«Pavlov» and the transportation of social-democratic literature through the territories of Ukrainian governorates within the borders of the Russian empire

The aim of the study is to examine the activities of the Menshevik technical group led by Pavlov, which was engaged in the transportation of illegal Social Democratic literature into the Russian Empire. It is important to note that Pavlov, in this context, is considered as a symbolic figure representing the political organization RSDLP (Russian Social Democratic Labour Party) The research methodology is based on modern theoretical and methodological approaches, including the history of everyday life and personal biography, which, using a set of historical sources, allow for a clear tracing of the issues surrounding the split of the Revolutionary Ukrainian Party (RUP), the creation of the Ukrainian Social-Democratic Union (USDU), and a detailed analysis of the activities of the Menshevik technical group, led by I. Bisk (pseudonym – Pavlov). The research also relies on the principles of historicism, comprehensiveness, systematicity, and interdisciplinarity. Special historical methods have been applied in the study, including historical-genetic, historical-comparative, historical-typological, content analysis, and historical-systemic methods, ensuring a comprehensive approach to the research. The scientific novelty: by working with a little-known historical source (materials from the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History (Moscow), particularly the letters of I. Bisk to the leading Menshevik bodies in Geneva) and scientific literature, we have characterized the process of transporting illegal literature into the Russian Empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Conclusions. The activities of the Menshevik technical group, led by I. Bisk, played a significant role in the development of the revolutionary movement in the Russian Empire. Through Bisk's correspondence with the leading Menshevik bodies in Geneva, we were able to trace the process of transporting illegal literature into the Russian Empire and gain a deeper understanding of the nature of political smuggling. In particular, Pavlov developed and organized underground routes for transporting prohibited literature, which became an important tool for social-democratic agitation. It should be noted that I. Bisk played a key role in the attempt to integrate the Revolutionary Ukrainian Party into the Russian Social Democratic Labour Party, though this effort ultimately failed. This led to the split of RUP and the creation of the Ukrainian Social Democratic Union, which later joined the RSDLP. The Menshevik technical group, in cooperation with the Union, ensured the continuous flow of illegal literature into the Russian Empire, contributing to the spread of Social Democratic ideas.