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»
In Memory of Our Czech Colleague, Radomír Vlček
In Memory of Our Czech Colleague, Radomír Vlček. Received: 31.08.2025. Citation Serapionova E. P. In Memory of Our Czech Colleague, Radomír Vlček // Slavic almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 429–431 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.25
Copyright (c) 2025 Slavic Almanac https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0
90th Birthday of Professor Janusz Rieger
90th Birthday of Professor Janusz Rieger. Received: 30.07.2025. Citation Ananyeva N. J., Ostapchuk O. A. 90th Birthday of Professor Janusz Rieger // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 421–428 (In Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.24
Academic Conference “Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Humanities Research: Experience and Prospects for Use”
Academic Conference “Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Humanities Research: Experience and Prospects for Use”. Received: 01.08.2025. Citation Baidalova E. V., Shatko E. V. Academic Conference “Artificial Intelligence Technologies in Humanities Research: Experience and Prospects for Use” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 411–420 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.23
III Shemyakin Readings: “Myths, Prejudices, and Stereotypes in the History and Historiography of the Peoples of Central and South-Eastern Europe. 18th–20th Centuries”
III Shemyakin Readings: “Myths, Prejudices, and Stereotypes in the History and Historiography of the Peoples of Central and South-Eastern Europe. 18th–20th Centuries”. Received: 04.08.2025. Citation Lobacheva Yu. V. III Shemyakin Readings: “Myths, Prejudices, and Stereotypes in the History and Historiography of the Peoples of Central and South-Eastern Europe. 18th–20th Centuries” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 407–410 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.22
LIII L. A. Verbitskaya International Academic Philological Conference
LIII L. A. Verbitskaya International Academic Philological Conference. Received: 07.04.2025. Citation Shalaeva T. V. LIII L. A. Verbitskaya International Academic Philological Conference // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 403–406 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.21
International Scholarly Conference “V Readings in Memory of Archpriest John Grigorovich: Historian, Archaeographer, Archaeologist”
International Scholarly Conference “V Readings in Memory of Archpriest John Grigorovich: Historian, Archaeographer, Archaeologist”. Received: 01.09.2025. Citation Dronov M. Yu., Sloistov S. M. International Scholarly Conference “V Readings in Memory of Archpriest John Grigorovich: Historian, Archaeographer, Archaeologist” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 399–402 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.20
From Unknown to Forced Recognition: German-Belarusian Intersections of the First Half of the 20th Century in Modern Interpretation
The vast complex of research problems related to Germany’s policy towards the Belarusian lands during the two world wars of the 20th century and the interwar period still contains many topics that have been overlooked by specialists. The monograph by I. I. Barinov, a historian from the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, published in 2024 is an attempt to highlight an interesting set of such unexplored and little-studied subjects, the development of which can advance not only the domestic historiography of Eastern and Central Europe, but also historical science as a whole. Based on a wide range of sources, including documents from German, Russian and Belarusian archives, the author seeks to present the objective reality of both the processes of formation of German ideas about the Belarusian lands and Belarusians in 1914–1944, and details of the biographies of those “specialists in the East” who formed these ideas. The book contains conclusions that are important for contemporary discussions in historiography about the place of the Belarusian factor in German plans during the First and Second World Wars against the backdrop of Germany’s anti-Polish strategy, Germany’s language policy towards Belarusians, and the role of Baltic Germans in recognizing the Belarusian space. Received: 10.05.2025. Citation Borisyonok Yu. A. From Unknown to Forced Recognition: German-Belarusian Intersections of the First Half of the 20th Century in Modern Interpretation // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 382–398 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.19
New Work on the History of the Church Policy of the Soviet State
The reviewed work attempts to establish the information value and limits of application of such a historical source as archival investigative files. More specifically, the research is based on the cases of accusations against the clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church of anti-Soviet activities in 1917 – 1930s. Despite a lot of unreliable information related to the fabrication of charges, this source gives an idea of the methods of implementing state religious policy and state-church relations in the early stages of Soviet power, allows us to add new facts to the biographies of repressed clergy, including prominent church hierarchs, and expands our knowledge of various aspects of everyday church-parish life in the period of history under consideration. A fundamentally new stage in the church policy of the Soviet government, requiring independent study, began in September 1939. With the inclusion of new territories of Eastern Europe with an abundance of Orthodox population, strong clergy, and a large number of Orthodox churches into the USSR in 1939–1940, it was necessary to build church policy taking into account the changed conditions. Received: 28.05.2025. Citation Stykalin A. S. New Work on the History of the Church Policy of the Soviet State // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 375–381 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.18
church policy of the Soviet government in 1917 – 1930s
“Am I Guilty or Not Towards Russia”. The Letter of Ukrainian Deputy of Austrian Parliament M. Petryts’kyj to M. V. Rodzyanko, the Chairman of the State Duma (1916)
The publication includes a letter of Ukrainian politician from Galicia M. Petryts’kyj written April 18, 1916, in the prison of Vinnitsa, addressed to the Chairman of the State Duma M. V. Rodzyanko. The document complements the vision of “unreliable” Galician inhabitants’ persecution during the First World War and clarifies the attitude of Ukrainian activists from Austria-Hungary towards Russia in the same period. Received 19.02.2025. Citation Parfirev D. S. “Am I Guilty or Not Towards Russia”. The Letter of Ukrainian Deputy of Austrian Parliament M. Petryts’kyj to M. V. Rodzyanko, the Chairman of the State Duma (1916) // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 364–374 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.17
To the History of Russian Slavic Studies in the 1940s: The Founding of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Light of Archival Documents
The article is devoted to the history of Soviet Slavic studies in 1941– 1947, the role of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in the development of Slavic studies, and contributions of outstanding scientists, such as academicians N. S. Derzhavin, B. D. Grekov, V. I. Picheta and others, to the development of methodology and organization of studies on the history and culture of the Slavic peoples. Due to these scientists’ efforts historical studies became the main direction in the field of Slavic studies. The article deals with the activity of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in elaborating the strategy of development of the humanities and the plans of scientific works of the Department of History and Philosophy of the Academy in 1946–1947. Among the urgent and most pressing tasks was the creation of the Institute of Slavic Studies. The process of its creation required coordination on political, scientific, organizational and personnel issues with the Secretariat of the Central Committee and the Politburo of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks. The result of this complex work was the foundation of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR in 1946. The Institute began its work the following year. The unique archival material on this problem is published as an appendix to the article for the first time. Received 08.04.2025. Revised 19.06.2025. Accepted 16.09.2025. Citation Marney L. P., Nosov B. N. To the History of Russian Slavic Studies in the 1940s: The Founding of the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Light of Archival Documents // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No. 3–4. P. 319–363 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.16
Department of History and Philosophy of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Institute of Slavic Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences
Laughter and Shame in the Polish Comedy Series “The Chairman’s Ear” (Ucho Prezesa): Who Is Being Mocked and Who Is Laughing?
Building on the contrast between laughter and shame proposed by philosopher Leonid Karasev, the author examines how humour in the Polish comedy series Ucho Prezesa (“The Chairman’s Ear”) mirrors societal perceptions of power, political practices, and management mechanisms that defined the era of the ruling Law and Justice Party (PiS) (2015–2023). The main character, PiS chairman Jarosław Kaczyński, is surrounded by cowardly, foolish, and hypocritical allies who lack self-reflection and do not feel shame for their actions. The chairman’s laughter at his subordinates and opposition figures reinforces his sense of superiority; he delights in the failures of others and, essentially, despises everyone. Although he is not unfamiliar with the feeling of shame, he consciously suppresses it. “The Chairman’s Ear” ridicules both the representatives of the ruling party and the opposition. The political competitors of PiS are depicted negatively; they are viewed as hypocritical, occasionally vulgar, and foolish, prioritising their own well-being and the quest for power. The creators of the series ironize the absurdity of Poland’s de facto two-party system, where for the past twenty years, both PiS and the Civic Platform (PO), after winning elections, have cancelled their predecessors’ decisions, transforming the political process into an endless closed loop. Laughter thus serves as a means to express public discontent with the ongoing political conflict, commonly referred to as the “Polish-Polish war.” This conflict reduces the political process to a battle over personal interests, depriving society of the essential changes it needs. Received: 28.03.2025. Revised: 22.07.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Lagno A. R. Laughter and Shame in the Polish Comedy Series “The Chairman’s Ear” (Ucho Prezesa): Who Is Being Mocked and Who Is Laughing? // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 296–318 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.15
Late 19th – Early 20th Century Russia in Ferenc Herczeg’s Travelogues
The paper aims to introduce Ferenc Herczeg to contemporary Russian public and scholars by presenting a detailed survey of narratives generated by his journey to the Russian Empire in 1900. Herczeg, a primordial conservative, the celebrated ‘prince writer’, who enjoyed tremendous popularity in his native country in the first half of the 20th century, turns out to have been an ardent Russophile, a dedicated and refined admirer of Russian culture (alongside with numerous of his compatriots visiting the Russian empire at the time). His journey was supported by the diplomatic corps of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy. Herczeg, who was subsequently erased from Hungarian literary canon from 1945 on due to political circumstances, though he was not implicated in any political or war crimes, is just being rediscovered by scholars in Hungary. According to his travelogues Herczeg was greatly impressed by what he saw in Nicholas II’s empire. He reevaluated 1849’s political clashes between Hungary and Russia, touched upon the sacred key-note of Russian culture and literature, and, last but not least, provided a profound and true account of the two streams of Russian culture. Furthermore, Herczeg’s detached view of Russia, which is later also amply reflected in his theoretical and public discourse, is also prompted by his readings: not only did he proclaim Dostoevsky as an author who pre-eminently influenced his own writings, but he was fascinated with the works of L. Tolstoy, Turgenev, Pushkin, Merezhkovsky and Gorky as well. Coming from a family of Silesian German origin, Herczeg’s specific ideas and experience concerning alternatives of policy in respect of nationalities in his own country vs Russia give an interesting insight into contemporary state of affairs. The traveller’s personal acquaintance with count Komarovsky, a Russian nobleman, whose ancestors had held key positions in diplomacy and domestic affairs, their conversations in Moscow offered him an opportunity to familiarise himself with Russia’s past and present. Received: 16.05.2025. Revised: 30.07.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Józsa Gy. Z. Late 19th – Early 20th Century Russia in Ferenc Herczeg’s Travelogues // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 269–295 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.14
the reception of Russian culture at the turn of the two centuries
“The Russian Boyan” or “the Roguish Exploiter of Moscow Patriotism”: D. A. Agrenev-Slavyansky and his “Slavic Chapel” in the Assessments of Contemporaries. Part 2
Dmitry A. Agrenev (pseud. Agrenev-Slavyansky, 1834 or 1836‒1908) was the founder of the “Slavic Chapel”, one of the most popular choral teams in the Russian Empire in the last third of the 19th – early 20th cent. A radical discrepancy in contemporaries’ assessments of him was noted in Russian historiography on the history of choirs which performed Russian and Slavic folk songs and in research about the formation of the Russian theatrical culture. The personality of Slavyansky, his repertoire policy, his role in the popularization of the Russian song heritage were perceived as ambivalent. On the one hand, he was called the “Russian Boyan” and was praised for popularizing Russian culture in Russian Empire and abroad. On the other hand, he was reproached for falsifying folklore works, representing “the new songs” (gypsy and factory songs, romances of modern poets) as traditional folklore in the pursuit of profit. Music critics and composers (including outstanding ones, such as P. I. Tchaikovsky and S. I. Taneyev) expressed doubts about the authenticity of the folklore sources he collected and the accuracy of their musical processing for concert performance. The second part of the article consists of the interpretation of the severity of criticism of Slavyansky and his “Slavic Chapel”, which is tied to the formation of cultural ideas and ideological concepts of Russianness and “narodnost’” during the period of nation-building in the Russian Empire. Received: 27.07.2024. Revised: 17.09.2024. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Leskinen M. V. “The Russian Boyan” or “the Roguish Exploiter of Moscow Patriotism”: D. A. Agrenev-Slavyansky and his “Slavic Chapel” in the Assessments of Contemporaries. Part 2 // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 245–268 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.13
External vs. Internal: Spatial Opposition in M. Vișniec’s “Balkan Trilogy”
The article explores spatial oppositions in two plays by Matei Vișniec from the “Balkan Trilogy” – “The Body of a Woman as a Battlefield in the Bosnian War” (1996–1997) and “The Word Progress on my Mother’s Lips Doesn’t Ring True” (2005). It analyzes binary structures (external/ internal, West/Balkans, life/death, open/closed) at physical, symbolic, and corporeal levels, revealing their role in representing the trauma of the Balkan conflicts. These oppositions express the ambivalence of spaces: the Balkans as a locus of suffering and memory are contrasted with the West, symbolizing order yet also cynicism; the open world, while offering possibilities, appears unsafe and is opposed to the closed world as non-threatening yet lifeless. Boundaries (national, bodily, symbolic) serve as key elements of the plays’ poetics. At the corporeal level, the loss of agency (through rape, prostitution) and its restoration through action are examined. Despite the grim context, the plays’ endings offer optimism: characters regain agency by choosing between integration into the “external” world or revival of the “internal” one (homeland/ home). The article emphasizes that for Vișniec, overcoming trauma involves actively inhabiting/reclaiming space and regaining control over one’s own history. Received: 01.08.2025. Revised: 10.09.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Usacheva A. V. External vs. Internal: Spatial Opposition in M. Vișniec’s “Balkan Trilogy” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 233–244 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.12
Depictions of War in Modern Bosnian Literature
In the article, different approaches to create an image of war in 1990s, during the collapse of Yugoslavia are shown based on the material of the “besieged” (Dž. Karahasan, M. Jergović, O. Kebo) and afterwar (V. Kapor, F. Štukan) Bosnian literature. The main point is to discover the olfactory, auditorial, visual images as well as tastes which are used for depicting war. Jergovic and Kapor are using olfactory images to show the contrast between peace and war. Tastes are used by Kebo in his “Sarajevo for Beginners”, in which the taste of war is bad water and plain rice. Auditory images are those of explosions and gunshots which, over time, are becoming new norm. Silence for Stukan is a sign of danger, but for Kapor it is trauma space. Visual images show the destroyed cities and towns, but “besieged” authors describe it with much more details, while Stukan and Kapor use a few sparse mentions. The absence of light becomes the symbol of the end of times in “besieged” literature. Received: 01.08.2025. Revised: 03.09.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Shatko E. V. Depictions of War in Modern Bosnian Literature // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 223–232 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073- 5731.2025.3-4.11
“Great Martyrs of Unbearable Being”: The Metamorphoses of the Body as a Means of Spatial Representation of the Postmodern Identity (Based on E. Andreev’s “Lom Stories”)
In this article, based on the stories “The End of the Red Ball”, “Dove with Blue Eyes”, “The Ruthless Body of Monika”, “Kiro the Tightrope Walker’s Song of Love”, and “The Last Photograph of Photographer Ivaylo”, which are part of the cycle “Lom Stories” (1996) by the renowned Bulgarian writer Emil Andreev (born 1956), the bodily metamorphoses of characters are analyzed to reveal the specifics of spatial representation of the postmodern personality. As a theoretical foundation for defining the features of the postmodern personality and the specifics of discourse in postmodern literature, works by J. Deleuze, F. Guattari, M. Foucault, E. M. Meletinsky, V. A. Podoroga, N. B. Mankovskaya, N. L. Leiderman, M. N. Lipovetsky, and others were used. The article demonstrates that in Andreev’s “Lom Stories”, the “instability” of the postmodern personality in terms of space manifests, among other things, in the semantics and poetics of characters’ bodily metamorphoses (disappearance, disintegration of the body, fusion with an object, movement into another body, including an animal’s body). Using a playful postmodernist principle of modeling artistic reality, parodying folkloric-mythological elements, and blending tragic and comic elements, Andreev creates a special mythologized space where, in the intertwining of reality and fantasy, there exist “great martyrs of unbearable being” – heroes dissatisfied with their lives who feel a sense of “lacking”. Their bodily metamorphoses illustrate the postmodern personality’s detachment from a unified spatial image and its striving for freedom and diffuseness. Received: 01.08.2025. Revised: 10.09.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Lunkova N. A. “Great Martyrs of Unbearable Being”: The Metamorphoses of the Body as a Means of Spatial Representation of the Postmodern Identity (Based on E. Andreev’s “Lom Stories”) // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No. 3–4. P. 204–222 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.10
The Image of a Communist Construction Site in J. Wail’s Novel “The Wooden Spoon”
The novel “The Wooden Spoon” (1937) by the Czech writer and publicist Jiří Weil (1900–1959) is introduced into Russian scientific circulation for the first time. Its main theme and setting are the construction of a copper smelter on Lake Balkhash – Balkhashstroy. Weil tries to evaluate the large-scale communist construction by human standards – to depict it through the prism of the lives of four characters, each of whom represents a certain type: a Soviet official in exile, a Czech communist intellectual, a skilled foreign worker, and a Komsomol member mobilized for the construction site. The fates of these characters give the author the opportunity to show different sides of Soviet construction – domestic, psychological, ideological and political. The writer conceptualizes the space of Balkhashstroy as a place of severe trials, where both the impersonal state machine, aimed at achieving its grandiose goals, and nature – a harsh desert, not adapted for human life – are against man. It is interesting that the author equates the will of the state, deprived of personification, with the fate of ancient Greek tragedies, and its anthropocentric position brings the novel “Wooden Spoon” closer to the works of such Soviet writers as A. Platonov, B. Pilnyak, Ju. Olesha. At the same time, the novel includes not only an existential-philosophical evaluation, but also the pathos of heroic construction, overcoming nature and one’s “I”, and in this it correlates with the Soviet industrial novel of the 1930s. Received: 01.08.2025. Revised: 10.09.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Grasko A. V. The Image of a Communist Construction Site in J. Wail’s Novel “The Wooden Spoon” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No. 3–4. P. 185–203 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.09
Soviet construction projects of the first five-year plans
The Tradition of Hatir in the Funerary and Commemorative Rites of the Pontic Greeks of Russia: Semantics, Ritual Functions, and Ethnocultural Parallels
The article examines the complex semantics of the word “khatir” (‘memory’, ‘respect’, ‘favor’, ‘condolences’; Turk. hatır, Pontic χατίρ’) and its conceptualization within the funeral, memorial, and wedding rites of the Pontic Greeks in Russia. Based on field materials collected in Greek communities across Georgia, the North Caucasus, and Krasnodar Krai, the study analyzes the semantic transformation of the term from its original everyday meanings of “respect” and “favor” into a specialized ritual term within the context of funeral and memorial practices. Particular attention is paid to the functioning of “khatir” as a complex element of ritual communication, encompassing not only verbal formulas for expressing condolences to the bereaved family but also a set of ritual actions, a material code (symbolic gifts, mourning attributes), and strict behavioral prescriptions. The paper details three primary ritual contexts for the realization of the “khatir” concept: an act of expressing condolences to the family of the deceased, a mechanism for seeking permission to hold a wedding during a period of mourning, and a practice of demonstrating respect for ancestors at the cemetery. The study emphasizes the unique nature of this rite, which developed under conditions of prolonged intercultural interaction among Greek, Turkic, and Caucasian populations. “Khatir” is presented as a key marker of the ethnic identity of the Pontic Greeks, serving as a unifying factor for both Hellenophone-Romaioi and Turkophone-Urum communities. Acknowledgements The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 22-18-00484-П, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-00484-P/. Received: 11.08.2025. Revised: 12.08.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Klimova K. A. The Tradition of Hatir in the Funerary and Commemorative Rites of the Pontic Greeks of Russia: Semantics, Ritual Functions, and Ethnocultural Parallels // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 168–184 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.08
The Current State of Megleno-Romanian Language in the Context of Slavic – Non-Slavic Contacts (North Macedonia)
This article examines the characteristics of the Megleno-Romanian idiom, drawing on dialectal texts recorded from a native speaker in Gevgelija, North Macedonia (originally from the village of Uma). These texts were gathered during an ethnolinguistic field trip focused on the funerary and commemorative traditions, and related terminology, among the Balkan Romanian-speaking population of North Macedonia, with a particular emphasis on the Megleno-Romanians. Documenting the speech of the few remaining speakers of endangered Megleno-Romanian is the primary means of preserving evidence of the language’s current state. Researchers have always noted a significant Slavic influence on the Megleno-Romanian. Nevertheless, with the emergence of national languages and the language policies of the states in which Megleno-Romanian communities are located, an intensified impact of the respective languages on the idiom is being observed. This work focuses on the situation in North Macedonia. The analysis also includes a comparison of Megleno-Romanian in North Macedonia with earlier descriptions of the idiom. The article emphasizes the unique nature of the collected material, reflecting a speaker’s spontaneous language in a specific ethnocultural context. Consequently, the gathered material is of significant value not only for Romance linguistics but also for Slavic studies, as it showcases linguistic phenomena resulting from close contact with the Slavic populations and Slavic dialects. Acknowledgements The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 22-18-00484-П, https://rscf.ru/project/22-18-00484-P/. Received: 22.05. 2025. Revised: 03.08.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Kazakov I. I., Chivarzina A. I. The Current State of Megleno-Romanian Language in the Context of Slavic – Non-Slavic Contacts (North Macedonia) // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 149–167 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.07
Superlatives in Contemporary Czech Written Discourse: Corpora Studies
The article presents the experience of corpus analysis of superlative forms in modern Czech written discourse. As a source of factual material, the Synek corpus was used, which is a tenfold proportionally reduced SYN2000 corpus (120 908 724 tokens), intended by its compilers as adequately reflecting modern Czech written discourse. Based on the material of the Synek corpus, it is shown that in modern Czech discourse, in contrast to Russian discourse, in the vast majority of cases a simple superlative form of the type nejpopulárnější ‘most popular’ is used (approximately 200 times more contexts for the use of such forms were found than contexts for the use of analytical forms type nejvíce populární ‘most popular’). Algorithms for constructing a table of the use of simple superlative forms in modern Czech written discourse are described according to the Synek corpus. The first quarter of this table is presented (the first 250 lines from the form největší ‘largest/greatest’, used in 3764 contexts, to the form nejpestřejší ‘the most motley’, used in 5 contexts). Received: 07.09.2024. Revised: 23.03.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Izotov A. I., Morozov D. A. Superlatives in Contemporary Czech Written Discourse: Corpora Studies // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 130–148 (In Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.06
To the Study of Rendering Greek Scientific Vocabulary in the Old Church Slavonic Texts: Complex Lexical Units
The article discusses the mechanisms of rendering Greek scientific vocabulary through complex lexical units (composites and multi-word names). The main way of rendering Greek scientific terms were through various types of calquing. The formation of Old Church Slavonic composites and multi-word names by calquing have a lot in common. To calque Greek complex scientific terms, Slavic bookmen used morpheme-by-morpheme calquing and phraseological calquing, as well as a special kind of morpheme-by-morpheme calquing, in which the roots of the Greek composite are rendered by separate words of the phrase. At the same time, the “building material” of Slavic everyday vocabulary was used. The Greek “nominational ideology” was characterized by the formation of two-root composites even in the sphere of everyday vocabulary. The Slavic “nominational ideology” was expressed in the very rare formation of composites. However, in the sphere of scientific vocabulary, accuracy was required in rendering the meaning of a term, so Slavic bookmen strove to render the semantics of both roots or words of Greek complex lexical units as accurately as possible. The identification of multi-word scientific lexical units in Old Church Slavonic texts is a culturological and linguistic problem. Currently, there is no agreed-upon unified approach among researchers to the analysis of Old Church Slavonic texts in this aspect. The author believes that a multiword name as a lexical unit should nominate a single linguistic concept. To establish the nominated linguistic concepts, it is necessary to focus on the scientific conceptions of the authors of the Greek original texts of the Old Church Slavonic texts, and then on their interpretation by Slavic bookmen. Received: 29.05.2025. Revised: 22.08.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Efimova V. S. To the Study of Rendering Greek Scientific Vocabulary in the Old Church Slavonic Texts: Complex Lexical Units // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 106–129 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.05
Czechoslovakia and the Slovak Calvinist Hungarians: from the Contradictions of the Interwar Period to the Crisis Phenomena of 1945–1948
The crisis the Czechoslovak Calvinist community faced in 1945–1948 cannot be considered in isolation from the dynamics of the national emancipation of its Slovak part in the interwar period. The contradictions that developed at that time between the Slovak minority and the Hungarian majority within the Reformed Church in Czechoslovakia became the starting point for the subsequent confrontation in the period from the First Vienna Award to the end of World War II, and then during the critical year of 1948. The restoration of the Czechoslovak authorities’ control over the southern regions of Slovakia and the integration of these lands in the post-war period under analysis were carried out with the help of a system of anti-Hungarian discriminatory measures, which are considered in this paper. However, the general anti-Hungarian policy of the Czechoslovak state also had its own characteristics. Its implementation depended on the specific features of a particular group within the Hungarian minority. The paper pays special attention to the existence of the Calvinist Church during this critical period for the Slovak Hungarians. In addition to the anti-Hungarian reasons that determined its functioning, the author touches upon the development of the confrontation between the left forces in the country and the Catholic Church, which is important for understanding its position. Thus, the circumstances that are significant for some Slovak Hungarians are studied, primarily related to the sphere of church-state relations, but at the same time influencing the results of the nationalities policy of Czechoslovakia in relation to the Hungarian national minority. The author used archival materials, including some previously unpublished and discovered abroad. Received: 13.01.2025. Revised: 21.01.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Sloistov S. M. Czechoslovakia and the Slovak Calvinist Hungarians: from the Contradictions of the Interwar Period to the Crisis Phenomena of 1945–1948 // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 77–105 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.04
The “Case” of Patriarch Tikhon and Czechoslovak-Soviet Relations in April-June 1923 (According to the Documents of the Soviet Plenipotentiary Representation in Prague)
Based on published and archival documents, the author examines Czechoslovakia’s policy towards the USSR during the preparation of the trial of Patriarch Tikhon in the spring of 1923. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the dispatches of the Soviet plenipotentiary representative in Prague Konstantin K. Yurenev to the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs of the USSR. In his reports he mentioned the publications in the Czechoslovak and Russian emigrant press and the mass meetings in Prague in defense of Patriarch Tikhon. The Czechoslovak People’s Party and the National Democratic Party showed the greatest activity in organizing them, demanding that the Czechoslovak government completely break off relations with the USSR. Yurenev emphasized that due to religious persecution in the USSR, the circle of opponents of cooperation with the Soviet government in Czechoslovakia had significantly expanded. Czechoslovak diplomacy did not bring matters to a complete break in relations with Moscow, but Foreign Minister E. Beneš, citing the threat of a government crisis, reneged on his promise to bring to the meeting of the National Assembly of the Czechoslovak Republic the question of ratification of the Soviet-Czechoslovak Provisional Treaty of June 5, 1922. Received: 21.04.2025. Revised: 05.08.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Stankov N. N. The “Case” of Patriarch Tikhon and Czechoslovak-Soviet Relations in April-June 1923 (According to the Documents of the Soviet Plenipotentiary Representation in Prague) // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 53–76 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.03
Аctivities in Czechoslovakia in defense of Patriarch Tikhon
The Austrian Social Democrats’ View of Karl Lueger: Ideological Conflict in fin-de-siècle Vienna
The main goal of this investigation is to reveal both the dynamic interplay between Social Democrats and Christian Socialists, headed by Vienna’s Mayor Karl Lueger (1844–1910), and the specific ways in which their interaction manifested in the Social Democratic press and the public addresses of its leading voices, particularly in their evaluations of Lueger’s persona and political strategies. Analysis reveals the Social Democrats’ consistent deconstruction of the populist “people’s leader” image cultivated by the Christian Socialists, exposing the manipulative potential of his antisemitic, clericalist, and populist rhetoric. Particular attention is given to the Social Democrats’ critical evaluation of Lueger’s political strategy, tactical alliances, and complex interactions with diverse social groups within Viennese society. The findings suggest that Social Democratic appraisals of Lueger were characterized by significant ambivalence and internal tensions, driven not only by ideological commitment but also by pragmatic considerations stemming from the intense political competition for influence in the imperial capital of Austria-Hungary. This study highlights the strategic role of political discourse in shaping perceptions of a pivotal figure in Austrian history and underscores the complex dynamics of ideological rivalry in a rapidly changing society. Acknowledgements The study was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 24-28-01067, https://rscf.ru/project/24-28-01067/. Received: 28.02.2025. Revised: 11.03.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Bachenina V. V. The Austrian Social Democrats’ View of Karl Lueger: Ideological Conflict in fin-de-siècle Vienna // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 3–4. P. 32–52 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.02
The Perception of the Battle of Warsaw of 1656 by Lithuanian Nobles
Russian diplomatic sources contain traces of the “Lithuanina version” of the Battle of Warsaw of July 28–30, 1656, which differ significantly from the well-known Swedish, Polish and Brandenburgian descriptions of the event. This suggests that these less-known descriptions reflect the perception of the battle by the Lithuanina nobility and its tendency to position Lithuania after 1656 in opposition to both Poland and Russia. The impossibility of following this “third way” during the ongoing war led to this attitude disappearing relatively quickly, hence its absence in other known primary sources. The article analyzes the most detailed description of the battle of Warsaw and the events following it authored by prominent Lithuanian nobles, Y. Glebovich, Y. Khrapovitsky and others. The text itself is published as an appendix. Received: 25.02.2025. Revised: 12.06.2025. Accepted: 16.09.2025. Citation Prudovsky P. I. The Perception of the Battle of Warsaw of 1656 by Lithuanian Nobles // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No. 3–4. P. 12–31 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.3-4.01
nobility of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania
Professor of the Belarusian State University, Academician of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ivan Alekseevich Charota (1952–2024): Life in the Name of Slavic Studies
On November 7, 2024, after a long and serious illness, the outstanding Belarusian Slavic and Balkanist scholar, Academician of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, member of the Union of Writers of the USSR and the Republic of Belarus, professor, doctor of philological sciences Ivan Alekseevich Charota (1952–2024) passed away. Received: 16.02.2015. Citation Shevchenko K. V. Professor of the Belarusian State University, Academician of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, Ivan Alekseevich Charota (1952–2024): Life in the Name of Slavic Studies // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 1–2. P. 499–506 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073- 5731.2025.1-2.29
XLI All-Russian Dialectological Meeting “Lexical Atlas of the Russian Folk Dialects – 2025”
On February 3–4, 2025, the XLI All-Russian Dialectological Meeting “Lexical Atlas of the Russian Folk Dialects – 2025” was held at the St. Petersburg Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Received: 17.02.2025. Citation Shalaeva T. V. XLI All-Russian Dialectological Meeting “Lexical Atlas of the Russian Folk Dialects – 2025” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 1–2. P. 495–498 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.1-2.28
An Academic Conference “Poetics of Space in the Artistic Practice of Contemporary Authors of Central and South-Eastern Europe”
On December 10–11, 2024, a conference was held at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the objective of which was to examine a range of issues related to the aspect of “experiencing space” in literary texts by authors from the region of Central and South-Eastern Europe after 1989. Received: 15.03.2025. Citation Shatko E. V. An Academic Conference “Poetics of Space in the Artistic Practice of Contemporary Authors of Central and South-Eastern Europe” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 1–2. P. 489–494 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.1-2.27
International Scientific Conference “XVII Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph of Lithuania and Vilna (Semashko)”
On December 6, 2024, the XVII Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph of Lithuania and Vilna (Semashko) took place at the Minsk Theological Seminary, dedicated to the 185th anniversary of the Polotsk Church Council (1839). Received: 04.02.2025. Citation Dronov M. Yu., Sloistov S. M. International Scientific Conference “XVII Readings in Memory of Metropolitan Joseph of Lithuania and Vilna (Semashko)” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 1–2. P. 485–488 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.1-2.26
XVIII International Scientific-Practical Conference “Slovakia, the Slavs and Their Neighbors: History, International Relations, Culture”
On October 26, 2024, the XVIII International Scientific-Practical Conference “Slovakia, the Slavs and Their Neighbors: History, International Relations, Culture” was held in Krasnodar, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Slovak National Uprising. Received: 10.11.2024. Citation Peretyatko A. Yu. XVIII International Scientific-Practical Conference “Slovakia, the Slavs and Their Neighbors: History, International Relations, Culture” // Slavic Almanac. 2025. No 1–2. P. 481–484 (in Russian). DOI: 10.31168/2073-5731.2025.1-2.25