Petersburg Historical Journal № 2 (50) 2026

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — N. M. Medvedeva. THE ENEMY OF MY ALLY OR MY ENEMY: REPRESENTATION OF RUSSIA IN THE WORKS OF THE BRITISH CARTOONIST W. K. HESELDEN, 1904–1905

The article provides an analysis of the representation of the Russian Empire in the works of the British cartoonist W. K. Haselden, which were published in the tabloid Daily Mirror between 1905 and 1906 The primary focus of the study is the transformation of Russia’s image against the backdrop of the Russo-Japanese War. The analysis of 97 cartoons reveals that, despite Britain’s formal neutrality, the British cartoonist’s visual rhetoric was predominantly critical and hostile towards Russia. Thematic analysis identified predominant themes, including images of threat, guilt, belligerence, and weakening. The internal and foreign policies of the Tsarist government, as well as the actions of the Russian fleet, were subject to criticism. The study concludes that W. K. Haselden’s cartoons functioned as a tool for shaping public opinion by simplifying complex international processes into a binary friend-or-foe framework.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — A. Yu. Fomin. THE MILITARY REVOLUTION IN TURKEY IN THE REPORTS OF RUSSIAN OFFICERS

The article examines reports by Russian officers on the political situation in the Ottoman Empire during the political crisis that led to the Young Turk Revolution. During this period, in addition to the official military agent at the embassy in Constantinople, the Russian General Staff also received information about the situation in Turkey from Russian officers serving in Turkish Macedonia. These officers were part of an international mission to oversee reforms in the province, which had been initiated at the insistence of the great powers. Russian officers operating within Macedonia functioned as agents of Russian influence within the European portion of the Ottoman Empire. A primary aspect of their mission involved the collection of intelligence regarding the prevailing circumstances in the region. In 1908, Colonel I. A. Holmsen, a military agent in Constantinople, and Russian officers in Macedonia, in connection with the aggravation of the internal political situation in Turkey, took a particular interest in the mood in the Turkish army and the activities of the Young Turk organisations.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — M. A. Averyanov, A. B. Gekht. THE CRISIS OF THE FRENCH COLONIAL SYSTEM: THE EMERGENCE AND ACTIVITIES OF THE OAS

This article examines the phenomenon of the Secret Armed Organisation (OAS), a farright terrorist group that emerged in the early 1960s amidst the collapse of the French colonial empire and Algeria’s struggle for independence. The paper explores the historical circumstances leading up to the organisation’s creation and the underlying motivations of those who joined its ranks. The publication provides a comprehensive overview of the OAS’ historical development, delineating its fundamental objectives and the violent means employed to realise them. Moreover, the study examines the societal response to the movement and the underlying factors that led to its eventual failure. It also acknowledges the substantial historical legacy bequeathed to both France and Algeria by the movement, in addition to its influence on popular culture. Acknowledging the dearth of scholarly attention this topic has received in Russian historiography, the research aims to fill this academic gap, emphasising the modern relevance of understanding the French Fifth Republic’s political experience with colonial wars.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — E. V. Korunova. THE PROBLEM OF ESTABLISHING A NUCLEAR-WEAPONS-FREE ZONE IN NORTHERN EUROPE DURING THE COLD WAR: GEOPOLITICAL ASPECTS AND SECURITY DILEMMA

The article examines the attempts to establish a nuclear-weapons-free zone (NWFZ) in Northern Europe during the first decades of the Cold War. The text provides a comprehensive overview of the discourse within governmental circles, with a particular emphasis on initiatives undertaken by the USSR and Finland. It also offers a detailed analysis of the stance adopted by the Scandinavian states on this subject. This study will focus on the argumentation of the parties, the influence of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), and the factors that prevented an agreement from being reached.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — A. M. Vvedensky. THE INITIAL PART OF THE PSKOV CHRONICLES: ON THE ISSUE OF SOURCES

The article focuses on the initial segment of the Pskov chronicles, spanning from the inception of the narrative to 6573/1065. In this section, the text of the Pskov Second Chronicle deviates from the text found in the Pskov First and Pskov Third Chronicles. A comprehensive textual analysis of the Pskov Second Chronicle reveals that its compiler employed a single chronicle source, specifically the Novgorod First Chronicle, in the initial section. This finding suggests that the compiler did not draw upon additional chronicles during the composition process. The common protograph of the Pskov First and Pskov Third was derived from two chronicle texts: The Novgorod First Chronicle and the Brief Novgorod Chronicler. The compiler of the Pskov Third Chronicle also drew upon the content of several chronicles belonging to the Novgorod-Sofia group. The article provides a compelling argument to support the hypothesis that the initial part was absent from the general protograph of all Pskov chronicles.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — M. E. Proskuryakova. “INVOCATIO” IN THE TSAR’ CHARTERS OF THE 16TH–17TH CENTURIES

The article analyses alterations in the textual configuration of initial protocol in tsar’ charters on land and privileges in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, as evidenced by the incorporation of “invocatio” into these documents. The term “invocatio” is derived from the Latin word for “invoke”, and thus refers to an appeal to Divine authority. This declaration was intended to strengthen the legitimacy of the grant, formalised in writing. The article examines the history of the use of the formula “By the Grace of God” prior to its inclusion in Tsar’ charters in the late 16th century. In addition, the terminology employed by Russian scholars in relation to the formulas associated with sacred names is also given due consideration. Drawing upon the observations and conclusions of historians, the article delineates the purpose of “invocatio” and the circumstances of its inclusion in the text of charters from the 14th to 16th centuries. The study then proceeds to analyse the text structure of Tsar’s charters issued to secular individuals and clerical corporations during the Time of Troubles and the first decade of Mikhail Feodorovich Romanov’s reign. The present study focuses on the replacement of the formula “Se yaz” (“It is me”) with the formula “Bozhieyu milostiyu” (“By the Grace of God”) towards the end of the 1590s. The present study is grounded in a compendium of documents from the collection of the St. Petersburg Institute of History of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — A. L. Gryaznov. ACTS OF THE KIRILLO-BELOZERSKY MONASTERY IN THE СOLLECTION OF N. G. GOLOVIN

The article examines the provenance of the archival records of the Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery, transferred to the Charter Fund of the College of Economy in the latter half of the 18th century. A comparison of the inventories of acts sent from the monastery revealed that two dozen acts of the Kirillo-Belozersky monastery, transferred to the Charter Fund of the College of Economy, were stolen from there in the 19th century. A selection of these have been acquired by N. G. Golovin’s collection. The collection of ancient Russian acts by N. G. Golovin has been linked to the forgery of Golovin, which entailed the removal of original documents from the archive and their replacement with counterfeits. A thorough examination of the documents contained within the Golovin collection revealed that all acts pertaining to the Kirill-Belozersky Monastery were in fact obtained illegally from the Charter Fund of the College of Economy. The majority of the other letters from the Golovinsky collection also originate from the monastery archives and were stolen from the Charter Fund of the College of Economy. The theft and subsequent replacement of the coins with forgeries is believed to have occurred in the mid‑1840s.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — A. V. Ashikhmin. THE ADMINISTRATIVE-TERRITORIAL STRUCTURE OF PRE-REFORM RUSSIA: THE EVOLUTION OF HISTORIOGRAPHICAL CONCEPTS

Administrative and territorial changes have been a subject of considerable interest in historical literature for over 150 years. Indeed, they constituted an integral part of state reforms during the 18th and the first half of the 19th centuries. Concurrenting with the evolution of historical conceptions concerning these transformations (notably the reforms initiated by Peter the Great and Catherine the Great), methodological frameworks employed for the study of the territorial configuration of the empire have undergone significant refinement. During the historical transformation of these issues, several significant models can be identified. They include the transition from historical and statistical methods in the late 18th and early 19th centuries to positivist studies in the Imperial period, followed by a period of neglect of the topic in Soviet historiography. This was followed by a revival of interest and the return to historical and geographical studies. The recent post-Soviet interest in this area has resulted in the emergence of both new positivist works of high quality and works that challenge recent historiographic approaches, such as “new imperial history”, modernization theory and regionalism. The historical understanding of the role of administrative-territorial divisions in state reform in the Russian Empire represents a promising area for research, supported not only by recent publications but also by the presence of specialised institutions both in the capital and in major cities across the country.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — B. A. Nikishin. THE TRANSFORMATION OF THE PHILOSOPHY OF POWER IN THE POLITICAL WORLDVIEW OF PAUL I: RESEARCH SOURCES AND CONTEMPORARY RUSSIAN HISTORIOGRAPHY (1994–2024)

The paper deals with the evolution of Pavel Petrovich’s political views on the state structure of Russia in contemporary historiography (1994–2024). This examination is based on a thorough study of key sources and the identification of factors that significantly influenced the formation of Paul I’s philosophy of power. The general atmosphere of the Enlightenment era, Pavel Petrovich’s close communication with his tutors, the role of book collections in the Grand Duke’s libraries, complex relations with the Empress and her favourites, and the heir’s exclusion from participation in state administration are noted. An analysis of Grand Duke Pavel Petrovich’s notes has the potential to facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the transformation of political thought in Russia during the transition from the 18th to the 19th centuries. By the conclusion of Catherine II’s reign, the discrepancy between Enlightenment ideals and the rapidly evolving historical landscape had become increasingly evident. It is evident that Pavel’s perspectives underwent a transformation, evolving from the constitutional principles espoused by N. I. Panin — D. I. Fonvizin system of governance is characterised by its extreme centralisation and regulation, which are indicative of a militarypolice system of governance.

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PHJ № 2 (50) 2026 — I. I. Barinov. “I BEG YOU TO DO SOMETHING TO AVERT THE TROUBLES…”. LETTERS FROM EDGAR AMMENDE TO HIS BROTHER EWALD AMMENDE (1921)

The publication unveils hitherto unpublished correspondence between the Estonian public figure Ewald Ammende (1892–1936) and his brother, the merchant Edgar Ammende (1894–1978), who was imprisoned by the Cheka in Moscow. The published documents provide illuminating insights into the diplomatic tensions that characterised the initial establishment of Soviet-Estonian relations during the period 1920–1921. Moreover, they offer a comprehensive perspective on the intricacies of the revolutionary era that characterised the early years of Soviet rule in Russia.