Olena Oleksandrivna LEGOSTAYEVA

Deputy Director, Head of the Legal, Personnel, and Documentation Department of the State Archive of the Dnipropetrovsk Region

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"UKRAINIAN MARTYROLOGY" AVAILABLE TO EVERYONE

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If we briefly outline the main tasks of the archive, they are: forming the national archival fund, accepting documents, preserving them, developing a scientific reference system, and utilizing documents in various forms — issuing certificates, organizing and conducting exhibitions, preparing informational publications, and compiling document collections.

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In 2000, approximately 11,500 criminal cases from extrajudicial bodies dated from the 1920s to the 1950s were transferred to us for safekeeping from the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Department of the Security Service of Ukraine. Currently, these documents are being processed for the informational and search-based online project "Ukrainian Martyrology of the 20th Century" [1] , which contains brief information about individuals who suffered during the period of repressions. In accordance with the Law of Ukraine on access to the archives of repressive organs of the communist totalitarian regime, this information is now available to everyone on the website of the State Archival Service of Ukraine. Previously, it was accessible only to relatives.

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During Russia's large-scale aggression, the primary priority of the archive is the preservation of documents and the creation of a backup fund for national archival documents and the reference system. The State Archival Service of Ukraine has tasked us with digitizing the documents. We carry out this work ourselves using two book scanners. In addition, we have signed a contract with the American non-profit organization FamilySearch to digitize documents related to family history.

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Regarding the repressed, we have 11,000 cases, while the total number exceeds 1.7 million. To date, only a very small portion — less than 0.5% — has been digitized.

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Thank God, our archive has not been significantly damaged by enemy strikes. We have a certain reserve of shelves, racks, and storage spaces calculated to accommodate the possible evacuation of archives from the Nikopol and Kryvyi Rih districts, which are the most heavily shelled areas.

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Who would have thought such a thing could happen… It was a shock! On the morning of February 24, I started receiving calls asking what was happening, and then the phone network went down, likely due to overload. I tried to tell the truth about what was going on here to my relatives in Russia. At first, we communicated, but now we no longer keep in touch...

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[1] "The Ukrainian Martyrology of the 20th Century" is an informational and search-based online project hosted on the official web portal of the State Archival Service of Ukraine. It provides concise information about the victims of repressions from the 1920s to the 1950s. This includes a photographic portrait or several photographs (if available), the victim's name, a brief description of their occupation, dates of life, details of rehabilitation, and references to the archive where the investigative files and other related materials are stored.

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POPOVA Kaleriya Volodymyrivna

Head of the Storage, Accounting, and Reference Department

of the State Archive of the Dnipropetrovsk Region

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"IT IS SAID THAT ARCHIVE FILES HOLD NOT ONLY INFORMATION

BUT ALSO A HEAVY ENERGY"

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You are currently in one of our archive storage rooms, of which we have eight, located on each floor except the first. These rooms house documents from the National Archival Fund, with the oldest dating back to 1872. We continue to receive new documents, including annual transfers from civil registry offices, district administrations, and the regional council. Despite the ongoing war, we adhere to our work schedule.

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I graduated from the History Faculty of Dnipro National University (DNU) and have been working here for over 20 years. In the last 15 years, we have seen a steady increase in visitors. Many people are now interested in tracing their genealogy or require documents to confirm their nationality when moving abroad. The archive holds original records from metric books, synagogue documents, and records from a Catholic church that once operated here.

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Many visitors request socio-legal certificates, such as confirmation of land allocation, housing orders, or decisions made by regional, district, or city executive bodies. Some conduct their own research, while others submit requests, which our Information Department staff fulfill.

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In addition to this, we work on creating exhibitions and document collections. For example, we recently held an exhibition on the genocide of the Ukrainian people during World War II and another dedicated to the Crimean Tatars.

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Regarding Cases of Rehabilitated Repressed Individuals. We have filtration cases stored in a separate building, while cases of repressed individuals, including rehabilitation findings, are kept here.

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The State Archive of the Dnipropetrovsk Region holds a collection from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), totaling 138,083 cases. This collection is divided into two descriptions: Description One includes filtration and trophy cases, while Description Two contains criminal cases from extrajudicial bodies and the former management of the Security Service. The latter comprises 11,441 cases.

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One of our staff members is currently working on filling out the martyrology for these cases, which is updated monthly on the website of the State Archival Service of Ukraine. This allows anyone interested to access the information or even find details about their relatives. The records are usually very detailed, as the questionnaires from that time were filled out thoroughly.

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For example, you can find out where the individual was born, the year they moved to Dnipropetrovsk if arrested there, their occupation at the time of arrest, where they lived, their family composition, the ages of their family members, the legal article under which they were convicted, and the sentence—whether it was death, labor camps, or exile, and for how long.

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Statistics are not yet available as we are still working on this project. There is a substantial volume of unprocessed cases, and we expect to continue this work for at least two more years. Some cases span two or three volumes, while others may feature lists of 50–60 individuals, requiring a detailed form for each. The martyrology consists of 27 fields, each needing specific information. This meticulous and time-intensive work is carried out by Nina Volodymyrivna Kistrytska, the archive's chief scientific associate. It is a monumental and intricate task but invaluable—for the descendants of the repressed, for future generations, and for us living today.

There is a common belief that archives, like old castles, are home to mysterious occurrences. It is said that on the second floor—where we are now and where the filtration cases are stored—people have sometimes reported hearing screams, rustling, footsteps, or even the sound of someone scratching the doors with claws. Whether to believe it or not is up to you. Occasionally, there are reports of howling noises—whether caused by the wind or perhaps the souls of people remains a mystery. Some of our long-serving staff members believe that the cases themselves carry a residual energy—negative and heavy.

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We also house documents from the German occupation authorities that governed this region, and many of these records have been preserved. They contain chilling details: lists of Jewish residents to be deported to Germany, inventories of people whose property was to be confiscated, and records of those marked for arrest.

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HOW FADING TEXTS ARE SAVED

 

Everything is stored in boxes, and some of these boxes remain untouched for years because there are no requests for the documents they contain. However, to ensure proper preservation—preventing mold growth and paper sticking—we periodically conduct inventory checks and dust removal. This involves opening the boxes, using a vacuum cleaner to clean the files, or taking them out to inspect for fading text, damaged covers, or dried-out bindings. Many of these files were glued and stitched long ago. We compile lists of collections that require restoration, dust removal, or the recovery of faded text.

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Documents frequently taken to the reading room or handled by staff may be exposed to natural or artificial light, causing ink to fade and diminishing their historical value. To address this, we scan pages with fading text, retype them, and place the typed copy underneath the original document to preserve its content.

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Although we don’t have a vast number of documents requiring significant restoration, we estimate that over 1,500 pages (not entire files but individual sheets) need replacement or restoration. This mainly applies to pre-war and pre-revolutionary collections because more recent documents from the 1950s–60s were typewritten. An exception is rural council protocols, which were handwritten. Restoration is particularly needed for documents created manually or with carbon copies. Interestingly, many documents from the 1930s written in pencil have endured better than those written in ink, as they are less prone to fading.

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LISTS OF WHAT WAS LEFT TO STARVING FAMILIES AFTER CONFISCATION –

A RAG, A BUCKET, A BLANKET…

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Our archive also holds documents related to the Holodomor. We have organized exhibitions on this topic and compiled collections with our own efforts. Reading these testimonies is deeply painful, especially about the "black boards." When an entire village perished from starvation, it was placed on the "black board," effectively erased from existence.

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We contributed to the creation of the Book of Memory and presented a volume dedicated to our region. The testimonies are horrifying. For instance, entire families died within a few days, with causes of death listed as brain swelling or intestinal obstruction. Livestock, tools, grain—everything a family had—was confiscated. There are even lists of what was left behind: one rag, one bucket, one blanket, and one shovel for a family with six children.

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Many pre-Soviet documents have been lost—they were either destroyed, taken away, or simply disappeared. When the archive was evacuated during the war, the trains were shelled and bombed. Perhaps only five percent of the original collection survived. However, descriptions of the documents prepared for evacuation remain. Although the documents themselves are gone, researchers can use these descriptions to imagine the cultural vibrancy and industrial development of the Katerynoslav Governorate.

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Over time, some documents were discovered in the Kyiv Regional Archive or traced to Germany and other European archives. Unfortunately, the process of reclaiming these documents is extremely complex. We only know they exist somewhere out there.

We also have a significant collection of documents from the occupation period. When the Germans retreated in a hurry ahead of the advancing Soviet army, they didn't have time to destroy everything. Despite the hardships of occupation, records show that cinemas, libraries, universities, and schools continued to operate, illustrating that life, though incredibly difficult, persisted.

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KHERSON RESIDENTS CARRIED OUT VALUABLE DOCUMENTS

TO PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING INTO RUSSIAN HANDS

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Now, Russia is destroying us. One of our employees had a "Shahed" ​[1]  drone hit her apartment building at night, destroying the sixth and seventh floors while she lives on the fifth. This area has no industrial facilities, railroads, or warehouses—just a typical residential district.

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Near our archive, a "Shahed" was shot down, and fragments hit residential buildings. The blast wave blew out windows in our building. Fortunately, the documents and storage boxes were unharmed. Heavy double-layer curtains—dust-repellent and sun-blocking—helped stop glass fragments from spreading further. Thanks to funds from the administration and our special account, we managed to replace the windows in time for winter in both the offices and the storage rooms.

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Currently, we are moving frequently accessed document collections from the upper floors, like the seventh and eighth, down to lower levels. Power outages are frequent and planned. If someone gets stuck in the elevator, they might be there for three to four hours.

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In Dnipro, the relocated Luhansk and Donetsk archives are operational, having transported part of their documents. Space has been allocated for them, and some staff members have relocated to Dnipro and are renting apartments. We collaborate on work-related issues. The Kramatorsk archive has also survived.

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When Russian forces entered Kherson, they removed all archive staff from the building, allowing military personnel and specialists—likely historians—to enter and work in the storage areas. They removed certain items. Kherson archive employees secretly carried out unique or especially valuable documents under their coats to hide them from the Russians. It is currently impossible to determine how much and what was taken.

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The Kherson archive is located in the liberated part of the city, but it is under constant shelling. Its windows are boarded up, and there is no light in the storage areas. Staff use flashlights to locate documents, and services are limited. Despite the challenges, they are still accepting requests, processing them, and even preparing online exhibitions and presentations. Not a single employee has quit, nor has anyone been dismissed—the staff remains the same as it was before the war.

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In Kharkiv, the archive building was partially destroyed, but the document collections were preserved and not evacuated. Archives in frontline areas were scattered—people took them wherever they could. After liberation, a complete report will likely be released on where the archives were relocated and what was saved.

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​[1] A loitering munition (kamikaze drone) of Iranian production, first introduced in 2020, programmed to fly towards a stationary target. It has been widely used during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.​​​​

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