despite the fact that archaeological sites are subject to a significant anthropogenic influence, the obtained corpus of sources complements the information about the formation of the Russian population and their local tangible culture in chronological terms between 16th and the early 20th century. Studied fragments of pottery revealed differences and features of pottery traditions in the ornamentation, shapes of dishes and additional processing. The materials obtained from the site of Ufa-II indicate local damage (redeposited layer) of the cultural layer and no stratified layers of the New Age. Despite a more significant anthropogenic impact Sochinskaya Street is found with a local patch of preserved cultural layer dated by the period in question. Thus, it will make the reconstruction of the main stages of development of the immediate surroundings of the Ufa Kremlin possible. Alongside it will allow analysis of the adjacent territory. The research on the territory of Birsk documents a good condition of the lower cultural layer of the 17th–18th centuries. The potential of archaeological research of the city lies not only in studying the local features of the tangible culture of the local population, but also in the opportunity to describe the period of the early Russian settlement in Bashkiria in the 16th–18th centuries.

Economic Ties of Russian Settlers and Native Population of Turkestan in the end of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th Centuries

The article analyses the issues of reclaiming of Turkestan by the Russian empire in the second half of the 19th – the beginning of the 20th century by means of creating in the region administrative and military structures as well as by organizing Russian migrant settlements. It was revealed that in the process of organization of urban and rural settlements Turkestan authorities took aim at keeping a distance between native and migrant population. The article characterizes the conditions of granting land parcels for Russian settlers, the different categories and the number of countrymen coming to Turkestan. The article demonstrates various forms of economic interaction of settlers and native people in agricultural activities, everyday life, etc. An accent is put on the changes in the organization of living space under the influence of Turkestan climate peculiarities, different methods of managing agricultural food crops and commercial crops (cotton); the issues of irrigational activities, adoption of farm equipment and particular aspects of everyday life are being analyzed. The author makes a note that the interaction mostly took place in the economic and material spheres, and had fragmentary and episodic character that didn’t lead to cardinal changes in the life of Russian settlers’ community and native people.

The moral and strategic clarity of supporting Ukraine’s self-defense: Why accepting Russian colonialism should remain a taboo

In response to Toal’s article “The Territorial Taboo: Explaining the Public Aversion to Negotiations in the Ukraine War Support Coalition”, I argue that the alleged silencing of those who push for Ukraine’s territorial concessions to Russia is an exaggerated problem. The reason why such voices are not gaining traction is because, as of summer 2024, neither Ukraine nor key European states had a majority in favor of territorial concessions. This is reassuring: it means that there is little appetite for endorsing Russian colonialism and abandoning Ukrainians on the occupied territories to Russian terror in the hope of an illusory “peace”. In contrast to the majority opinion, Toal calls for sacrificing (a part of) Ukraine in order to freeze the conflict and reduce great power tensions. To make such a colonial proposition seem palatable, Toal tries to shift the blame for the continuation of the war from Russia, the aggressor, to Ukraine, the victim. In reality, Ukrainians want peace, just not on Russia’s terms. Any settlement that does not involve the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity is unjust and likely unsustainable. It would give Russia an opportunity to re-arm, extracting resources from the newly occupied Ukrainian territories. Russian officials showed no intention of abiding by any potential agreements with Ukraine, reiterating their goal of destroying the Ukrainian nation and state. Since aggression against Ukraine did not attract widespread opposition within Russia and garnered quite a few enthusiastic supporters, a change in Russian policy seemed improbable as of summer 2024. The continuation of armed resistance against the Russian invasion is Ukraine’s only choice.

Первый храм в Челябинской крепости в контексте сакрализации пространства в ходе русской колонизации Урала и Сибири

The first temple in the Chelyabinsk fortress in the context of the sacralization of space during the Russian colonization of the Urals and Siberia.The article, on the basis of the sources involved, deals in general terms with the main problems of temple building in the frontier zone in the process of Russian colonization of the Urals and Siberia from the late XVI to the 1730s. Sources are acts of record documentation: decrees, orders, reports. The purpose of the article is to analyze the relationship between state and church structures in temple building. The work is done within the framework of cultural history.The main institutions of the colonization process were the structures of the state and the church, the direct actors were peasants, merchants and servicemen of various categories, and the Posad population. The consolidation of Russia in new territories was carried out through the sacralization of space. The starting point in this process was the construction of the first Orthodox church. Initially, the question of building a temple was raised by both the secular authorities and parishioners, depending on the specific situation. Then the functions of establishing the ecclesiastical and administrative structure were delegated by the center to the field.If earlier the chain looked like this: Orthodox first settlers - the center in Moscow - the royal decree in place of the voivode - implementation, execution of the decision on the spot; then a new link appears at the diocesan level in the person of the bishop. This was caused, first of all, by the increasing scale of colonization, the complication of the secular and ecclesiastical-administrative structure. In the record correspondence, the idea of the impossibility of the existence of an Orthodox person without a temple can be traced.To find out the initiators of the nomination of the first temple in the Chelyabinsk fortress, an analysis of the names of the bishops of the Siberian Metropolis, in charge of which the fortress was located, was undertaken; monks of the Assumption Dalmatian Monastery in 1735, whose archimandrite was instructed to lay the church; the heads of the families of the fortress, recorded in the census of 1739 – 1740. From this it was concluded that the "symphony" of the initiative "from above" and the initiative "from below" was made.

Using Parasite Analysis to Investigate the Pathoecology of the Inhabitants of the City of Berezov in Western Siberia (Sixteenth–Nineteenth Centuries)

ABSTRACT The first Russian settlers developed relatively large cities and a new phenomenon called ‘urban habitat’ to the north of Western Siberia. This article presents the results of a study on soil samples taken from the cultural layer of Berezov city during excavations of the city’s kremlin, or civic centre, posad, or town settlement area, and the farmstead within the posad. The samples are dated from the XVI to the end of the XVIII century. Examination of the samples revealed 12 types of parasite eggs from both humans and animals. The city's cultural layer was found to be relatively highly contaminated with parasite eggs. The species composition of parasite eggs in samples collected from the cultural layer varied according to land use, i.e. whether public, communal, or livestock, or sanitary condition in Berezov city. An analysis of historical and archaeological data enabled the reconstruction of certain nutritional aspects of the population in Berezov city at the time. Additionally, certain cultural and abiotic factors contributing to the high parasite infestation of humans and domestic animals were identified, and similarities can be found in the research of other Russian cities of Siberia in the XVI–XIX centuries.