Organizational and Legal Aspects of the Activities of the Cheka Bodies at the Local Level in the Context of New Archival Documents: Theoretical and Historical Legal Issues

The paper presents the results of a study of some collections of archival documents that have different values and significance for studying certain areas of activity of the Cheka bodies at the local level. For the first time, archival materials introduced into scientific circulation demonstrate those areas of activity of the Cheka bodies that are still insufficiently covered by science. These, in particular, include extrajudicial practice, rulemaking in the field of criminal, criminal procedure law, solving operational and official tasks, implementing punitive measures, their interaction with other Soviet authorities and institutions locally. At the same time, they reveal some important organizational and legal features, problems of the formation and functioning of the state mechanism of Bolshevik Russia in wartime conditions. The classification and analysis of archival documents characterizing certain areas of activity of the Cheka bodies at the local level provide a deeper understanding of the nature and scientific value of the materials, and, accordingly, make it possible to develop methods of working with them for more effective organization of research in this area.