The publishing house “Aurora” issued a collection of documents “Leningrad on the eve of the Great Patriotic War. 1938–1941”. Ed. by A.I. Rupasov. St. Petersburg, 2022.
The proposed edition of archival documents covers the history of Leningrad during the period immediately preceding the Great Patriotic War (October 1938 – June 1941). This practically unexplored period is very important not only because the documents show the detrimental effect of even the “imperceptible” Soviet-Finnish war on the infrastructure and population of a large city located close to the front line. Many of the problems of 1938-1941, reflected in the published documents, make it possible to better understand the besieged existence of Leningrad, assess the readiness of city services for the most difficult trials, and the ability of the leadership to respond to the challenges of history. The publication may be of interest both for specialists and for everyone who is interested in the problems of the history of Russia in the 20th century.