World War II in archival documents (collection of digitized archival documents, film and photo materials)

On May 13, 2025 more than 250 documents from the Archive of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation for the period from April 14, 1942 to May 11, 1945 have been added to the World War II in Archival Documents collection on the portal of the Presidential Library.

Materials from the collections of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation reflect the preparation and course of the Berlin and Prague offensive operations of the Red Army, which led to the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces and marked the final defeat of Nazi Germany (carried out by the 1st, 2nd Belorussian, 1st Ukrainian Fronts and the 1st, 2nd and 4th Ukrainian Fronts respectively). The documents on these operations are represented by operational directives and plans, combat orders, instructions, combat reports, as well as operational summaries and reports of the headquarters of the fronts and subordinate units, excerpts from reviews and logs of combat operations. Maps-plans of offensive operations and maps of combat operations of the Red Army units are presented.

The Collection also contains orders of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief J. V. Stalin's orders to the Red Army and Navy in connection with the completion of the defeat of the Berlin group of the enemy and the mastery of the capital of Germany - Berlin (2 May 1945) with greetings to the troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front, who liberated Prague, and congratulations to the troops of the Red Army and Navy in connection with the victorious conclusion of the Great Patriotic War (9 May 1945).

Among the new materials are photos from the holdings of the Russian State Military Archive and the Russian State Archive of Film and Photo Documents, depicting episodes of the battle for Berlin and the storming of the Reichstag, as well as the famous meeting on the Elbe - the joining of the Red Army and allied troops of the US 1st Army, which took place on 25 April 1945 on the bank of the Elbe River near the city of Torgau and the next day, 26 April, in Torgau. Posted photos of the signing of the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany in the Berlin suburb of Karlshorst on the night of 8-9 May 1945, as well as the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on 9 May 1945.

Documents of the Soviet intelligence agencies, stored in the Archive of the Foreign Intelligence Service of the Russian Federation, are represented by agency reports (cipher telegrams) received from Soviet intelligence officers in Washington, London, Berlin, Cairo: on the aims in the leadership of Nazi Germany on the eve of the fall of Berlin (28 April 1945), on the testimony of members of the SS and employees of the German Ministry of Propaganda about the suicide of A. Hitler and J. Goebbels (6 May 1945). Among the intelligence documents there are also a number of messages of the USSR Commissar of State Security V. N. Merkulov addressed to J. V. Stalin, V. M. Molotov and L. P. Beria, including those concerning the revision of the "defensive" and "conciliatory" attitude of Great Britain towards the USSR.

From the documents of the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History Stalin's personal messages to British Prime Minister W. Churchill on the joint speeches of the governments of Great Britain, the USA and the USSR on the issues of joining Soviet and Anglo-American troops and the safety of prisoners of war (14 April 1945), on the death of US President F. Roosevelt (15 April 1945), on the terms of the announcement of unconditional surrender of Germany (7 May 1945) are presented. A report from I. V. Shikin, Deputy Chief of the Main Political Department of the Red Army, to G. F. Alexandrov, Chief of the Propaganda and Agitation Department of the Central Committee of the All-Union Communist Party of Bolsheviks, on the attitude of the civilian population of Berlin to the Red Army troops in the occupied areas of the city (30 April 1945) is considered interesting.

The Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany, which is kept in the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, is placed in the Collection. A significant number of documents from the holdings of the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation: on the preparation and holding of the International Conference in San Francisco convened by the USSR, the USA and Great Britain (held from 25 April to 26 June 1945), at which the United Nations was established. Among these documents are the draft speech of the USSR People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs V. M. Molotov's conversation with US President Truman on the forthcoming conference (22 April 1945), texts of speeches by US Secretary of State E. Stettinius and British Foreign Secretary E. Eden at the plenary session (26 April 1945). A number of photographs from the San Francisco Conference are also presented.

The Collection also includes decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, kept in the State Archive of the Russian Federation, including on awarding the Order of Victory to Marshals of the Soviet Union R. Y. Malinovsky and F. I. Tolbukhin (26 April 1945), "On declaring 9 May a Victory holiday" (8 May 1945), "On establishing the medal For Victory over Germany in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945" (9 May 1945). 

!!! Please note that the materials presented in the project contain shocking details and descriptions of atrocities and abuse of civilians; The photograph shows mass graves and the exhumation of remains. In accordance with the legislation of the Russian Federation, these visual materials are prohibited for viewing by children under 16 years of age, as well as by persons suffering from nervous and mental illnesses.

Archival documents of the Collection World War II in Archival Documents are available from anywhere in the world thanks to the Presidential Library’s portal. Especially for the foreign audience, the titles and annotations to the documents as well as the texts of the accompanying articles are also available in English.

In addition to digitized archival documents the Collection contains a list of the main Internet projects, databases, other thematic online documents, virtual tours of the history of World War II, developed by government agencies of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and various organizations.

Executive institution: Federal Archival Agency (Rosarkhiv)

Operator: Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library of the Administrative Directorate of the President of the Russian Federation

Participants:

Foreign Policy Archive of the Russian Federation (AVP RF)

Russian State Military Archives (RGVA)

Russian State Archive of the Navy (RGAVMF)

Russian State Archive of Social and Political History (RGASPI)

State Archives of the Russian Federation (GA RF)

Russian State Archives of Contemporary History (RGANI)

Russian State Archives of Film and Photo Documents (RGAKFD)

Russian State Archives of Economy (RGAE)

Russian State Archives in Samara (RGA in Samara)

Central Archives of the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (CA MO RF)

Foreign Intelligence Service Archives of the Russian Federation (Archive of SVR)

Central Archive of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (CA FSB)

German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv)

National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB)

Belarusian State Archives of Film and Photo Documents (BGAKFFD)

Belarusian State Archives-Museum of Literature and Art (BGAMLI)