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| Voyenno-Morskoy Sbornik | |
|---|---|
| Title | Voyenno-Morskoy Sbornik |
| Language | Russian |
| Country | Russian Empire; Soviet Union; Russian Federation |
| Discipline | Naval affairs; maritime history |
| Publisher | Imperial Admiralty; Soviet Navy; Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation |
| Firstdate | 1857 |
| Frequency | Monthly / Periodic |
Voyenno-Morskoy Sbornik is a Russian naval journal founded in the 19th century that served as a primary forum for naval officers, shipbuilders, strategists, and historians across the Russian Empire, the Soviet Union, and the Russian Federation. It chronicled developments in ship design, naval tactics, maritime law, and naval history while engaging with debates linked to the Imperial Russian Navy, the Soviet Navy, and contemporary Russian naval policy. The periodical intersected with key personalities and institutions from the era of Nicholas I through Vladimir Putin, influencing operational thought and historiography.
The periodical emerged during the reign of Nicholas I of Russia amid naval reforms associated with figures like Count Sergey Menshikov and Pavel Nakhimov, paralleling technical advances exemplified by the commissioning of Imperial Russian Navy ironclads and the work of Andrei Popov. Its early issues reflected debates sparked by the Crimean War and the aftermath of the Treaty of Paris (1856), engaging contributors sympathetic to Dmitry Milyutin and critics of policies linked to Alexander II of Russia. During the Russo-Japanese War the journal examined incidents such as the Battle of Tsushima and lessons drawn by officers affiliated with Vladimir Istomin-era traditions, while in the First World War it covered engagements involving the Baltic Fleet, Black Sea Fleet, and operations near Gallipoli. After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the journal underwent interruptions and reorientation under the Soviet Navy, reflecting doctrinal shifts influenced by Leon Trotsky, Kliment Voroshilov, and later Sergey Gorshkov, while continuing commentary during the Spanish Civil War and the Winter War. In the Cold War era it addressed crises including the Cuban Missile Crisis, Yom Kippur War, and innovations tied to Nuclear submarine deployment and technologies promoted by designers like Soviet Admiral Gorshkov. Post-Soviet issues navigated transitions associated with Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin and the revival of interest in pre-revolutionary archives such as those of the Imperial Admiralty.
Editorial control historically shifted among institutions: the Imperial Admiralty, the People's Commissariat for Defence, and the Ministry of Defence (Russian Federation), with editorial boards featuring officers from the Baltic Fleet, Northern Fleet, Pacific Fleet, and the Black Sea Fleet. Editors collaborated with scholars from the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Naval Academy (Saint Petersburg), and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, while peer reviewers included officials tied to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and museums such as the Central Naval Museum (Saint Petersburg). Periodic censorship and oversight involved entities like the Okhrana in the Imperial era and later organs of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and Glavlit, affecting circulation during crises such as the Great Purge and the Perestroika reforms. Editorial policy often mirrored directives from ministries associated with Admiral Nikolai Kuznetsov and advisers connected to Sergei Korolev-era industrial planners.
The journal published articles on shipbuilding associated with yards like Kronstadt, Sevastopol Shipyard, and Admiralty Shipyards (Saint Petersburg), analyses of tactics drawn from battles such as Battle of Jutland and Battle of Leyte Gulf, and studies of navigation referencing routes near Svalbard and the Barents Sea. It explored technologies including steam propulsion, armor innovations tied to designers like Ivan Bubnov, torpedo warfare exemplified by the Torpedo Boat era, and submarine doctrine linked to developments at Lake (submersible) facilities. Legal and strategic discussions engaged with concepts grounded in cases like the Black Sea Convention and incidents such as the HMS Dreadnought challenge, while historical essays covered personalities such as Peter the Great, Admiral Fyodor Ushakov, Pavel Nakhimov, Stepan Makarov, and Dmitry Senyavin. Comparative studies referenced foreign services including the Royal Navy, United States Navy, Imperial Japanese Navy, Kaiserliche Marine, and French Navy.
The periodical shaped doctrine used by planners at institutions like the Naval Academy (Saint Petersburg), influenced procurement choices at the Komsomolsk-on-Amur Shipyard, and informed intelligence assessments by services such as the GRU and the KGB. Naval historians and strategists, including adherents of Mahanian thought and critics influenced by Corbett-style analysis, debated via the journal's pages, affecting policy during crises such as the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the Russo-Japanese War, and Cold War confrontations like Operation Anadyr. Reception varied: conservative admirals associated with Nicholas II favored articles emphasizing fleet concentration, while Bolshevik-era writers linked to Alexei Brusilov-style maneuver advocated different emphases. International scholars from institutions like Royal United Services Institute and Naval War College (United States) cited the journal in comparative research.
Contributors ranged from naval officers and ship designers to historians and politicians, including Stepan Makarov, Pavel Nakhimov, Ivan Gromov, Stepan Osipovich Makarov (duplicate name historically cited), Admiral Aleksandr Kolchak, Nikolai Kuznetsov, Sergey Gorshkov, Vladimir Korolyov, Aleksei Tikhomirov, Mikhail Gromov-style explorers, and scholars from the Russian Academy of Sciences like Vasily Klyuchevsky and Boris Chicherin. International correspondents and analysts included figures associated with the Royal Navy and the United States Navy, while legal essays referenced jurists from Hague Conference contexts. Younger contributors in the late 20th century included officers educated at the MEPhI and St. Petersburg State University faculties associated with maritime studies.
Formats evolved from folio-style issues printed in Saint Petersburg and later Leningrad and Moscow to modern glossy periodicals distributed through military libraries at Kronstadt Naval Base, the Central Naval Museum (Saint Petersburg), and academic institutions like Moscow State University. Circulation peaked during mobilizations and naval expansions tied to administrations of Alexander III of Russia and Joseph Stalin, with subscriber bases including officers on the Baltic Fleet, Pacific Fleet, and civilian shipbuilders at Admiralty Shipyards (Saint Petersburg). Special thematic supplements addressed events such as Battle of Tsushima retrospectives, anniversary issues commemorating Peter the Great-era reforms, and technical compendia on diesel engines developed at Kirov Plant (Saint Petersburg).
The journal's archives are held in repositories such as the Russian State Naval Archive, the collections of the Russian State Library, and naval museums including the Central Naval Museum (Saint Petersburg), with digitization projects supported by organizations like the Russian Academy of Sciences and initiatives associated with Rosatom-era digitals. Contemporary researchers consult microfilm and online databases maintained by institutions including the National Library of Russia, the State Archive of the Russian Federation, and university libraries at Saint Petersburg State University and Moscow State University. The influence of the periodical persists in contemporary analyses produced by think tanks like the Valdai Discussion Club and journals of the Ministry of Defence (Russian Federation), and it remains a primary source for historians investigating episodes from the Crimean War to present-day developments involving the Northern Sea Route and Arctic strategy.