Memoirs of political and state figures of contemporary Russia as a factor in the formation of historical narratives

The history of modern Russia is documented by many sources, among which is a large complex that includes the memoirs of political and state figures of the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation. In modern Russian historiography, memoirs are recognized as a significant source, although their role in shaping the historical narrative requires additional study. They are important for reconstructing events, verifying interpretations, and developing new research directions. Memoirs influence the collective memory and serve as a political argument in assessing certain events in Russian history. However, their use in historical research is associated with a number of problems, including political bias and commercial interest of the authors and publishers. Since the end of the twentieth century, the Soviet Union and then Russia have experienced revolutionary upheavals – the collapse of a huge union state and the transition to a new development paradigm. The collisions of those events have given rise to a unique phenomenon of our time – the desire of politicians and statesmen to leave their reminiscences and make them public. The scale of the publication of the memoirs of the presidents of the USSR and Russia, their assistants and advisers, the military figures and diplomats raises the issue of a comprehensive approach to the study of these unique historical testimonies not only as the units of individual memory, but also as mass historical sources.

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