Abstract
<jats:p>Abstract. The purpose of the article is to study the activities of the law enforcement agencies of the Russian Empire in combating the smuggling of political literature in the Ukrainian lands at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th centuries. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of the methods and strategies of the secret police used to detect, intercept, and destroy illegal literature, as well as to assess their impact on the political and social life of the region. The research methodology is based on the principles of historicism and objectivity, employing methods of analysis and comparison. Scientific novelty lies in the fact that, for the first time, the activities of security agencies in the Ukrainian provinces of the Russian Empire are comprehensively analyzed in the context of combating political literature smuggling during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. New aspects of the secret police’s work have been revealed, including the organization of special agent networks, methods of conspiracy, and documentary recording. Conclusions. The study confirms that the fight of the Russian Empire’s security agencies against political literature smuggling was complex, organized, and systematic. The use of secret control methods, the creation of agent networks, and the active application of judicial procedures made it possible to restrict the spread of prohibited ideas, though it did not stop their transformation and dissemination among citizens. The results of the study emphasize the significance of political smuggling as a factor in shaping public opinion and political consciousness in the Ukrainian lands under imperial rule, demonstrating that books and the printed word served as an effective “invisible front” in the confrontation between ideas and power. Keywords: political smuggling, political parties, border, illegal literature, secret police, cooperation with authorities, Russian Empire.</jats:p>