Orthodox communities of the Buryat ASSR in the context of changes in Soviet religious policy in the second half of the 1980s and early 1990s.

This article utilizes archival materials from the State Archive of the Republic of Buryatia and the State Archive of the Russian Federation to analyze the status of Orthodox communities in the Buryat ASSR during the latter half of the 1980s. During this historical period, the Buryat ASSR was home to a single registered religious association of Orthodox Christians, namely the Ascension Church in Ulan-Ude, alongside a community of believers in Kyakhta. Additionally, there existed a non-active group of Old Believers. The focus of the article is on the examination of the ceremonial and financial activities of Orthodox religious associations within the Buryat ASSR. It is observed that financial and economic activities began to experience systematic growth starting in 1988, a development linked to shifts in state-confessional relations during the late 1980s and early 1990s. The analysis concludes that the religious policy directed towards Orthodox communities in the Buryat ASSR generally aligned with broader Soviet trends, while also exhibiting unique characteristics pertinent to the specific context of the region.