The academic journal of the Institute of Slavic Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences) «Slavic Almanac» Thе academic journal “Slavic Almanac” reflects the main directions of complex academic Slavic studies. The edition includes articles and materials on the history of Slavic peoples, linguistics, ethnolinguistics and literary studies. The chronological span of the publications is from the Middle Ages to date. The issue will interest both researchers and a wide range of readers. The journal was registered on March 30th, 2015 by the Federal Service for Supervision of Communications, Information Technology, and Mass Media. Certificate of registration: ПИ № ФС77-61 134. Subscription index in the Combined Catalogue «The Press of Russia» is 80 313. The journal is included into the List of leading peer-reviewed academic journals and editions where key scholarly results of Cand. Sci. and Dr. Sci. theses should be published.
Учредитель журнала: Институт славяноведения РАН; Издательство «ИНДРИК»
XLII All-Russian Dialectological Meeting “Lexical Atlas of the Russian Folk Dialects – 2026”
On January 26–27, 2026, the XLII All-Russian Dialectological Meeting “Lexical Atlas of the Russian Folk Dialects – 2026” was held at the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Received: 01.02.2026. Citation Shalaeva T. V. XLII All-Russian Dialectological Meeting “Lexical Atlas of the Russian Folk Dialects – 2026” // Slavic Almanac. 2026. № 1–2. P. 539–542 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.33
Copyright (c) 2026 Slavic Almanac https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
International Scientific Conference “XVIII Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph of Lithuania and Vilna (Semashko)”
On December 5–7, 2025, the international conference “XVIII Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph of Lithuania and Vilna (Semashko)” took place in the at the Minsk Theological Seminary. Received: 27.01.2026. Citation Dronov M. Yu., Sloistov S. M. International Scientific Conference “XVIII Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph of Lithuania and Vilna (Semashko)” // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 533–538 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.32
All-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation “The V Khorev’s Readings. Author-Hero-Narrator in Contemporary Literatures of Central and Southeastern Europe”
On December 2–4, 2025, the conference with international participation “The V Khorev’s Readings. Author-Hero-Narrator in Contemporary Literatures of Central and Southeastern Europe” took place in the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Received: 16.02.2026. Citation Kozhina S. A., Lunkova N. A. All-Russian Scientific Conference with International Participation “The V Khorev’s Readings. Author-Hero-Narrator in Contemporary Literatures of Central and Southeastern Europe” // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 521–532 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.31
The text presents a new publication by the Slovak researcher Miroslav Danisch, dedicated to the Slavic historian Evgeny Yulianovich Perfetsky (1888–1947) and his legacy. The book includes Perfetsky’s last scientific work, “History of Russia in the Middle Ages.” Received: 03.03.2026. Citation Dronov M. Yu. Miroslav Daniš on Evgeny Perfetsky // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 516–520 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.30
The article reviews a collective monograph prepared by the Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno under the scholarly editorship of Professor T. E. Avtukhovich. The book explores the phenomenon of initiation (primarily through the lens of Belarusian and Russian literature, with additional reference to German, American, and Polish works) as a matrix inextricably linked to concepts of the human being and the interplay between the individual and the collective. This matrix persists — albeit undergoing complex transformations in the 20th and 21st centuries — within both textual and extra-textual spaces. The review characterizes the monograph’s five chapters, which examine: gender and functional transformations of the initiation plot in German, American, Russian, and Belarusian literatures amidst 20th-century social processes; the initiation plot as a vehicle for personal and collective trauma in the poetry of the “first wave” of Russian emigration; the mechanisms of a writer’s entry into Belarusian literature from the 19th to the 21st centuries as an initiatory practice; the factors determining the status and existence of Russian-language literature in Belarus during the first quarter of the 21st century; and contemporary Russian and Belarusian prose through the re-evaluation of initiatory structures and scenarios. Notwithstanding certain critical observations, the reviewer concludes that the book introduces significant factual material into scholarly discourse and broadens the methodological approaches to studying initiation in literature. Received: 28.01.2026. Citation Adelgeim I. Ye. Initiation and Literature // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 510–515 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.29
On a New Study of the Challenges in Translating Russian Substandard Language into Bulgarian
The monograph by Bulgarian researcher Alexander Petrov explores the translation of substandard vocabulary, phraseology, idiomatic expressions, and expressive means from Russian into Bulgarian. Translating such elements consistently poses significant challenges. The terminological framework used in translation studies for the Bulgarian-Russian language pair often lacks strict equivalents, and comparative scholarly works on the subject remain extremely rare. A. Petrov’s monograph makes a substantial contribution to the systematization and refinement of both translation terminology and the terminology used to describe substandard language. The analysis of linguistic material drawn from the works of Viktor Pelevin and their Bulgarian translations vividly illustrates the specific nature of such translation work. Received: 05.07.2025. Citation Sivenkova N. V. On a New Study of the Challenges in Translating Russian Substandard Language into Bulgarian // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 499–509 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.28
The Era of Wars and Revolutions in the New Work of a Russian Historian
This article reviews a new monograph by A. V. Shubin, which represents a logical continuation of his previous work, The World Revolutionary Wave (1918–1923): The Tide. The author focuses on the waning of the revolutionary process that engulfed the former Russian Empire, several European countries, and the colonial and semi-colonial lands of Asia following World War I, which resulted in the collapse of four empires (the Russian, German, Austro-Hungarian, and Ottoman). The work examines the debates within the Bolshevik Party regarding ways to deepen the revolution. A separate chapter is devoted to peasant movements across the territories of the collapsed Russian Empire (including the Makhnovshchina in Left-Bank Ukraine) and their program demands, which conflicted with both the goals of the White movement and the Bolsheviks’ agrarian policy during the years of “War Communism.” The author also touches upon the resolution of the national question in the vast territories inherited from the Russian Empire, including its western borderlands. He concludes that the implemented model of the formation of the USSR not only frozen the clash of national projects but also redirected national aspirations toward overall modernization. The reviewer pays particular attention to the monograph’s coverage of the fading revolutionary process in the Balkan region. Received: 14.12.2025. Citation Stykalin A. S. The Era of Wars and Revolutions in the New Work of a Russian Historian // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 486–498 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.27
The First Russian-Language Monograph on General R. D. Radko-Dmitriev
This review examines a new book by S. V. Potrashkov, Doctor of Historical Sciences and specialist in Bulgarian history, titled Radko Dimitriev: The Fate of a Russophile (Moscow: Kuchkovo Pole and Retrospektiva, 2025). The work represents the first Russian-language monograph on the renowned Bulgarian-Russian General R. D. Radko-Dmitriev (1859–1918) — a man of complex and dramatic fate, a patriot of both Russia and Bulgaria, and a veteran of the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878), the Serbo-Bulgarian War (1885), the Balkan Wars, and World War I. Drawing on Russian and Bulgarian sources, primarily from the Russian State Military Historical Archive and the State Military Historical Archive of Bulgaria, the author reconstructs the subject’s biography against the broad backdrop of the two nations’ histories. The study utilizes the general’s service records, contemporaries’ memoirs, correspondence, and other primary materials. Particular attention is paid to little-known pages of Radko-Dmitriev’s early life and the formation of his Russophile views. Received: 12.12.2025. Citation Ganin A. V. The First Russian-Language Monograph on General R. D. Radko-Dmitriev // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 475–485 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.26
Renewal of Icons in the Smolensk Region in 1949–1950: Based on Materials from the State Archive of the Smolensk Region
The article analyzes information about the cases of icons’ renewal recorded in the Smolensk region in 1949–1950 and reflected in documents from the State Archive of the Smolensk region (fund R-1620 “Commissioner of the Council for the Affairs of the Russian Orthodox Church under the Council of Ministers of the USSR for the Smolensk region”). This local wave of icon renewals in private homes and temples (72 cases in total) has not attracted the attention of researchers so far. The archival materials clearly show the vector of the spread of “miracles of renewal”, the mechanism of spreading rumors about renewed icons, and also contain an assessment of the manifestations of popular religiosity given by representatives of ideological structures and the Orthodox Church ministers. The documents emphasize the exposure of superstitions and the position that the “miracles” of renovation of icons in churches were engineered by priests and timed to coincide with the church holidays; the renewal in the homes of private individuals was the result of the use of various cleaning products. At the same time, the Commissioner’s reports give negative characteristics to people involved in cases of icon renovation (cooperation with the occupiers during the war, spreading anti-Soviet rumors, organizing “pilgrimages” to places of icon renovation, etc.). Information about the wave of icon renovation in the Smolensk region in 1949–1950 clarifies the geography of this phenomenon on the Russian-Belarusian ethnocultural borderland and add new data to the already known facts. Received: 29.05.2025. Citation Belova O. V. Renewal of Icons in the Smolensk Region in 1949–1950: Based on Materials from the State Archive of the Smolensk Region // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 457–474 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.25
the State Archive of the Smolensk region
“The united Yugoslavian Nation has not been formed”: Croats and Serbs of the Habsburg Monarchy in the Works of Scientists of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
This article examines the history of research conducted by scholars at the Institute of Slavic (and Balkan) Studies (USSR / Russian Academy of Sciences) concerning the 19th-century nation-formation processes among the Croats and Serbs of the Habsburg Monarchy. The focus is on the contributions of prominent scholars such as S. A. Nikitin, I. S. Miller, V. I. Freidzon, and T. M. Islamov. S. A. Nikitin emphasized that the emergence of a nation requires not only a unified “national market” but also a shared “national consciousness,” which he considered essential for a “national culture.” V. I. Freidzon expanded upon I. S. Miller’s theory regarding the significance of statehood traditions and a national “core,” highlighting how Croats and Serbs utilized the concept of “historic rights” to independence alongside arguments rooted in natural law. Both V. I. Freidzon and his follower S. A. Romanenko underscored the role of religion in the consolidation of the Croatian and Serbian nations. The article also addresses the intellectual debates between scholars: while V. I. Freidzon and I. V. Churkina focused on the “periphery” of the Kingdom of Hungary where these groups resided, T. M. Islamov analyzed these regional processes from the perspective of the “center.” Received: 08.12.2025. Revised: 16.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Dronov A. M. “The united Yugoslavian Nation has not been formed”: Croats and Serbs of the Habsburg Monarchy in the Works of Scientists of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 423–456 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.24
Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences
Pál Gyöngyössi, Physician-in-Ordinary to Catherine II: The Career History of a Hungarian Doctor
This article continues the author’s series on the history of Russian-Hungarian scientific relations in the 18th and early 19th centuries. The article attempts to chart the life of Pál Gyöngyössi, a renowned physician who served as court physician to Catherine II in the 1760s. Gyöngyössi came from a Protestant family and was the son of a prominent Calvinist pastor in Hungary who came into conflict with the authorities and was forced to leave the Habsburg domains. Having received not only a theological but also a medical education in Holland, he became a renowned physician throughout Europe in the 1750s. Invited to Russia in 1753, he served as a physician at the St. Petersburg Naval Hospital and the Naval Cadet Corps, and developed a plan to reform medical education in Russia. In 1763, he was appointed court physician-in-ordinary. This article describes his social circle in St. Petersburg, which included representatives of the Russian state and intellectual elite of his time. Although primarily a physician, Gyöngyössi also developed a keen interest in the languages and cultures of the peoples of the Middle East from a young age. He studied Oriental languages in Leiden with Albert Schultens, one of the leading 18th-century Orientalists. His interest in Oriental languages and cultures brought him into contact in St. Petersburg with the renowned historian and philologist August Ludwig Schlözer, who was also in Russian service in the 1760s. Received: 14.11.2025. Revised: 12.02.2026. Accepted 17.03.2026. Citation Molnár L. V. Pál Gyöngyössi, Physician-in-Ordinary to Catherine II: The Career History of a Hungarian Doctor // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No. 1–2. P. 410–422 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.23
Poems by Don Amateur Poets Related to the November Uprising of 1830–1831: Substituting Reality with Literary Clichés
This article and the accompanying historical sources — two epistles by an anonymous Cossack author written in Polish captivity in 1831 and addressed to a fellow captive, I. S. Ulyanov, and a poem by an anonymous Don author about a clash between Cossacks and Poles at Macierzysz on August 5, 1831 — examine the influence of 19th-century Russian poetry on provincial amateur writers. Both Ulyanov’s own works and the epistles addressed to him demonstrate the authors’ clear familiarity with contemporary Russian literature and their active attempts to incorporate its characteristic imagery, ideas, and direct poetic citations into their own writing. At the same time, these borrowed elements tend to be simplified into commonplaces, often applied inappropriately. Consequently, the published poems illustrate a model of interaction between the periphery and the core of the semiosphere: actors at the periphery attempt to utilize concepts from the core to describe new and relevant subjects, yet prove unable to either adapt existing imagery or create original ideas. The resulting texts consist of secondary clichés, many of which do not correspond to the reality described (for example, the Don steppe is depicted as a land of “fluffy mountains”). Acknowledgements The research was supported by the Strategic Academic Leadership Program of the Southern Federal University (“Priority 2030”). Received: 01.10.2024. Revised: 06.03.2025. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Peretyatko A. Yu. Poems by Don Amateur Poets Related to the November Uprising of 1830–1831: Substituting Reality with Literary Clichés // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 388–409 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.22
Narrative Structure of Jerzy Sosnowski’s Novel Fafarulai, or Orange Pastilles
Jerzy Sosnowski’s novel Fafarulai, or Orange Pastilles was published in 2017 and is the second part of a dilogy (the first being Dream of Owls (2016)). Critics have noted the work’s key themes and characteristics (its autobiographical nature, intermediality, and a sense of the era). The plot, consisting of micro-stories, has led critics to argue that the novel disintegrates into separate fragments. This article hypothesizes that the work’s cohesion is ensured by its narrative structure. The novel’s analysis draws on the concepts of V. Schmid and V. Tyupa. The researcher focuses on the narrator type and its transformations, as well as on narrative instances (narrator, addressee of the narrative, fictional reader, and narrative intrigue). The specifics of autobiographical writing, composition and paratext, and the text’s graphic image are explored. The following results were obtained: the narrator is diegetic; over the course of the novel, narrative methods and narrator’s masks are transformed; and fragments of metanarrative are noted. Narrative transformations are isomorphic to the stages of the protagonist’s development. The system of prolepses and analepses points to the nonlinear nature of artistic time, as well as a crisis plot defined by an enigmatic narrative intrigue. It is argued that the verbal narrative intrigue and the graphic appearance of the text embody the literary and playful nature of the narrative. The composition includes disparate fragments, conveying the creative, playful nature of the narrative and the author’s approach to the characters. Metanarrative episodes separate the protagonist and the narrator while simultaneously bringing them together. It is concluded that narrative structure is a way of providing cohesion to the story being told. Received: 24.01.2026. Revised: 15.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Kozmina E. Yu. Narrative Structure of Jerzy Sosnowski’s Novel Fafarulai, or Orange Pastilles // Slavic Almanac. 2026. № 1–2. P. 375–387 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.21
The Poetics of the “Silvic” and the Image of the Author in Gustaw Herling-Grudziński’s Journal Written at Night
The present article analyzes the structural features of Gustaw Herling-Grudziński’s Journal Written at Night, centered on the complex and contradictory image of the author. The researcher examines the unique composition of the text through the lens of the silva rerum theory developed by Marta Skwarczyńska and Ryszard Nycz. It is shown that the “silvic” poetics of the Journal is closely linked to its fragmentary nature, manifesting not only in the blurring of generic boundaries but also in its metatextuality. Reflecting on the history of the diary genre, Herling-Grudziński seeks to define the essence of his own work. The “integral formula” he derived — a “portrait of an era” containing a “miniature self-portrait of the author and chronicler”— does not fully encompass the silvic diversity of Journal Written at Night. It is argued that the work’s “pre-text” is the Diary 1957–1958, which reveals the genesis of Herling-Grudziński’s generic thinking. The Diary 1957–1958 bears witness to the author’s difficulties while working on the novel Ciemny Staw and the subsequent transformation of his diary’s formula: instead of a “confessional diary” serving as a creative laboratory for a novel, the writer creates a “chronicle-diary” that synthesizes the diary form with his “Italian” stories. Received: 19.01.2025. Revised: 15.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Maltsev L. A. The Poetics of the “Silvic” and the Image of the Author in Gustaw Herling-Grudziński’s Journal Written at Night // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 363–374 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.20
Text Against Oblivion: The Theme of Death in the Works of Daniela Hodrová
This article analyzes the representation of death in the literary works of the Czech writer and literary theorist Daniela Hodrová. The first part of the study provides a brief overview of the current state of literary thanatology and cites key interdisciplinary works essential to the analysis. The second part presents the analysis of Hodrová’s works, divided into two periods: her early novels of the 1990s (the trilogy Trýznivé město, 1991) and her 21st-century works (Vyvolávání, 2010; Točité věty, 2015). In Hodrová’s prose, death is present at all levels — compositional, motivic, and even within the system of characters — yet its representation undergoes a distinct evolution. In her early works, death dominates at the compositional level, serving as a catalyst for character initiation, and functions as an important theme, particularly the autobiographical experience of losing loved ones (father, husband, etc.). In her later texts, however, death is mythologized, transforming into a symbol. Here, the focus shifts from the physiology of dying and the experience of trauma to the issue of memory loss and methods of overcoming the oblivion of loved ones. Received: 01.08.2025. Revised: 15.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Kozhina S. A. Text Against Oblivion: The Theme of Death in the Works of Daniela Hodrová // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 351–362 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.19
The Space of the Living and the Dead through the Prism of Individual Memory in A Treatise on Shelling Beans by Wiesław Myśliwski
This paper analyzes the novel by the contemporary Polish writer Wiesław Myśliwski, who debuted in the post-war period as a representative of the peasant prose movement. The book follows the fate of a man whose life is shaped by major historical events that catalyze the transformation and disintegration of both material reality and the spiritual realm. The study focuses on the novel’s artistic space, examined through the prism of the key antinomies that define Myśliwski’s poetics: the living/the dead and dream/reality. Narrated in the first person, the text takes the form of an “oral monologue” whose polyphony arises from the delegation of the narrative voice. The framing composition and the author’s narrative strategy create a domain of continuous storytelling grounded in categories central to Myśliwski’s artistic worldview: the word, memory, and imagination. Time in the novel is cyclical, structured according to the workings of autobiographical memory. The article also investigates the system of leitmotifs, in which the motifs of light, the word, and ritual perform a structuring function within the realms of the living and the dead. The narrator’s passage between the novel’s various levels of artistic space is examined through a plotline that crosses the boundary between opposing existential states of the human being. Received: 05.08.2025. Revised: 15.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Libina I. A. The Space of the Living and the Dead through the Prism of Individual Memory in A Treatise on Shelling Beans by Wiesław Myśliwski // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 340–350 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.18
On the Reconstruction and Etymology of Proto-Slavic *čepati ‘to go, to step’
Regarding the origin of Proto-Slavic *čepati ‘to go, to step’, reconstructed from the dialectal data of several Slavic languages, the onomatopoeic theory currently prevails. This article examines an alternative hypothesis proposed by P. Skok, which suggests a genetic relationship between *čepati ‘to go’ and Proto-Slavic *čepati / *ščepati / *ščepiti ‘to split, to cleave’ and *ščepаti ‘to seize, to reach’. The author provides several arguments in support of this view. Semantic analogies for the connections proposed by Skok include: 1) *ščepаti ‘to seize’ > *čepati ‘to go’ (cf. Russian shag ‘step’ < *sęgati); 2) *ščepati ‘to split’ > *čepati ‘to go’ (cf. Russian dial. shchipat’ ‘to walk quietly or stealthily’). It is proposed that the Slavic semantic model *čepati / *ščepati / *ščepiti ‘to go’ < ‘to split’ + ‘to seize’ is similar to the semantic model of Old Indic kram- ‘to step’ = ‘to appropriate’ + ‘to separate, to split’, as reconstructed by V. N. Toporov. This is further supported by the kinship of Old Indic kram- with Proto-Slavic *krokъ and their common origin from PIE *(s) ker- ‘to cut’. Cf. also Russian colloquial dorvat’sya ‘to seize greedily’, and Slavic *razъ (Russian raz ‘once’, raz za razom ‘time after time’ < *rězati ‘to cut’) as a unit of action measurement. Received: 29.10.2025. Revised: 23.01.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Varbot Zh. Zh. On the Reconstruction and Etymology of Proto-Slavic *čepati ‘to go, to step’ // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 334–339 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.17
Variability in the Serbian Standard Language: Ekavian and Ijekavian in Light of the “Own – Other” Opposition (Based on Informants’ Statements)
This paper examines the sociolinguistic context of the dual orthoepic norm of the Serbian standard language, based on the differing reflexes of the jat vowel — Ekavian and Ijekavian — through the cognitive opposition of “Own – Other.” Despite the declared equality of these norms, the Ijekavian norm (prevalent in Republika Srpska and Montenegro) and the Ekavian norm (used in Serbia) possess different statuses in practice. Observations indicate that both “Western” and “Eastern” Serbs are not always aware of this linguistic variability; furthermore, “Eastern” Serbs often do not accept it, subjecting “Western” Serbs to linguistic and cultural discrimination. The study is based on interviews with Ijekavian migrants (six informants, primarily philologists), who describe their adaptation to an Ekavian environment and the perception of the two norms on social media, as well as discussions concerning negative stereotypes toward the Ijekavian dialect and Western Serbian lexicon. The article also analyzes practical aspects of adaptation, including its impact on family, education, and the preservation of personal identity. It describes how the speech of “Western” Serbs is evaluated by residents of Central Serbia and how Ijekavians themselves perceive and assess their speech within an alien environment, demonstrating how the “Own – Other” opposition structures the linguistic and cultural consciousness of both “Eastern” and “Western” Serbs. Received: 29.10.2025. Revised: 01.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Yakushkina E. I., Crnjak D. M. Variability in the Serbian Standard Language: Ekavian and Ijekavian in Light of the “Own – Other” Opposition (Based on Informants’ Statements) // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 316–333 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.16
This article analyzes a number of Polish and Russian dialect eponyms. The main focus is on eponyms motivated by anthroponyms, categorized into several lexico-semantic groups: names of plants, animals, everyday objects, designations of people and their characteristics, names of games and events, and others. The author notes the semantic polyfunctionality (polysemy) of the same eponymous form both within the entire dialectal array of each language and within a single dialect. A particular difficulty lies in establishing the motivational feature that served as the basis for using a particular anthroponym as an eponym. In some cases, this can be established; for instance, many deanthroponyms arose from chrononyms, which were in turn motivated by hagionyms (e. g., Russian ульяновка ‘a variety of apples preserved until St. Juliana’s Day’ and Polish janek ‘a wreath attached to a door on St. John’s Day’). The motivational feature is more easily identified in detoponyms (e. g., Polish dunaj ‘large deep water’ and Russian астраханка ‘a variety of melons’). The compared dialectal languages differ in the frequency of eponym usage within shared lexico-semantic groups. Specifically, in Russian dialects, deanthroponyms refer to individuals significantly more often than in Polish, typically indicating negative traits. The article concludes by noting the prospects of compiling dictionaries and monographs dedicated to dialectal eponyms derived from various classes of onyms. Received: 26.11.2025. Revised: 03.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Ananyeva N. Ye. On Polish and Russian Dialect Eponyms // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 302–315 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.15
On April 29, 2026, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor, Foreign Member of the Macedonian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Head of the Center for Areal Linguistics at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Tatiana Ivanovna Vendina celebrated her anniversary. Received: 29.10.2025. Citation Shalaeva T. V. Tatiana Ivanovna Vendina // Slavic Almanac. 2026. № 1–2. P. 298–301 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.14
Kołtun in Polish Folk Culture of the 19th – Early 20th Centuries: Source Analysis
Based on Polish folklore and ethnographic journals of the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries and the Collected Works of Oskar Kolberg, the article examines the localization of Polish folk ideas about the kołtun (Polish plait, mat), its various names, the objects of its influence, and the symptoms and diseases associated with it in Polish folk culture. It explores its ontological status, types and manifestations, causes of occurrence, agents that inflict or remove the affliction, methods of forming the plait for medicinal purposes, the duration it was worn, treatment specifics, the time and place of its cutting, the tools used to get rid of it, and subsequent actions taken after its separation from the head. The classification of the studied folk ideas is based on the descriptive sequence for the kołtun from the ethnolinguistic dictionary Slavic Antiquities, with additions reflecting the specificities of the Polish folk worldview. The aim of the article is to study the nature of the kołtun and its place in traditional Polish culture. For this purpose, the descriptive sequence was clarified and expanded using Polish material, supplemented by quotations from sources. The author’s translation of fragments from the works of Polish folklorists makes these materials more accessible to the Russian-speaking reader. Received: 01.07.2025. Revised: 06.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Povetkina P. B. Kołtun in Polish Folk Culture of the 19th – Early 20th Centuries: Source Analysis // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 277–297 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.13
Lexical Syncretism in the Lexical-Semantic System of the Serbian Literary Language
The article examines the phenomenon of lexical syncretism in the modern Serbian literary language, defined as a situation in which two distinct meanings (A and B) are expressed by a single lexeme (X). The study identifies two distinct types of syncretism in Serbian. The first is “old” (archaic) syncretism, which aligns with the traditional definition; it often originated in the Proto-Slavic period and has persisted in the modern language (for instance, the lexeme koža remains the only way to express both ‘human skin’ and ‘animal hide’). The second type, which constitutes a typological feature of the Serbian lexical-semantic system, is “new” syncretism. This occurs when a specific lexeme Y (e.g., the verb liti, ‘to pour liquids’) coexists with a syncretic lexeme X (e.g., the verb sipati, which means both ‘to pour liquids’ and ‘to pour/strew solids’). In such cases, lexeme X is frequently employed in both senses, often displacing lexeme Y in usage. The endurance of old syncretism and the emergence of new forms in Serbian can be attributed to both a tendency toward preserving archaic structures and a drive for linguistic economy. Acknowledgements The work was carried out with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project № 22-18-00586 “Mapping of the typology of polysemy via computer-assisted system of the cross-language identification of semantic shifts”. Received: 15.03.2025. Revised: 19.01.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Kaprielova V. V. Lexical Syncretism in the Lexical-Semantic System of the Serbian Literary Language // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 260–276 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.12
The Deantroponymic Appellatives in the Czech Non-Literary Language
The deantroponymic appellatives in the Czech non-literary language are described. The spheres of interaction of the czechs with reality, in which (we mean the spheres of interaction) the necessity in new names shows itself, are revealed; the ways of creation of the given nominative signs are determined. The definitional analysis of the deantroponymic appellatives, presented in the Dictionary of the Czech non-literary language, makes it possible for us to divide them into seven lexical-semantic groups: 1) “Human being and his/her qualities”, 2) “Clothes and footwear”, 3) “Playing cards and card games”, 4) “Alcoholic drinks and narcotics”, 5) “State offices”, 6) “Money means and places for their safekeeping”, 7) “Means of transportation” and to describe fifteen single units: albert, alois, anča, bohouš, gagarin, karel, kašpar, kašpárek, kristusky, máňa, mařenka, oskar, remek, vašek, venca. The lexical-semantic group “Human being and his/her qualities” turns out to be the most psychologically significant for the Czechs and, consequently, the largest, that is testified by the considerable quantitative superiority of the forming it units over the formations of each of the rest lexical-semantic groups and single units. The main way of creation of the deantroponymic appellatives in the Czech non-literary language is non-affixal deonymization, which outnumbers affixal deonymization considerably. Received: 22.04.2025. Revised: 04.08.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Chesnokova P., Chesnokov I. I. The Deantroponymic Appellatives in the Czech Non-Literary Language // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 250–259 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.11
The Bosnian War (1992–1995) and Russia’s Response: Chinese Historiography from the 1995 Dayton Accords to the Present
The article examines Chinese historiography regarding Russia’s policy, actions, and role in the Bosnian conflict (1992–1995). The author analyzes the evolution of Chinese scholarly perspectives on Russia’s diplomatic efforts during the Yugoslav crisis and identifies key trends in how Moscow’s position is interpreted within China’s academic community. Particular attention is given to how Chinese researchers assess the impact of the Bosnian conflict on the formation of post-Soviet Russia’s foreign policy, its relations with the West, and its standing in the international arena. The study also considers how Chinese historians’ analytical approaches have shifted in response to changes in the global geopolitical environment over the past decades. Three primary thematic pillars are highlighted: Russia’s historical ties with the peoples of the former Yugoslavia (specifically the Serbs), Russia’s geopolitical interests in the Balkans, and the dynamics of its relations with Western states. The early 1990s consensus that Russia’s post-1992 foreign policy harmed its national interests gradually shifted toward a more nuanced assessment. Chinese historiography emphasizes the steady transition of Russian diplomacy from ideologically driven approaches to a more pragmatic policy centered on national interests. Received: 01.11.2025. Revised: 07.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Yan Lei. The Bosnian War (1992–1995) and Russia’s Response: Chinese Historiography from the 1995 Dayton Accords to the Present // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No. 1–2. P. 217–249 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.10
Balkan Regional Historiographies of the 1992–1995 War in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Comparative Analysis
This article provides a brief review and comparative analysis of regional historiography concerning the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). To date, a unified national historiography of the conflict has not emerged in BiH. Instead, three distinct national discourses — Bosniak, Serbian, and Croatian — have developed, each offering diametrically opposed interpretations of the war’s causes, nature, and most dramatic episodes (such as the Siege of Sarajevo, the battles in Eastern Bosnia, and the Srebrenica tragedy). Bosniak historiography characterizes the war as aggression by Serbia and Croatia. In contrast, Serbian historiography views it as a civil war driven by religious and ethnic contradictions, often termed the “Defensive-Patriotic War” (Serb. odbrambeno-otađbinskij rat), emphasizing the Serbian people’s right to self-determination. Croatian historiography treats the conflicts in BiH and Croatia as interconnected components of “Serbian aggression.” The author analyzes key works published in BiH, Serbia, and Croatia, identifying two primary trends in regional historiography: political and reconstructive. The study concludes that Bosniak historiography is heavily politicized and utilized by the Party of Democratic Action (SDA) as a tool to exert pressure on the leadership of Republika Srpska. Received: 27.01.2025. Revised: 02.02.2025. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Bezruchenko V. I. Balkan Regional Historiographies of the 1992–1995 War in Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Comparative Analysis // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 194–216 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.09
Belarusian Political Emigration in West Germany at the Dawn of the Cold War (1945–1960)
The article examines the activities of Belarusian political emigrants during the early Cold War — first in the Allied occupation zones and subsequently in West Germany. After World War II, a significant number of “displaced persons” of Belarusian origin remained in Germany. Two political forces competed for influence over them: the Belarusian Central Rada (BCR) and the Rada of the Belarusian People’s Republic (BNR). Their leaders, Radoslav Ostrovsky and Nikolai Abramchik, both sought to coordinate the entire Belarusian emigration in the West. During the war, activists from both organizations had collaborated with the Nazis to some extent; in the post-war environment, they sought to integrate themselves into the new anti-communist agenda. The results of this rivalry were ambivalent. On the one hand, the BNR Rada played a role in establishing the Belarusian division of the Institute for the Study of the USSR in Munich, though it later shifted toward a subordinate position relative to the United States. Meanwhile, the BCR leadership managed to place its activities within a broader context by joining the Anti-Bolshevik Bloc of Nations (ABN), while maintaining its political representation and independent structures in West Germany. Received: 29.07.2025. Revised: 09.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Barinov I. I. Belarusian Political Emigration in West Germany at the Dawn of the Cold War (1945–1960) // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 178–193 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.08
The End of Belarusization in the Russian-Belarusian Borderlands in the 1930s
The article examines the final stages of the Belarusization policy in the Russian regions bordering the BSSR, which in 1929 became part of the Western Oblast (the Smolensk, Bryansk, and much of the Pskov governorates). The de-belarusization process was largely triggered by the March 2, 1933, resolution of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) “On the Distortion of the National Policy of the All-Union Communist Party (Bolsheviks) in Belorussia”, though some signs of this shift, also initiated by Moscow, appeared earlier. Notably, throughout the 1920s, local authorities generally resisted Belarusization, which was implemented primarily under constant pressure and oversight from Moscow. However, once the central government ceased to enforce these policies, local structures did not immediately move to curtail the “korenizatsiia” (indigenization) efforts. The reversal of Belarusization in the Russian border regions was neither sudden nor instantaneous; the conversion of Belarusian schools into Russian ones spanned several years. The final decision by the Presidium of the Regional Executive Committee on this matter — within the borders of the then-independent Smolensk Oblast — was issued on August 31, 1938, when the last remaining national schools (Jewish, Belarusian, and Romani) were reorganized into Russian-language institutions. Acknowledgements The study was prepared with the financial support of the Russian Science Foundation, project No. 24-28-00859 “Belarusization in the Russian-Belarusian border region in the 1920s and 1930s: the practice of nation-building”, https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-00859/. Received: 06.09.2025. Revised: 17.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Kobets O. V. The End of Belarusization in the Russian-Belarusian Borderlands in the 1930s // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 159–177 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.07
“The Whole Story Makes a Frivolous Impression”: the Problem of Establishing Soviet-Albanian Relations in 1924
The rise to power in Albania of Fan Noli’s left-liberal government following the June Revolution of 1924 initiated the establishment of diplomatic relations between Tirana and Moscow. However, the negotiation process, which began in July, dragged on for six months and ultimately failed. The protracted delays in resolving the issue of Soviet-Albanian relations were primarily caused by the uncoordinated actions of the Soviet plenipotentiary missions in Rome and Vienna: each conducted independent negotiations with the Albanian side on its own terms, leaving Tirana unclear about Moscow’s final position. Another significant hurdle was the bureaucratic red tape surrounding the appointment of staff for the proposed mission in Tirana. These delays were compounded by the deteriorating relations between the Albanian government and the Kosovo Committee, which had been actively promoting closer Soviet-Albanian ties. This situation was exploited by Great Britain, Italy, and Yugoslavia (with French support), who feared the expansion of Soviet influence in the Balkans. By exerting joint pressure on Noli’s government, these aforementioned powers secured the expulsion of the recently arrived plenipotentiary representative, A. A. Krakovetsky. A further coup in Albania in December 1924 and the return of Ahmed Zogu’s government to power marked the end of the first attempt to establish diplomatic relations between Tirana and Moscow. Acknowledgements The research was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation No. 24-18-00461, “‘Imagined Regions’ Between the Two World Wars: Problems of Construction and Management,” https://rscf.ru/project/24-18-00461/ Received: 20.07.2025. Revised: 08.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Rodin D. V. “The Whole Story Makes a Frivolous Impression”: the Problem of Establishing Soviet-Albanian Relations in 1924 // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 135–158 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.06
“Changing the Hands”: The Julian Calendar and Petrograd Time in Occupied Galicia (1914–1915)
Drawing on a wide range of sources, including archival materials, this article examines the measures taken by the Russian authorities to introduce the Julian calendar and Petrograd time in occupied Galicia during World War I, as well as the local population’s reaction to these innovations. Both aspects are illustrated primarily through the case of Lviv, where the changes were most perceptible. It was impossible to ignore the time change, at least in the Galician capital, as it affected the curfew, tram schedules, and the operations of city enterprises and institutions. However, the new calendar was slow to take root: Polish newspapers limited themselves to a formal mention of the “Julian” date in their headers, and many institutions and individuals continued to use the New Style even in official correspondence with the Russian administration. Remarkably, even Ruthenian Greek Catholics (Uniates), for whom the Julian calendar had long served as a key marker of distinction from the Poles, preferred the Gregorian calendar during the occupation. The Russian authorities, recognizing that the population could not adapt to such changes quickly, largely turned a blind eye to both the press’s noncompliance and the locals’ continued use of the New Style. Received: 20.05.2025. Revised: 08.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Parfirev D. S. “Changing the Hands”: The Julian Calendar and Petrograd Time in Occupied Galicia (1914–1915) // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 120–134 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.05
Letters from the Front by Slovenian Officers and Soldiers Participating in the Occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878
This article examines under-researched aspects of Slovene attitudes toward the Austro-Hungarian occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878, specifically analyzing the contents of letters from the front written by Slovene officers and soldiers. The focus is primarily on letters published in August–September 1878 in the Slovene liberal newspaper Slovenski narod, but a number of other sources are also used. Letters from Slovenes at the front raised a wide range of issues: Austro-Hungarian policy of the period, the progress of the occupation campaign, the attitudes of Slovene soldiers in the Austro-Hungarian army toward the Christian (Catholic and Orthodox) population of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Turks, their everyday hardships and sentiments, their general impressions of the occupied territories, and so on. Based on these letters, the author identifies certain characteristics of the “European mentality” of Slovenes, expressed in their assessment of events, their rejection of Turkish traditions of warfare, and their deep-seated conviction in the unbridgeable gulf between Christians and Muslims. The letters do not provide a precise and complete description of the events, nor do they offer a serious analysis. However, their content allows us to judge the hopes and aspirations of patriotic Slovenes in the late 1870s, as well as the specific perceptions of the occupation by Slovene soldiers of the Austro-Hungarian army. Received: 20.01.2026. Revised: 10.02.2026. Accepted: 17.03.2026. Citation Kirilina L. A. Letters from the Front by Slovenian Officers and Soldiers Participating in the Occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1878 // Slavic Almanac. 2026. No 1–2. P. 98–119 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2026.1-2.04
occupation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (1878)