This study posits that adverbial clauses in the German can be categorized based on their degree of illocutionary force into three groups: (1) incompatible with modal indicators; (2) allowing the use of modal words denoting epistemic modality and inferentiality, but unable to incorporate modal particles within their structure; and (3) permitting the use of any modal indicators, including modal particles. The objective of this paper is to establish a relationship between the semantics of adverbial clauses and the manifestation of their illocutionary force. Data from the DECOW 16A and DWDS corpora are utilized. Through a descriptive methodology, the structural and semantic characteristics of adverbial clauses are elucidated. Componential analysis facilitates the construction of semantic models for complex sentences containing adverbial clauses. Contextual analysis is employed to uncover the influence of contextual surroundings on the illocutionary force of subordinate clauses, while transformational analysis is used to determine the degree of semantic cohesion among the components of complex sentences. It is demonstrated that the semantics of relationships between parts of a complex sentence predetermines the illocutionary independence or dependence of the adverbial clause and may influence its structural synsemantics / autosemantics.

This paper presents the findings of an experimental psycholinguistic investigation into the motivational significance of social action as represented by the axiological concept “itegel” (“faith”) within Sakha linguistic culture. It demonstrates that through the typologization of verbal responses to the stimulus “itegel”, obtained from an associative experiment conducted in the Sakha language, the modeling of personal meaning related to fundamental values is achieved based on an integrative model of current personal significance. The personal meaning of value is considered a result of assimilating the “ideal” content of fundamental values. Furthermore, the study models the content of social attitudes that underlie the unity of value perception and behavior among members of a social group. It argues that the value-meaning definition of personality is reflected in the speech acts of individuals engaged in social relationships. The research provides evidence that the associations elicited by the stimulus word “itegel” encompass cognitive, emotional, and behavioral components of social attitudes, highlighting ethnic and emotionally evaluative components that underscore the significance of “itegel” as an ethnic value.

This study examines the lexicon of the Middle Volga region through the lens of inter-dialectal correspondences. It draws upon materials from regional atlases and dictionaries, as well as recordings and observations made during dialectological expeditions. The relevance of this research lies in its ability to diagnose a range of specific lexical-semantic characteristics of secondary dialects with northern roots in the Middle Volga area based on linguistic geography data. Phonetic evidence indicates that the Middle Volga dialects are connected to northern roots not directly with Northern Russian dialects, but rather with Vladimir-Volga type dialects, known for their transitional nature. The paper presents evidence of parallelism in phonetic and lexical features between the studied dialects and those of the VladimirVolga group. It is noted that, at the lexical level, secondary dialects often exhibit loss and semantic transformation of Northern Russian vocabulary. Additionally, for certain lexemes, the presence of stable areas with preserved dialectal affiliations is observed among the dialects dialects with okanye that have developed under new living conditions. The conclusion drawn is that, on one hand, there has been a weakening of genetic ties in the lexicon of dialects with Northern Russian roots; on the other hand, a number of common lexical-semantic features have emerged due to the integration of migrant dialects.

This article examines the impact of language ideology on the functional capacity of a minority language. We present a study investigating the dynamics of Karelian language use in the periodical press against the backdrop of evolving language ideologies throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. The research is based on an extensive analysis of statistical data from official sources, including the number of periodicals and their annual circulation figures in the Karelian language. The study also draws on historical evidence, legal documents, public statements by political figures, and other relevant texts. Our findings identify a complex of factors that have historically impeded the development and functional use of Karelian, particularly in the domain of periodical publishing. These factors include a repeatedly interrupted written tradition, significant dialectal fragmentation, inconsistent language ideology regarding the establishment of a unified standard for Karelian, frequent shifts in the political paradigm concerning the status of Karelian and its relationship with the Finnish language during the period under review, and legislative barriers — such as those related to the use of the Latin script — that precluded its attainment of official state language status. A novel aspect of this research is the application of an original metric, the “Periodical Press Index,” for the analysis of the statistical data.

This paper examines the formulaicity of the German, considering both its perceived and actual challenges for neural machine translation (NMT) into Russian. The study aims to conceptualize German as a controlled language for formulaic structures within the DeepL neural translator, investigating its criteria, restrictions, and output evaluation. The analysis is based on a corpus of 120 examples of German formulaic constructions, comprising two categories: verb-nominal phrases and binomial expressions. The data were sourced from the Digital Dictionary of the German Language (DWDS). We present a novel two-stage experimental design for analyzing translation choices applied to a random sample of these formulas. The methodological approach involves observing lexical-level rules for German as a controlled language. The analysis of lexical restrictions in German controlled natural language for formulaic constructions is combined with a contextual method for translation quality assessment. Our findings reveal a distinct strategy employed by the state-of-the-art DeepL translator for rendering stable formulaic expressions of varying structures. It is established that the neural approach to machine translation aims to replicate cognitive models of human thinking; however, the utilization of established translation solutions is identified here as an asset. The author emphasizes that this study does not seek to evaluate the commercial product DeepL itself, as it is a proprietary tool developed by a German corporation and tailored for texts with a specific stylistic profile.

This article focuses on the genesis of terminology within the digital society in the Russian. Approximately 60% of the terms in this terminological system are the result of various forms of borrowing. The aim of the study is to establish the relationship between these forms and the characteristics of their manifestation. The research is based on over 1500 nominations extracted from scholarly texts addressing issues related to digital culture, as well as from the electronic media bank “Integrum,” the National Corpus of the Russian Language, and the website of the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation. The study employs a structural-descriptive method. It has been found that structural calques dominate in the examined terminology, which can be attributed to the nature of its nominations (with a predominance of expanded forms). Single-word terms are primarily borrowed, while compound terms are typically calqued. Secondary borrowings play a significant role in the formation of the terminological system; their incorporation into the Russian leads to a re-internationalization of certain established terms. The article notes instances where terms in Russian, derived from the same English word, have become established through different methods of borrowing: calques and insertions (bolshiye dannye — Big Data); calques and semi-calques (golosovoy pomoshchnik [voice assistant] / assistant); direct borrowing and calque (phygital — tsifro-fisicheskiy). There is a noticeable trend towards the penetration of Anglicisms into the recipient language, which exhibit formal-semantic connections therein.

This study analyzes the word family with a common base чомуо [chomu] in the language of Forest Yukaghirs. It demonstrates that this word family comprises a collection of words sharing a common element, interconnected through synchronous derivational relationships. The nest consists of a substantial number of derivatives, is elaborately structured, and forms three levels of derivation, encompassing a total of 33 members. It is established that at the paradigmatic level, the nest is represented by 10 paradigms, while at the syntagmatic level, it features 23 derivational chains, where each subsequent word is subordinate to its predecessor. The analysis reveals that the word family includes units of various parts of speech, such as nouns, verbs, qualitative verbs, participles, gerundial adverbs, and adverbs. The example of the selected word family illustrates that in the language of Forest Yukaghirs, noun formation can occur through the lexicalization of phrases. The relevance of compiling lexicographic descriptions of the Forest Yukaghir language is underscored by the current absence of derivational dictionaries for the Yukaghir language. This study emphasizes that investigating the composition and structure of the word family will open new avenues for further exploration of the peculiarities of Yukaghir word formation and will facilitate the identification, description, and clarification of affix meanings.

This study examines the individual style of Academician Gottlieb Siegfried Bayer (1694–1738) of the Imperial Academy of Sciences, who composed his scholarly works in Latin. The investigation focuses on the features of the 18th-century scientific style, which differed significantly from modern academic Russian and allowed authors to construct rhetorically effective, elegant, and artistically expressive prose. The primary sources for this analysis are Bayer’s scholarly article “De Russorum prima expeditione Constantinopolitana” and his poetic work “Ad Petrum Secundum Augustum imperatorem totius Russiae et autocratora patrem Patria, cum insigna Imperii sanctissimis caeremoniis Moscvae capesseret”. Bayer’s language in his writings on Russia is explored in two key aspects: first, the paper demonstrates how elements of literary speech manifest in his scientific language; second, it analyzes the academician’s explicitly artistic, poetic output through an examination of a fragment from an ode dedicated to Emperor Peter II. The findings indicate that metaphors in Bayer’s scholarly text form coherent figurative patterns and are grounded in the inner form of words, whereas in his poetic text, they become extended and elevate to the level of allegory. The study concludes that a defining characteristic of Bayer’s individual style is his precise consideration of historical and textual context, which is reflected in his deliberate choice of words with a specific inner form.

This study investigates coloratives (color nominations) as markers of modernity and indicators of current cultural, social, and political conflicts. It explores how color vocabulary contributes to the formation of public discourse, reflecting key trends and contradictions of the 21st century. Approximately 80 significant colorative units from the “Word of the Year” rankings between 2014 and 2024 are analyzed. The sources include official “Word of the Year” lists from the Oxford English Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, Gesellschaft für deutsche Sprache, FundéuRAE, and Instituto Cervantes. The materials for analysis are drawn from public corpora, news archives, social media, and analytical reviews accompanying annual linguistic rankings. Contexts in English, German, and Spanish are examined. The nominations Black Lives Matter, Greenwashing, White Supremacy, and White Parties are interpreted. The study raises the issue of how coloratives are increasingly employed to construct ideological positions and mobilize audiences. It demonstrates that the dynamics of color semantics directly correlate with socio-political shifts: for instance, the rising use of coloratives denoting ‘black’ is linked to the global anti-racist movement, while ‘green’ is associated with the environmental agenda and its commercialization. The novelty of this research lies in its systematic cross-linguistic reconstruction of the evolution of coloratives as markers of modernity based on authoritative linguistic rankings.

The relevance of the study is determined by the insufficient study of transition zones in the grammatical structure of the language. The focus is on the types of intersection of adverbial transposition of substantive word forms with other types of transposition. The purpose of the work is to consider the features and limit of transposition of nominative and accusative cases of nouns into adverbs in the contexts of "pure" adverbialization and combined with modality, pronominalization, particulation and interjection. The methods of structural and semantic analysis, linguistic experiment, elements of distributional, transformational and componential analysis are used. It is established that the forms of the nominative case of nouns such as pravda are capable of undergoing functional transposition into adverbs and modal words with the meaning of categorical reliability when used interpositively. It is also shown that the forms of the nominative and accusative cases of nouns can combine adverbial transposition with transposition into pronouns meaning an indefinite set (kapelku, kroshechku, chutochku, malost’ [a little]); into defining-clarifying particles (minimum, maximum); into emotive interjections (uzhas, strakh, zhut’ [How terrifying!]). It is concluded that these types of transpositions manifest themselves most often in the semantic zone of the original substantive lexemes, that is, in the sphere of grammar, and are not associated with word formation.

This study provides a review of scholarly literature on the ethics of artificial intelligence (AI) usage, editorial standards in mass media, and research on the application of neural networks in journalism. The primary objective is to identify the ethical attitudes and practical experience with neural networks among media studies students at Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod and to juxtapose these findings with the demands of the media industry in the Nizhny Novgorod region. The article presents an analysis of an online survey conducted among university media students (N=255) and journalists from 20 media outlets in Nizhny Novgorod (N=81), focusing on their practices and ethical stances regarding the use of neural networks. The findings indicate that a majority of journalists acknowledge the use of neural networks in their newsrooms. It is noted that the initiative to adopt these technologies typically comes from the employees themselves, who integrate them into their workflows alongside other tasks. The study establishes that students are primarily acquiring skills in using neural networks during their university studies, with proficiency levels increasing in their senior years. A key finding emphasizes that, according to journalists, for graduates, technical AI skills are less critical than the ability to editorially assess and fact-check AI-generated content; core professional competencies unrelated to AI remain paramount. No significant gap was identified in the ethical perceptions of students and media practitioners; notably, students often demonstrate greater “ethical caution.”

This study aims to describe the specific patterns of how urban residents evaluate graffiti texts. Data processing was carried out using the semantic differential technique, frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, comparative analysis, multimodal scaling, and hierarchical cluster analysis. The analysis revealed two principal factors significant for assessing the appeal of vandalistically applied creolized texts: the dimension of positive / negative attitude toward the images and their verbal content; and the scope of the topic, ranging from global to local concerns, addressed by the graffiti. It was established that graffiti conveying positive messages and executed in a vivid, aesthetically appealing style elicit more favorable emotional responses. In contrast, graffiti dedicated to political or negative social phenomena are more likely to receive negative evaluations. Four semantic clusters of graffiti were identified: (1) protest-negativist graffiti, characterized by a low appeal index; (2) youth-subcultural graffiti, whose appeal index depends on the alignment between the author’s and the recipient’s motives; (3) socio-empathetic (didactic) graffiti, which possess a high appeal index due to their positive content and visual design; and (4) liberal-philosophical graffiti, where the polarity of evaluation and interpretation depends on the respondents’ political and philosophical beliefs, as well as the environmental context (placement location).

This article examines the receptive potential of Martin Amis’s novel “The Zone of Interest” and identifies the narrative strategies it employs to engage the reader. The study’s relevance stems from a discernible shift in contemporary fiction toward focusing on the figure of the war criminal, coupled with ongoing scholarly interest in communicative strategies that activate the reader’s consciousness. The primary aim of this research is to delineate the work’s receptive strategy and to uncover the mechanisms through which the reader is drawn into the co-construction of the text’s meaning. The analysis focuses on “The Zone of Interest”, a novel related from the perspectives of three participants in the concentration camp system: the commandant, an ordinary officer, and a member of the Sonderkommando. Employing the methodologies of narrative pragmatics and narrative analysis, the study presents the findings of a comprehensive examination of the text’s compositional, subject, and object organization. It is demonstrated that the novel’s cyclical structure, polyphonic narrative, and depiction of the narrators’ moral and linguistic deformation collectively form a strategy that provokes the reader to construct their own interpretation of the events. The author concludes that the novel’s receptive strategy serves as a vehicle for a complex ethical and aesthetic impact. It is emphasized that the emotional detachment encoded in the narrators’ accounts fosters a profound re-evaluation of the concepts of guilt, victimhood, and responsibility.

This study examines the numerous punctuation variations introduced in the publication history of Mikhail Lermontov’s poem “The Journalist, the Reader, and the Writer,” from its first edition to contemporary scholarly collections. The paper addresses the issue of editorial interventions that have disrupted the author’s original punctuation system. The primary sources for this analysis include Lermontov’s final manuscript (clean copy), two lifetime publications of the poem (in the journal Otechestvennye Zapiski [Notes of the Fatherland] and the 1840 collection Stikhotvoreniia Lermontova [Poems by Lermontov]), as well as editions of Lermontov’s works edited by A. A. Kraevsky, P. A. Efremov, and D. I. Abramovich, alongside scholarly editions from the 20th and 21st centuries. We present the results of a comparative analysis of the manuscript against the first and subsequent printed editions. Particular attention is paid to identifying editorial alterations and distortions of the author’s punctuation, the elimination of which is crucial for any future publication of the poem. It is argued that existing editions have compromised the poem’s intonational structure. The study emphasizes the necessity of reconstructing a definitive text that aligns with the author’s intent. The authors contend that the final manuscript, which most accurately reflects the author’s will, should serve as the principal source for publishing “The Journalist, the Reader, and the Writer.” Our findings suggest that the placement of punctuation should be guided not only by formal rules but also by a contextual analysis of each case, treating Lermontov’s punctuation marks as an integrated intonational and semantic system.

This article examines the influence of Mikhail Sholokhov’s short story “The Fate of a Man” on the development of Chinese military fiction. The study identifies three distinct phases in the story’s reception within Chinese literary scholarship: an initial period of ideological appropriation, a subsequent phase of diminished interest, and a more recent stage of nuanced critical analysis. The author argues that Sholokhov’s work profoundly influenced the formation of a new “little man” archetype in Chinese war prose, fostering a re-evaluation of the theme of suffering and a departure from heroic pathos toward a more realistic and psychologically nuanced portrayal of warfare and its aftermath. Through a comparative typological analysis, the article establishes both genetic and typological connections, highlighting the universality of the theme of human resilience as well as its culturally specific interpretations. The analysis demonstrates that the works “The Last Soldier” by Shi Zhongshan, “Hymn to a Hero” by Liu Zhen, and “My Korean War” by Zhang Zeshi exhibit a genetic kinship with Sholokhov’s poetics, particularly in their anti-heroic characterization, use of circular narrative structure, and the aesthetics of war trauma. Furthermore, the study reveals a distinct political cyclicity in the patterns of translation and scholarly engagement, characterized by surges of interest during periods of diplomatic rapprochement — such as the late 1950s, mid-1980s, and early 2000s—followed by declines during times of bilateral tension. The author concludes that this specific pattern of reception vividly illustrates the symbiotic relationship between literary communication and geopolitics within the framework of comparative literature.

This article examines a pivotal aesthetic debate in late eighteenth-century German literature between Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) and Gottfried August Bürger (1747–1794) concerning the nature of “popular” art (Volkskunst). The analysis focuses on the core texts of this polemic: Schiller’s critical review, “On Bürger’s Poems,” and Bürger’s retaliatory piece, “Preliminary Anti-Critique.” The study aims to delineate the contrasting literary-aesthetic paradigms of Schiller, who advocated an idealizing, classicist art, and Bürger, who championed a democratic, realist art. The investigation establishes that Bürger argued for a realist principle of “popularity” (Volkstümlichkeit), grounded in the study of folklore and the truthful representation of reality, positing that the poet must be immersed “among the people.” In contrast, Schiller defended an idealist approach, which required the poet to create a sublime ideal and to “descend” to the people in order to ennoble them. It is demonstrated that Bürger’s concept affirmed the work’s fidelity to life, whereas Schiller’s position led to elitism and schematicism. The author concludes that this controversy was inevitable, as it reflected a fundamental divergence between the classicist and preRomantic paradigms. The study further argues that Schiller’s rebuttal of Bürger’s stance served to embed the tenets of a new classicism into artistic theory. The novelty of this research lies in its detailed comparative analysis of the arguments put forth by both sides, which reveals the ontological foundations of their aesthetic disagreement. 

This article examines the problematics of the authorial myth created by Zacharias Topelius in his fairy tales. The primary source material is drawn from his collection, “Reading for Children”. The study’s relevance is underscored by the insufficient scholarly attention given to the mythological components in the works of this Finnish writer and poet, particularly those related to conceptualizations of the North as a unique world. The novelty of this research lies in its demonstration of how Topelius constructs an authorial Northern myth, grounded in such archetypes as the World Tree, the figures of the sea god Ahti and his consort Vellamo, the mythological smith, and the shaman. It is argued that among these mythological components, a reduced eschatological myth — linked to the plot of sorcerers vying to capture the sun — plays a particularly significant role. The article further identifies a complex of motifs that form the foundation of the poetics of Topelius’s Northern myth: the motif of sacrifice, the motif of the miraculous gift, and the motif of winter. The analysis establishes that Topelius fashions a unique authorial Northern myth, synthesizing a complex of Finnish and Sámi pagan beliefs filtered through the writer’s own Christian worldview. It is emphasized that humanistic ideals, intended to educate the younger generation to live in peace and harmony with all Northern peoples, play a special role in this myth.

The article examines the trends in the development of planning in Krasnodar in 1921— 1941. The empirical base contains resolutions from city government bodies, population censuses and economic statistics, reports from architects, city planning projects, maps of Krasnodar. Structural-functional and historical-comparative methods, concepts of local history and urban history are applied. The authors argue for the need for a system study of the history of Krasnodar in the analysis of the interactions of the natural environment, economic and social structures, cultural landscape, city’s role in the political structure of society. The reasons for the overpopulation of Krasnodar in the context of the NEP and industrialization are clarified. Economically justified projects of territorial planning of the city, proposed in the 1920—1930s, but not implemented due to lack of resources, are highlighted. The authors proved that the proposals of P. V. Mironov, A. A. Junger and N. I. Kalitaev had a qualified economic and engineering-architectural justification, taking into account the long-term development prospects of Krasnodar. The authors conclude that the replanning of the Krasnodar’s city structure in the 1930s carried out on the basis of prioritizing the needs of industry, with little consideration of consequences for social sphere and cultural landscape. The relevance of the study is due to the fact that projects of Kuban architectors in the 1920—1930s are useful for contemporary urban planning solutions.

This study explores the emerging trends in maritime pilgrimage routes to Palestine during the late 19th century. It analyzes the shipping routes utilized by Russian pilgrims traveling from the Russian Empire to the Eastern Mediterranean. The article focuses on passenger flows from Sevastopol and Black Sea ports in the lead-up to the establishment of the Taurida Department of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in April 1900. The sources include archival documents (reports), periodicals from the time, memoir literature, and travelers' accounts. The primary passenger transportation lines are characterized, revealing that the Sevastopol-Constantinople route was the sole maritime passage from the Crimean Peninsula. The authors argue that these maritime routes had specific characteristics that distinguished them from the spontaneous pilgrimage practices that existed prior to the formation of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, which facilitated Russian presence in Palestine. It is demonstrated that pilgrimage through maritime ports was of paramount importance. Furthermore, it is asserted that protectionist policies — manifested in reduced travel costs, organized interactions with consular services, and logistical support for the most impoverished pilgrims — created conditions conducive to mass Russian pilgrimages to Orthodox holy sites in Palestine.

This article examines the evolution of the legal and regulatory foundations of the national cybersecurity systems in the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The authors identify and analyze a complex set of factors that have shaped the dynamics and distinctive features of the development of the legal framework in the Gulf monarchies within the context of their progress toward a secure digital environment. A periodization of the history of the cybersecurity sector's legal base is proposed, with a characterization of its main stages. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of new directions in the modernization of sector-specific legislation, including the fields of financial technology and artificial intelligence. The paper presents the results of a comparative analysis of the concepts for legal regulation and protection of the digital space in the Arabian monarchies. Key challenges hindering the harmonization of the legal framework within the GCC are identified. The authors conclude that the accelerated development of the cybersecurity legal and regulatory framework aligns with the national interests of the GCC states and their long-term development “Visions” (e.g., Saudi Vision 2030). It is substantiated that all the countries under consideration have developed their own unique legal practices in the realm of digital protection and strive to adhere to high international cybersecurity standards and a proactive approach to risk management.

This study aims to assess the degree of integration of individual economic actors into the regional and national economy through the lens of the Transcaspian (Central Asian) Railway, using the specific case of the Murghab Sovereign's Estate in the Transcaspian Region. The research draws on official statistical compilations from the Department of Railway Affairs of the Russian Empire's Ministry of Finance and reporting materials from the Murghab Estate itself, held in the Russian State Historical Archive. The analysis focuses on the railway shipments of both the Estate's primary agricultural output — cotton — and the secondary products of its local processing plants — cottonseed oil and soap. The findings indicate that the railway transported the entirety of the Estate's cotton harvest to industrial centers in Russia, while a portion of the oil and all of the soap were shipped via rail to supply the local regional market. An examination of inbound freight reveals that the railway also delivered essential, albeit limited, supplies to the Estate, including agricultural machinery, fertilizers, and auxiliary packaging, such as sacks for the internal transportation of cotton. The study concludes that a symbiotic relationship existed between the railway system and the market-oriented enterprises of the region. It is argued that the railroad was a critical catalyst for the integration of the Murghab Estate into both the regional and the broader Russian economic space.

This article analyzes the experience of ideological control exercised by the party-state authorities of the North Ossetian Autonomous Region over grassroots party structures during the 1920s, the formative years of socialist construction. New archival materials are introduced into scholarly discourse. It is noted that the North Caucasus has long been one of the most administratively complex regions, requiring significant time and resources from Soviet authorities to establish their positions. The role of the propaganda and agitation apparatus of the North Ossetian Regional Committee is examined in overseeing rural and urban party cells. The article identifies errors and shortcomings made by these cells, which were often deemed undesirable to mention during the Soviet era. For instance, specific facts and materials regarding the radical measures taken against the Communist and Komsomol cells in the village of Nohir, which underwent ideological purges in 1929, are presented. The conclusion drawn is that the Soviet government paid considerable attention not only to the organization of grassroots party structures across the country but also to the substantive aspects of their work, emphasizing the political and ideological education of their members through appropriate educational and political enlightenment bodies, thereby accelerating the process of unifying the masses for a more fruitful cultural revolution in the regions.

This article examines the Decembrists who were exonerated by the official investigation and found not guilty of involvement in the secret societies. This aspect of the Decembrist movement remains largely understudied in the historiography. The scholarly significance of this research is underscored by its contribution to the history of the Chernigov Regiment uprising. The case of the exonerated Decembrists raises a fundamental methodological question: which sources should be considered reliable — the incriminating testimony that suggests membership in the secret societies, or the defendants' exculpatory statements and the investigation's final verdict? The traditional view in the scholarship has tended to privilege the official conclusions of the investigative commission. This article, however, offers a revisionist perspective, arguing for the validity of the witness testimony in the case of one exonerated individual, Lieutenant Colonel I. A. Arseniev. The author conducts a thorough comparative analysis of the investigative materials, drawing on Arseniev's unpublished case file. Particular attention is paid to the defense tactics employed by the acquitted officer. The study's relevance lies in its analysis of the reliability of evidence contained in the investigative depositions and its consideration of the defendants' legal strategies, which are crucial for the historiography of Decembrism. The author concludes that I. A. Arseniev was, in fact, a participant in the Decembrist movement.

This article examines court records of lèsemajesté crimes as an indicator of peasant morale during the First World War. It pays particular attention to the “revolutionary watershed” generation, comprising individuals born between approximately 1885 and 1900. The analysis prioritizes rural attitudes toward mass mobilization, the requisition of horses, wartime inflation, and other home-front hardships. The author also explores the peasants’ reception of the Stolypin agrarian reforms and the land question more broadly. A statistical analysis of lèse-majesté cases was conducted, disaggregating defendants by age. The study quantifies the distribution of sentences and categorizes the offending statements by their nature. The proportion of crimes committed while intoxicated is also calculated. The statistical findings reveal that peasants of the “revolutionary watershed” cohort were predominantly charged for using “profane language,” making anti-war statements, and expressing political grievances; their rhetoric was characterized by significant radicalism and politicization. In contrast, the rhetoric of older peasants featured a high proportion of anti-war sentiment, personal insults, and discontent with the deteriorating economic situation. The article concludes that these cases evidence a sharp decline in the Emperor’s authority during the war, signaling a crisis of “naïve monarchism” within rural society and a profound desacralization of the Tsar’s image, particularly among the younger peasant generation.

This article examines the development of the handmade felted footwear craft within an agrarian region. The novelty of this study lies in its interdisciplinary approach and its analysis of an extensive timeframe encompassing the late Imperial era, the period of War Communism, and the years of the New Economic Policy (NEP). The research draws upon a diverse source base, including regional archival documents, the authors’ own field archive of oral histories, published statistical data, administrative records, and contemporary periodicals. The study demonstrates that during the late Imperial period, the work of felters was predominantly subsistence-based, with cottage industries only beginning to emerge in areas with a high concentration of artisans. It is reported that the mechanization of production progressed at a slow pace. Furthermore, the authors conclude that the rapid development of trade cooperatives among felters during War Communism was driven by the demands of the military front. The article also pays particular attention to explaining the reasons for the decline in the number of these trade cooperatives during the NEP. Finally, it is emphasized that the concurrent use of dialectal and literary lexicon related to the professional domain within the same locality not only reflects a deep-seated cognitive framework for labor but also underscores the significance of specific types of work and the value of artisanal skill.

This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the reasons for the phased abolition of the Courts of Conscience (sovestnye sudy) in the Russian Empire during the 1820s to 1850s. The source base includes administrative records from the collections of the Russian State Historical Archive, legislative acts of the Russian Empire from the first half of the nineteenth century, and contemporary memoirs. The novelty of this research lies in its focus on a subject that has hitherto been largely overlooked in the historiography, thereby filling a significant gap in the scholarly literature. Furthermore, the study introduces into academic discourse a substantial body of previously unexamined archival documents. The author concludes that the formal justifications for the abolition of the Courts of Conscience served merely as a pretext for their closure as independent judicial institutions. It is argued that the root cause of their abolition was intrinsically linked to their unique character. The article emphasizes that within the context of the growing dominance of legal positivism — a philosophy embraced by the senior officials of the Ministry of Justice — the distinctive, equity-focused nature of the Courts of Conscience rendered them incompatible with the Russian legal framework of the pre-reform era, which was predominantly based on the principles of formalistic legal proceedings.

This study examines the status of the textile sector within the light industry of the Stavropol, Kuban, Circassian, and other areas of the North Caucasus during its existence as an administrative-territorial entity from 1927 to 1934. It identifies key factors contributing to the establishment of the region’s textile industry, including favorable climatic conditions, strong ties to agriculture, traditional economic practices (notably sheep farming), a sufficient resource base for the development of textile sub-sectors — especially wool production — and the availability of transportation routes. An analysis of the operational challenges faced by individual enterprises (such as wool spinning mills, cloth factories, and wool washing facilities) reveals issues such as labor shortages, inadequate technical equipment, and limited processing capacities for surplus raw materials. The findings demonstrate that the textile sector in the region was in a formative stage during this period. It was established that a primary objective was the construction or reconstruction of state textile enterprises (factories and wool washing facilities) capable of processing locally produced wool and generating adequate quantities of fabric products. It is noted that there were few textile enterprises in the region, primarily located in urban areas near transportation routes, which established robust production links with specialized facilities in other regions of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic, as well as in other Soviet republics, thereby contributing to the strengthening of economic ties between different regions of the country.