The Moscow okhranka: on the history of the subject. (book review: Ovchenko Yu. F. The Moscow okhranka at the turn of the century, 1880-1904. Moscow: INSOFT, 2010. - 232 p.)

This article discusses modern conceptions of the structure and activities of the Russian Empire's secret political police, and reviews the book by Yu.F. Ovchenko: "The Moscow Okhranka at the Turn of the Century, 1880-1904" (Moscow, 2010). On the base of archival documents, the monograph reconstructs in detail the origin and structure of the Moscow Okhranka (the Agents Branch of the Russian secret political police). It also presents important generalisations about the tactics and strategies of the Moscow Okhranka in its activities to counter illegal revolutionary organisations. The article concludes that the monograph makes a significant contribution to the development of modern Russian historiography of the Russian Empire's secret political police.