The article is a review of the current issue of the journal. The author introduces readers to the theme of the issue, which is dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, a significant topic in national history that requires continued study and reflection in the context of contemporary realities, challenges, and tasks facing the Russian state. The author provides an overview of the research presented in the issue, gives a brief summary of their main findings, and evaluates the significance of the theses for the aforementioned problem. In conclusion, the author raises the question of the value of scientific discourse on the Great Patriotic War and highlights the contribution of the presented research to the understanding and development of science related to practical tasks— preserving the historical memory of the Soviet people’s heroic deeds for future generations and applying the successful experience of the Soviet Union to current geopolitical realities.

The article analyzes the composition, condition and participation of the Baltic Fleet Air Force in combat operations at sea on the eve and during the Great Patriotic War. The scientific goal of the work is to study the role and importance of the aviation component of the fleet in conflicts and wars at the turn of the 1930s-1940s, the actual quantitative and qualitative state of the aviation of this fleet, the results of its combat use period of the war, comparison of the flight performance characteristics of aircraft types – participants in the confrontation in the Baltic naval theater of military operations. The results of the study indicate serious omissions of the country s leadership and military command in properly equipping naval aviation with modern ones for the turn of the 1930s-1940s by plane. Military-historical experience of the formation and combat use of naval aviation during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 has great practical significance for the modern renewal of the Navy Air Force, further increasing the defense capability of the Russian Federation.

The article is devoted to the study of the little–studied issue of the history of the Battle for the Caucasus - the composition and condition of the command-and-control system, the analysis of the degree of its compliance with the tasks being solved and the nature of the impact on the success of the actions of troops in defense and offensive. On the basis of available historical sources, the approximate composition of the governing bodies of the Transcaucasian, North Caucasian and Southern fronts is restored, the professional qualities of individual commanders, commanders and superiors are evaluated, the locations of front-line command posts are indicated, their security is considered, and the nature of the work of communications equipment at critical moments of battles is analyzed. An attempt is being made to understand how stable the connection was and how capable it was to ensure the successful actions of the troops. As a result, conclusions are drawn about why, during the defensive period of the battles, the management of associations, formations and units was often absent or difficult, why, in conditions of stabilization of the front line, the vulnerability of the control bodies remained high, what measures were taken to effectively lead the troops, which allowed at the final stage of the battle for the Caucasus to avoid mistakes in the leadership of the troops during the offensive and it is more effective to solve the tasks set during operations.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the use of attack aviation by both opposing sides during the Malgobek defensive operation of 1942. This operation was one of the key components of the battle for the Caucasus and had a significant impact on the entire outcome of the summer-autumn campaign of 1942. Both sides actively used attack aviation during the operation to support ground troops, as well as to combat enemy aviation at airfields. At the same time, attention is drawn to the fact that, due to various reasons, both sides were unable to properly achieve the massing of forces and means of attack aviation to use its enormous potential in supporting ground troops.

The article deals with basic aspects of the problem that involves the process of the stay of Soviet prisoners of war in Romanian camps during Second World War. The research was carried out on the basis of the archival documents. A part of the materials was included in science use for the first time. The largest Romanian camps for Soviet prisoners of war represented in the paper. The issue about incarceration conditions, feed of the inmates touched in the research. Generally, the position of prisoners of war in the camp was hard. Partly it happened because of seriously dependency of the guide Romanian army from the rulers of Hitler Germany. However, the permission in some camps of the representatives of the International Red Cross led to relief of the conditions of stay of inmates. After transition of Romania to party of the USSR and anti-Hitler coalition the Soviet prisoners of war were free. For the first time in research the front biographies of servicemen from Udmurtia who captured by Romanians were analyzed in the paper. The majority survived, joined the Red Army and returned to Udmurtia. The author determined that mortality of Soviet prisoners of war in Romanian camps was lesser than in German or Finnish.

The article presents an analysis of the activities of Soviet citizens of German nationality on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War, emphasizing their contribution to the approach of Victory. The author presents the facts reflected in archival documents, on the basis of which an objective picture is formed of the involvement of German servicemen in the common confrontation against fascist aggression. Attention is focused on the behavior of German military personnel - officers, sergeants, and privates at the front: many already in the first months of the war heroically gave their lives for the coming victory. After the deportation of Soviet Germans living in the European territory of the country in the first months of the war to Siberia and Kazakhstan, the socalled “withdrawal” of them from military formations followed. But most of the Soviet Germans were sent to the rear, and workers’ battalions were formed from them, which became the beginning of such a phenomenon of the Soviet military economy as the “Labor Army.” The International Association of Researchers of the History and Culture of Russian Germans has made and continues to make a significant contribution to the study and popularization of the problem under study.

The authors of the article, based on a wide range of sources, investigated and commented on questions about why Lieutenant General Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko became the representative of the USSR, whose signature (along with the signatures of representatives of other victorious countries), standing under the act of unconditional surrender of Japan, became the last fact and event of World War II, as well as its legal formalization. complete completion. The research was conducted by the authors in order to restore the historical justice of the memory of Lieutenant General K.N. Derevyanko, since his memory should be carefully preserved by all those who honor the multimillion-dollar sacrifices and fateful results of the Second World War for the whole world, the last line under the history of which was summed up by K.N. Derevyanko on September 2, 1945. That is why today (when the threat of a new world war has risen to full height) it seems especially important to turn to the events in the Far East in early September 1945 and their key participants, one of whom, by the will of fate and Joseph Stalin, was Lieutenant General Kuzma Nikolaevich Derevyanko. Therefore, the authors set themselves the goal of understanding the question “to whom Stalin entrusted the signing of the act of surrender of Japan, and to whom he did not instruct...”.

The article examines the impact of the World War II on domestic and foreign Afghan policy. It explains the reasons why the Afghan government declared neutrality. The author concludes that the decision was made under the influence of many factors, one of which was the reluctance to repeat the fate of Iran, where Soviet and British troops were brought in. Afghanistan’s relations with the great powers, including the USSR and Great Britain, are analyzed. The Afghan government fought against antiSoviet forces in the north in order to centralize its own power, in which case Soviet-Afghan interests objectively coincided. It is concluded that the economic crisis caused by the aftermath of the World War had a significant impact on the growth of political activity among the population, including peasant uprisings in the tribal areas. The disruption of global economic ties seriously affected foreign trade. Ultimately, the crisis caused by the war led to the resignation of Prime Minister Hashim Khan.

This article is devoted to a little-studied aspect of history, examines the significance of the patriotic book in the lives of the city’s residents and its defenders, and describes the patriotic literature produced in Leningrad during the years of the siege. The study of patriotic blockade publications is an attempt to understand what kind of literature Leningraders stood up to. The appeal to the historical experience of studying the book of the blockade is determined by the growing interest in the Great Patriotic War, and directly to the battles for Leningrad, how our people were able not only to withstand the most difficult trials, but also to defeat the superior forces of almost all of Europe. The work shows how the repertoire of patriotic publications changed, depending on the stages of hostilities. An analysis of patriotic literature is presented. The list of the main patriotic publications in the Besieged city from 1941-1943 is presented.

The article examines the phenomenon of toponymic memory of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. Place names reflecting the events of the war are an important element of the collective historical memory of Russian society. The article analyzes various aspects of the use of names of streets, squares, monuments and other objects of the urban environment to perpetuate the memory of the heroism of the Soviet people and the tragic events of the war years. Special attention is paid to the regional peculiarities of toponymy associated with the Great Patriotic War, as well as the role of these names in shaping the patriotic consciousness of citizens. In conclusion, the importance of preserving and updating commemorative toponymic traditions in modern Russian society is emphasized. Updating the toponymic heritage requires an integrated approach, including educational, cultural and digital initiatives.