Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries

Vadim Zverev; Gleb Moskalenko

VAK Russia 5.1.1 UDC 340.15

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REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR COUNTERING THREATS TO THE STATE SECURITY OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURIES Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries

АА Аа

Published in Vestnik of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia · Volume 2026, Issue 3 · Pages 57–69 · Rubric: Theoretical and historical legal sciences

Received: 25.05.2026 Accepted: 25.09.2026 Published: 30.09.2026 Language of publication: RUS

Authors

Vadim Zverev

ORCID

Gleb Moskalenko

ORCID

Vadim Zverev

Academic degree: doctor of historical sciences

Science rang: docent

Sankt-Peterburgskiy universitet MVD Rossii Russian Federation · Saint Petersburg

ORCID

Gleb Moskalenko

Academic degree: candidate of jurisprudence sciences

Science rang: docent

Omsk Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia Russian Federation · Omsk

ORCID

ABSTRACT

Introduction. The relevance of this topic is determined by the need for a comprehensive analysis of the legal mechanisms for countering threats to state security in the Russian Empire during the second half of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries (up to the outbreak of the First World War), when the state faced both escalating revolutionary threats and the increased activity of foreign military espionage. Identifying the logic, stages and outcomes of the development of a system of exceptional legal regimes, as well as specialised counter-intelligence measures adopted amid the convergence of internal and external challenges, constitutes the central focus of this article. It also enables a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of the legal framework underpinning state security during the period under examination. Methods. The study is based on dialectical, historical-legal, formal-legal and comparative-legal methods. Its source base comprises published normative legal acts of the Russian Empire; archival documents from the Russian State Historical Archive (Collections 1162, 1276 and 1278), some of which are introduced into academic discourse for the first time; materials from the periodical press of the early twentieth century; and the works of pre-revolutionary legal scholars. Results. The study establishes that emergency legislation evolved gradually, from fragmented measures adopted in the 1860s and 1870s to the comprehensive Regulation of 14 August 1881, which introduced regimes of heightened and extraordinary security that effectively remained in force until 1917. Counter-intelligence activities were institutionalised and systematised: in 1911, specialised departments tasked with detecting and suppressing military espionage were established and provided with permanent funding. Legislation criminalising espionage – the Russian imperial law of 5 July 1912, “On Amending the Existing Laws on High Treason through Espionage” – for the first time classified espionage as an independent offence distinct from high treason. This made it possible to cover not only the transmission of secret information, but also its collection, possession and disclosure, as well as the mere fact of contact with agents of foreign intelligence services. A system of administrative restrictions on foreigners in border regions was established. In 1912–1914, the first lists of information prohibited from publication in the press were approved, setting a precedent for the practice of military and state censorship in peacetime Russia.

KEYWORDS

internal and external security, emergency legislation, legal regime, countering espionage, Russian Empire, administrative expulsion, protection of state order, military espionage, counter-intelligence

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GOST

Zverev V. O., Moskalenko G. E. Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries // Vestnik of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. 2026. no. 3. pp. 57-69. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c165b32807fdbab87424b/regulatory-framework-for-countering-threats-to-the-state-security-of-the-russian-empire-in-the-second-half-of-the-19th-early-20th-centuries/view. (Date of access 09.10.2026).

MLA

Vadim Zverev, Moskalenko G. E.. "Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries." Vestnik of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia 2026.3 (2026): 57-69. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c165b32807fdbab87424b/regulatory-framework-for-countering-threats-to-the-state-security-of-the-russian-empire-in-the-second-half-of-the-19th-early-20th-centuries/view.

APA

Zverev V. O., Moskalenko G. E. (2026). Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries. Vestnik of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, 2026(3), 57-69. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c165b32807fdbab87424b/regulatory-framework-for-countering-threats-to-the-state-security-of-the-russian-empire-in-the-second-half-of-the-19th-early-20th-centuries/view

Chicago

Vadim Zverev, Moskalenko G. E.. "Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries." Vestnik of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia 2026, no. 3 (2026): 57-69. URL: https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c165b32807fdbab87424b/regulatory-framework-for-countering-threats-to-the-state-security-of-the-russian-empire-in-the-second-half-of-the-19th-early-20th-centuries/view.

WIKI

{{cite journal | author = Zverev V. O., Moskalenko G. E. | title = Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries | journal = Vestnik of the St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia | year = 2026 | volume = 2026 | issue = 3 | pages = 57-69 | url = https://vestnikkf.ru/en/nauka/publications/article/6a9c165b32807fdbab87424b/regulatory-framework-for-countering-threats-to-the-state-security-of-the-russian-empire-in-the-second-half-of-the-19th-early-20th-centuries/view }}

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REGULATORY FRAMEWORK FOR COUNTERING THREATS TO THE STATE SECURITY OF THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19TH – EARLY 20TH CENTURIES Regulatory framework for countering threats to the state security of the Russian Empire in the second half of the 19th – early 20th centuries

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