For those interested in naval affairs, the Soviet Union remains a puzzle. The post World War II world has followed the considerable development of Soviet naval and maritime strength that some claim rivals or surpasses that of the United States. Yet despite its rapid growth, relatively little is known about how the Soviet Union achieved its powerful naval position or what we might expect from the Soviets in the future. Part of the uncertainty lies in the secrecy surrounding Soviet naval activities, prompting Western observers to hypothesize about many of the most basic facts about the Soviet Navy regarding manpower, ships, equipment, deployments, etc. However, the secrecy surrounding Soviet maritime affairs is not as "total" as many contemporary writers suggest.
As in the case of any large organization, a certain amount of accurate information must be made available if the organization is to function properly. The Soviet Union's navy and merchant marine are no exception, and one of the means by which their information is disseminated is through periodical publications. While some Western writers acknowledge the value of publications like Morskoi Sbornik and Soviet Military Review, most are woefully ignorant of the other Soviet periodicals which deal wholly or in part with naval and maritime affairs. For example, what conclusions can be drawn from recent articles on Admiral of the Fleet S. G. Gorshkov, Soviet naval development, and the Russo-Finnish War which lack not only Russian citations, but any citations at all?
It is the purpose of this article to address such research-oriented problems and to survey the major Soviet periodicals in the field, noting the type of material each contains. General military periodicals, military newspapers, and the numerous serial publications (Trudy) issued by Soviet naval and maritime academies are not included in this study. It is hoped this survey will enable writers to focus and develop their research on Soviet naval affairs more clearly. For convenience, I have translated the titles of the articles cited.
In very general terms, the Soviet maritime periodicals discussed are divided into three categories: technology and science, training, and history. However, it must be noted that these distinctions are not always applicable as important articles often appear in journals which may not normally address such issues. For example, an article on contemporary naval developments or doctrine might appear in Military History Journal. In addition, space in these journals is devoted to party and government declarations, propaganda pieces, general interest subjects, book reviews, and literary items.
The following articles cited are not meant to be a comprehensive survey of those found in Soviet periodicals. Rather, the items have been selected as being of greatest interest to the naval specialist.
Morskoi Flot (Maritime Fleet): Morskoi Flot is the monthly journal of the Maritime Ministry of the U.S.S.R. Published since 1918, it offers its readers a wide variety of scientific, educational, recreational, and self-improvement items. These include articles on various ships and masters, technical items, ports of call, literary pieces, and English lessons. Among the recent articles appearing in Morskoi Flot are: E. Ternovoi, "Containerships: Problems and Perspectives" (No.4, 1982); IV Zurabov, "Effective Means of Enhancing Navigational Safety" (No.4, 1982); IV Zobachev et al. "Corrosion Protection of Portable Water Tanks" (No.3, 1983); and A. Arikainen et al., "American and Canadian Icebreakers" (No.6, 1982).
Soviet Shipping: Soviet Shipping is a new English language periodical which began publication in 1981. It is a quarterly supplement to the journal Morskoi Flot. It contains a wide variety of articles on Soviet shipping companies, maritime academies, new ship types, international agreements, and other topics. Recent issues have included articles such as: G. Chkheidze, ''The Georgian Shipping Company" (No. I, 1982); V. Kuzovkin, "Gas Carrier Mossovet" (No.1, 1982); V. Khryaschev, "Transsiberian Container Service" (No.2, 1982); R. Belik, "USSR Register of Shipping" (No.3, 1982); K. Chubakov, "The Northern Sea Route: Past and Present" (No. 4, 1982); and D. Zvonkin, "Shipping Cooperation within CMEA" (No.4, 1982).
Voenno-Istoricheskii Zhurnal (Military History Journal): A monthly Ministry of Defense publication since 1959, Voenno-Istoricheskii Zhurnal presents materials on 20th century Russian military history. Naval topics are often included. Among the articles dealing with naval affairs published in 1982 were: S. Zakharov, "Fifty Years of the Order of the Red Banner Pacific Fleet" (No. 4); S. Gorshkov, "The Development of Naval Art" (No. 7); A. Gakkel' et al., "Some Questions of Naval Battle Tactics" (No.9).
Tekhnika i Vooruzhenie (Technology and Armaments): Published monthly by the Ministry of Defense since 1925, Tekhnika i Vooruzhenie is primarily concerned with training and military technology. Recent articles have dealt with maintenance and training aids: L. Novikov, "Maintenance of Shipboard Diesel Cooling Systems" (No.6, 1982); A. Dashiev, "Marine Navigation Simulators" (No. 7, 1982); and I. Parovichnikov, "Damage Control Simulators" (No.9, 1982).
Rechnoi Transport (River Transportation): Rechnoi Transport is the monthly publication of the Ministry of River Transport. Since the Soviet Union has an extensive system of rivers and canals, a significant amount of attention is devoted to river transportation. Recent articles include: A. Tatarenko, "An Induction Brake for Diesel Testing" (No.1, 1982); S. H. Sigbatulin, "The Technology of Cleaning Oil Tankers" (No.4, 1982); and V. Balanin, "Optimal Reserves in Air Lock Chambers" (No. 10, 1982).
Okeanologiia (Oceanology): Published bimonthly since 1961 by the Oceanographic Commission of the Academy of Sciences, Okeanologiia presents a variety of articles on the scientific and technical aspects of oceanography. Summaries of the articles are presented in English. Since 1965, an English language version of this journal, entitled Oceanology, has appeared. Among the current articles appearing in Russian are: A. V. Arkharov et aI., "The Influence of Surface-Active Compounds on Wind Generated Waves" (No.2, 1982); IU A. Afanas' ev et al., "The Influence of Hydrostatic Prevalence and Temperatures on the Solubility of Basic Components of Iron-Magnetic Concrete" (No. 3; 1982); and L. A. Bunimovich et al., "The Estimation of the Concentration of Suspended Matter by Means of Laser Anemometer" (No.4, 1982).
Meteorologiia i Gidrologiia (Meteorology and Hydrology): Since 1935, Meteorologiia i Gidrologiia has been published monthly by the Meteorology and Hydrology Service of the Council of Ministers. Recent articles of interest include: N. Mustafin et al., "The Status of Numerical Hydrodynamic Research on the Oscillation Level of the Arctic Seas" (No.3, 1982); R. Dalin, "The Precise Calculation of the Parameters of Sea Wind Waves From Basic Wind-Creating Factors" (No.2, 1982). This journal summarizes each article in English.
Sudostroenie (Ship Construction): Published since the 19th century, Sudostroenie is presently a monthly publication of the Ministry of Ship Construction. Technical articles are prominent in the journal. Selected articles include: L. Besnos, "A Systematic Approach Toward Securing Ship Survivability" (No. I, 1982); V. Maevskii, "Heat Exchange and Aerodynamic Characteristics of Marine Steam Air Heaters (No.7, 1982); and V. A. Gorodeev et al., "The Peculiarities of Calculating the Dynamics of Marine Steam Turbine Regulators" (No. 3, 1982).
Dvigatelestroenie (Engine Construction): Dvigatelestroenie, started in 1982, is a monthly publication of the Ministry of Heavy and Transport Machine Construction, dealing with the scientific and technical aspects of engine construction. This journal provides English summaries of the articles. Among the recent articles are: K. Tanin et al., "A Trial Operation of Diesel Type CH 24/36 with Two-Phase Fuel Feed on a Refrigerated Transport" (No.2, 1982); A. Baev, "The Optimum Stowing of Marine Diesel Crankshafts by Means of Heuristic Programming" (No. 11, 1982); and S. Karnkin, "An Estimation of the Expedience of Using Symmetric Gas Distribution in Marine Two-Cycle Forced Internal Combustion Engines" (No. 11, 1982).
Other maritime oriented periodicals not covered here include: Priborostroenie (Instrument Making), Rybnoe Khoziaistvo (Fish Industry), and Katera i lakhty (Cutters and Yachts).
Soviet interest in naval and maritime affairs is reflected in the edition sizes of these periodicals, for example—Morskoi Flot (monthly: 82,000-85,000), Rechnoi Transport (monthly: 12,550-18,690), Okeanologiia (bimonthly: 1,426-1,486, Russian edition), Meteorologiia i Gidrologiia (monthly: 2,870-2,960), and Katera i lakhty (bimonthly: 167,000-171 ,000). Comparable figures for some American periodicals are: Proceedings (monthly: 100,000), Military Review (monthly: 27,000), and Air University Review (bimonthly: 18,500).
In addition to periodicals which deal specifically with naval and maritime affairs, the Soviet Union also publishes a number of other military periodicals. Although dealing with general defense issues and land and air forces, they may contain items of interest for naval affairs specialists. Among current journals are: Kommunist Vooruzhennykh Sit (Armed Forces Communist, semimonthly, established 1960), Voennye Znaniia (Military Knowledge, monthly, 1925), Voennyi Vestnik (Military Herald, monthly, 1921), Voenno-Meditsinskii Zhurnal (Military Medicine Journal, monthly, 1944), Vestnik Protivovozdushnoi Oborony (Herald of Anti-Air Defense, monthly, 1931), and Aviatsiia i Kosmonautika (Aviation and Cosmonautics, monthly, 1918).
For those who read Russian and are interested in keeping abreast of new Soviet periodicals appearing in the field, see Letopis' PeriodicheskikhiProdolzhiaiushchikhsia lzdanii (Chronicle of Periodical and Serial Publications). For a guide to the contents of current Soviet periodicals, see the weekly Lettopis' Zhurnal' nykh Statei (Chronicle of Journal Articles). For those researchers who do not know Russian, the number of English language guides is unfortunately limited. Two such guides are the Current Digest of the Soviet Press (weekly, 1940) which provides translations of periodical and newspaper articles on a wide variety of Soviet topics, including general defense issues, and Chemical Abstracts, which briefly summarizes articles appearing in Morskoi Flot, Rechnoi Transport, Okeanologiia, Meteorologiia Gidrologiia, and Sudostroenie.
The periodicals discussed in this survey are available in many university libraries. Subscriptions to these periodicals can be obtained through Russian bookstores in the United States. Soviet periodicals provide a useful, although underused, source for the study of Soviet naval and maritime affairs. While our knowledge of this field will probably never be complete, the use of these periodicals can help upgrade the quality of research and thus contribute to our understanding of the naval activities of the Soviet Union.
Dr. Kulikowski received his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he specialized in Russian history. He is presently a member of the History Department, State University of New York at Oswego.