«Welcome to Soviet Ukraine»: the practice of hosting foreign delegations in the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR (1946–1991)

Abstract. The purpose of the article is to present the results of a study of the international activities of the Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR in terms of hosting visits of heads of state and representatives of foreign countries' delegations in 1946–1991, that is, after Ukraine’s accession to the United Nations and before gaining independence. The research methodology is based on historicism as a principle that requires consideration of the object of study within the context of its time and the conditions of its formation. It also relies on chronological, historical-systemic, archival heuristic, biographical, and geographical approaches, as well as general scientific research methods (analysis, synthesis, modelling, and typology). The scientific novelty of the study lies in the first introduction into scholarly circulation of documents that shed light on the international activities of the Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR in 1946–1991 and on the implementation by the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR of representative functions in the international arena, as well as in the identification, classification, and analysis of the entire spectrum of individual and collective visits by foreign countries' representatives to the Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR during 1946–1991. Conclusions. The study of the issue addressed does not allow for definitive conclusions, as the problem of international visits to Soviet Ukraine is far broader and more complex than it may initially appear. This article introduces into scholarly circulation documents from the archival fond «Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine» for the period 1946–1991, on the basis of which a list of 668 visits by leaders and delegations of foreign countries has been compiled. At the same time, international contacts were also carried out through the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Ukrainian SSR, and other institutions, which accounts for the incompleteness of the presented data and necessitates further examination of additional archival fonds. Statistical analysis has identified approximately 200 parliamentary delegations, the specific features of whose activities require separate, in-depth study. The article raises the question of the actual functions performed by the authorities of the Ukrainian SSR within the system of Soviet foreign policy. It has been established that, in the absence of sovereignty, political decisions were made in Moscow, while visits to Kyiv were primarily driven by economic considerations; other motivations remain the subject of further research. Keywords: Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR; Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR; Ukrainian SSR in international relations, 1946–1991; visits of heads of state and foreign delegations to Soviet Ukraine; list of foreign delegations to the Supreme Soviet (Verkhovna Rada) of the Ukrainian SSR; international parliamentary activity.