What this archive is
For most of the twentieth century, entire cities were missing from Soviet maps,[1] a nuclear accident went [3], and libraries kept whole collections behind locked doors.[7]
This site collects what has since come out of the files: what was hidden, who hid it, and when it was finally admitted. Tap the black bars to lift the redactions.
Register of files
| File | Subject | Hidden | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| № 01 | Closed citiesArzamas-16, Chelyabinsk-65 and others known only by a postbox number[1][2] | 1940s–1990s | Declassified |
| № 02 | The Kyshtym disaster1957 explosion at the Mayak plant[3] | 1957–1989 | Declassified |
| № 03 | Secret protocols of 1939Annexes to the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact, denied for fifty years[4] | 1939–1989 | Declassified |
| № 04 | Falsified mapsDeliberate distortion of public cartography[5] | 1930s–1988 | Declassified |
| № 05 | GlavlitThe state censorship office[6] | 1922–1991 | Declassified |
| № 06 | SpetskhranRestricted "special storage" sections of libraries[7] | Soviet era | Declassified |
Sources
- “Closed city.” Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org
- “Secret Cities.” GlobalSecurity.org (list compiled by Murray Feshbach). www.globalsecurity.org
- “Kyshtym disaster.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. www.britannica.com
- “Molotov-Ribbentrop: The Night Stalin and Hitler Redrew the Map of Europe.” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. www.rferl.org
- “Official: Soviets deliberately falsified their maps.” UPI, 3 September 1988. www.upi.com
- “Glavlit.” Encyclopedia of Russian History, via Encyclopedia.com. www.encyclopedia.com
- “Spetskhran.” Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org