Made on
Tilda
Experience with archival cases on Soviet repression
My archival work is not about one-off requests or “trying your luck”. It is a systematic practice of challenging refusals and building cases based on real archival and court practice.
I have dealt with many types of archival restrictions — from formal refusals to references to state secrets — and have pursued strategic litigation showing how the state currently restricts access.
Some of these cases were reviewed at the international level. In its judgment in Suprun and Others v. Russia, the European Court of Human Rights found that Russian archives’ refusal to grant access to files on Soviet repression violated the right to respect for private and family life.
This volume of practice allows me to:
• realistically assess prospects before starting;
• understand when refusal is almost inevitable and where a legal window may exist;
• distinguish symbolic disputes from those where a practical outcome is possible;
• build arguments based on real court and archival practice, not theoretical expectations.
My approach
I do not promise access to Soviet archives. My task is to honestly assess whether a legal route exists and, if it does, to build a strategy that accounts for constraints and risks. Archival matters always start with a professional case assessment.