Declassifi cation of Documents in the State Archives of Dnipropetrovsk Region

The purpose of the publication is to cover the work on declassifi cation of documents in the State Archives of Dnipropetrovsk Region; to reveal the composition and content of declassifi ed documents, to focus on their signifi cant information potential for studying the history of the region. The research methodology is based on methods of analysis, detailing and generalization. The structural method is also used. Scientifi c novelty. The documents declassifi ed in the period from 1989 to 2009 were included in the fi rst book of the 2nd volume of the interarchival directory «Register of declassifi ed archival fonds of Ukraine», prepared by the State Committee of Archives of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Research Institute of Archival Affairs and Records Keeping. Over the past 10 years, in order to declassify and reduce the degree of secrecy of documents in the State Archives of Dnipropetrovsk Region 1 921 cases from 27 fonds that were in special storage were reviewed. The documents of these fonds are described and are a supplement to the previously issued Register. Their introduction into scientifi c circulation will enable comprehensive coverage of economic, technical, scientifi c, spiritual and cultural development of the region. The conclusions set out the main problems that hinder the process of declassifi cation of documents. The documents of the secret fond make up 0.1% of the total number of documents stored in the State Archives of Dnipropetrovsk Region. The main problem remains the improvement of the declassifi cation mechanism. Documents in respect of which the 30-year statute of limitations provided by the Law of Ukraine «On State Secrets» has expired must be declassifi ed automatically. However, the archives are forced to carry out a formal declassifi cation procedure, compile detailed lists of documents, and search for state experts in their areas of activity. All this complicates the mechanism of removal of vultures and, as a consequence, leads to inhibition of all process of declassifi cation.