The Russian State Archive of Contemporary Russian History (RGANI) held seven online exhibitions over the two-year period without any in person. The Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History (RGASPI) was close behind with five, likewise all online. The State Archive of the Russian Federation (GARF), meanwhile, put on four exhibitions, all in person. The Russian State Archive of Literature and Art (RGALI) held one online and one in person, which made it the only archive in the sample to use both formats. The Russian State Archive of the Economy (RGAE) and the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive (RGAKFD) mounted one exhibition each — in person and online, respectively. The Russian State Military Historical Archive (RGVIA) was an outlier, having held no new exhibitions in 2025-2026 — or at least announced none on its website. Its most recent exhibition was held in 2022, focusing on the Patriotic War of 1812, even though military history was among the most popular subjects at the other archives recently.

In terms of subject matter, the Great Patriotic War (World War II) was predominant — unsurprising in a period that included the 80th anniversary of the end of the war. Each archive approached the theme from a different angle.

GARF presented three such exhibitions: “The Conclusion of the Great Patriotic War: The Defeat of Militarist Japan, November 7, 1944–September 3, 1945”, devoted to how the Japanese Kwantung Army was defeated; “Chronicle of Victory”, on Soviet frontline journalism and the work of the Soviet Information Bureau; and “Nuremberg: Lessons of History”, which examines the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg and the Soviet Union’s role in establishing it.

RGASPI covered the war through two projects: “The Cossacks and the Church During the Great Patriotic War, 1941–1945: Marking the 80th Anniversary of the End of the Great Patriotic War”, on the contributions made by the Russian Orthodox Church and the Cossacks to the Soviet war effort; and “Young Guard: Marking the 80th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Donbas from Nazi Occupation”, on the documented history of the underground organization and the rehabilitation of one of its leaders, Viktor Tretyakevich.

RGALI presented “The Great Patriotic War: Artists for the Front!”, devoted to the work of front-line concert brigades and theaters. The Russian State Archive of Sound Recordings (RGAFD) launched the online project “1945: The War Is Over”, drawing on sound recordings and photographs from archival holdings. Also partly related to the theme of World War II is RGANI’s exhibition “Military Uniforms in the USSR”, which traces the evolution of military dress as a reflection of the era’s social and economic developments.

Note that a recurring theme in RGASPI’s exhibition program is the Cossacks. The archive has explored the subject across three different wars: “The Cossacks and the Church in the Crimean War, 1853–1856”, “The Cossacks in the Great War, 1914–1918”, and the previously discussed exhibition on the Great Patriotic War. All three emphasize the important role played by the Orthodox clergy alongside the Cossacks.

Another group of exhibitions concerns the theme of space exploration. RGANI marked the 65th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin’s flight with “Let’s Go!”, which traces the development of the Soviet space program from Gagarin’s flight to Alexei Leonov’s first spacewalk. It also commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project with “Handshake in Space”, incorporating materials from the Archive of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

Cultural and literary heritage is another prominent theme. GARF’s “History Recovered” looks at the lives of figures from the Russian émigré community, from Marina Tsvetaeva to performers with Shanghai’s Russian Opera, drawing on the Russian Historical Archive Abroad — commonly known as the Prague Archive — as well as more recent acquisitions. RGANI examines Pushkin’s place in Soviet culture in “Pushkin Is an Extraordinary Phenomenon…”, focusing on the development of state policy commemorating the poet.

RGALI presented a major in-person exhibition called “The Russian North in Russian Culture”, bringing together approximately 250 exhibits from 40 archival collections, including materials relating to Pavel Rybnikov, Alexander Hilferding, Viktor and Apollinary Vasnetsov, and Ivan Bilibin.

A separate group of projects addresses regional and infrastructure history: “Kaliningrad Oblast: The Formative Years”, an RGANI exhibition marking the region’s 80th anniversary and bringing together materials from several archives, including RGASPI, GARF, and RGAE; and RGAE’s “Russia’s First Main Line: 1851–2026”, marking the 175th anniversary of the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway.

Several one-off subjects are worth mentioning, as well: Soviet political symbolism is explored in RGASPI’s “The Mausoleum Must Not Convey Lifeless Grandeur”, commemorating the centenary of Lenin’s death and presenting documents on the creation of the mausoleum, including materials involving architect Alexei Shchusev; social history is represented by RGANI’s “A History of Women’s Organizations in the USSR”, timed to coincide with International Women’s Day; and the RGANI-coordinated exhibition “I Can Do Anything — I Am an Aviator!” traces the development of Soviet aircraft manufacturing from the 1920s into the jet age.

As mentioned, the themes are driven primarily by the calendar of major anniversaries such as the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the 65th anniversary of Gagarin’s flight, the 50th anniversary of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the centenary of Lenin’s death, the 80th anniversary of Kaliningrad Oblast, and the 175th anniversary of the St. Petersburg-Moscow Railway. The online format is used as a means of responding quickly to a particular event or date. Archives that rely exclusively on in-person exhibitions, such as GARF and RGAE, offset their smaller number of events by their scale, with each exhibition containing hundreds of original documents and artifacts.