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TERRA ECONOMICUS

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The history of secrecy in the context of wars: The case of the Soviet Union


TERRA ECONOMICUS, Vol. 24, No 1

Citation: Fomin D.A. (2026). The history of secrecy in the context of wars: The case of the Soviet Union. Terra Economicus 24(1), 83–98 (in Russian). DOI: 10.18522/2073-6606-2026-24-1-83-98

Acknowledgment: The study is performed within the research and development plan stated by the Institute of Economics and Industrial Engineering of the Siberian Branch RAS. Project 126020516495-3, “Methodology and techniques for developing and substantiating priorities for investment, monetary and fiscal policies for the structural transformation of the Russian economy in new geopolitical conditions”.

The lack of studies on Soviet Union’s information policies, along with the absence of relevant comparative analyses across other countries, have given rise to numerous myths. Secrecy practices in the USSR were frequently misrepresented as a feature of totalitarianism and authoritarianism while disregarding the hostile external conditions in which the USSR existed for a significant portion of its history. Considering the all-encompassing nature of modern wars and the need to mobilize all the resources of the state, society, and economy, the Soviet Union, on the one hand, made colossal efforts to study the country’s military-industrial potential and the possibilities for its effective use. On the other hand, USSR designed a system of secrecy to prevent external evaluation of Soviet military-industrial capabilities and create a sense of uncertainty among hostile nations. The most open and information-intensive period in Soviet history was from the end of the Civil War to the mid1930s. In contrast, the most secretive period was the prewar era, spanning from the late 1930s to the end of the 1950s. Due to the development of nuclear weapons and delivery systems, the USSR escaped from prolonged military mobilization. However, the realities of the Cold War prevented the USSR from returning to its early level of state publicity until its collapse. Secrecy and informational opacity are standard practice in world history during prewar and wartime periods, aimed at protecting the state regardless of its ideology, political system, or governance structure. Denial of this fact, and, consequently, the neglect of Soviet legacy, has led to errors in state information and statistical policies during the preparation and execution of the special military operation in Ukraine.

Keywords: USSR; government statistics; information policies; secrecy; Main Directorate for Literature and Publishing (Glavlit); world wars; Cold War
JEL codes: F52, H56, P20


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Publisher: Southern Federal University
ISSN: 2073-6606