Documents of personal origin as an integral part of Diplomatic archives of Ukraine

The purpose of the research is to analyze the presence of personal fonds belonging to figures involved in the formation of the Ukrainian diplomatic and consular service in the state archives of Ukraine, and to characterize these fonds as part of the Diplomatic archives of Ukraine. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism, science, and consistency. The methods of terminological and historiographical analysis, external and internal criticism of historical sources, taking into account the interdisciplinary approach, are used. Scientific novelty: for the first time, the publication raises the scientific problem of personal fonds belonging to the Diplomatic Archives of Ukraine, highlights the peculiarities of these fonds and the information about the presence of a set of Ye. Slabchenko's letters in D. Dontsov's fond in the Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine is involved in the scientific circulation. Conclusions. The information contained in the personal fonds of Ukrainian figures and foreign representatives in Ukraine is valuable for recreating the history of the Ukrainian diplomatic and consular service, international relations and foreign policy of Ukraine. Therefore, the composition of the diplomatic archives should be considered more broadly than a set of documents of official origin, which are formed in the activities of diplomatic missions. The specificity of the Diplomatic archives of Ukraine is the separation of documents in various archival institutions in Ukraine and abroad. In the process of forming specialized fonds of official origin in 1917–1921, many documents were lost. Instead, the fonds of personal origin of heads and employees of embassies and diplomatic missions or consulates preserved originals and copies of interstate agreements, meetings of bilateral commissions, orders of diplomatic missions and other documentation, which allows reconstructing certain events in the diplomatic history. Things of value are photographs, unpublished manuscripts and personal papers of diplomats, which constitute a precious source for studying their biographies. Thus, information from fonds of personal origin can be considered an integral part of the Diplomatic archives of Ukraine, the reconstruction of which involves the study of the Ukrainian and foreign complex and the cooperation of scientists, diplomats and archivists.