Implementation of Research Outcomes in Soviet Oil Industry during Late 1960s: Successes and Missteps

E. V. Bodrova; V. V. Kalinov; V. N. Krasivskaya

doi:10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-1-404-427

Implementation of Research Outcomes in Soviet Oil Industry during Late 1960s: Successes and Missteps

E. V. Bodrova, V. V. Kalinov, V. N. Krasivskaya

https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-1-404-427

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Abstract

This study investigates the implementation of state policies regarding research and development outcomes in the oil industry of the USSR during the late 1960s, identifying factors that contributed to mixed results. The objective is to analyze how central authorities' decisions aimed at accelerating technological progress were implemented within this period, using the oil sector as a case study. For the first time, declassified documents from the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History are introduced into scholarly discourse. Modernization theory serves as the theoretical framework for exploring these issues. It is demonstrated that scientific-research organizations and design institutes within the oil industry pursued projects focused on improving drilling techniques, extraction methods, and transportation systems for both crude oil and gas. Emphasis was placed on developing new fields through efficient technologies that minimized capital investments required for infrastructure and exploration activities. While this approach led to substantial increases in production volumes, it had adverse long-term consequences for socio-economic development across newly exploited regions and throughout the national petroleum complex.

Keywords

research and development, oil industry, Soviet Union, implementation, technical modernization, state science and technology policy

About the Authors

E. V. Bodrova

MIREA — Russian Technological University
Россия

Elena V. Bodrova, Doctor of History, Professor, Head of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Moscow

V. V. Kalinov

National University of Oil and Gas «Gubkin University»
Россия

Vyacheslav V. Kalinov, Doctor of History, Associate Professor, Head of the Department of History

Moscow

V. N. Krasivskaya

MIREA — Russian Technological University
Россия

Valeriya N. Krasivskaya, PhD in History, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences

Moscow

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Review

For citations:

Bodrova E.V., Kalinov V.V., Krasivskaya V.N. Implementation of Research Outcomes in Soviet Oil Industry during Late 1960s: Successes and Missteps. Nauchnyi dialog. 2026;15(1):404-427. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.24224/2227-1295-2026-15-1-404-427

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