Suren Norayrovich Adamyan,
Postgraduate Student, Institute of History of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia; Novosibirsk State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering (Sibstrin), Novosibirsk, Russia, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Armenian Families within the “Turks” Special Contingent: Socio‑Demographic Characteristics
DOI: 10.31518/2618-9100-2025-5-14
This article analyzes the sociodemographic characteristics of Armenian families deported to Tomsk Oblast in 1949. Their deportation and fate were only partially known, based on memoir sources. Chronologically, the study covers the second quarter of the 20th century, associated with the migration of former Turkish subjects to the USSR, changes in their status during the 1930s and 1940s, and their actual resettlement to Tomsk Oblast. Statistical materials from the Tomsk Oblast Ministry of Internal Affairs’ Department of Special Settlements for 1951−1956 were used as the primary source. They provided basic biographical information on the deported families, including full names, places of birth and residence, family composition, and the presence of available family members. The article also analyzes parameters such as the gender and age of the heads of deported families, place of residence, and family composition. Armenians constituted the third largest group in the “Turkish” special contingent. At the time of the deportation, the majority of the deported Armenian families lived in the Georgian SSR and Krasnodar Krai, primarily urban residents. These families were founded by migrants from the former Ottoman Empire, who had already been the subject of special attention by the authorities before the deportation, periodically subjecting them to purges. As part of the deportation, families of various types were deported, with nuclear families predominating. Thus, it appears that the “Turkish” Armenians are part of a combined special contingent, the basis for deportation of which is the former foreign citizenship of older family members. The Armenians in this contingent are representatives of diasporas, primarily living in the Georgian SSR.
Publishing: 28/10/2025
The article has been received by the editor on 23/07/2025
How to cite: Adamyan S.N. Armenian Families within the “Turks” Special Contingent: Socio‑Demographic Characteristics // Historical Courier, 2025, No. 5 (43), pp. 163–170. [Available online: http://istkurier.ru/data/2025/ISTKURIER-2025-5-14.pdf]
The article was published as part of the project “Socio-Economic Potential of the Eastern Regions of Russia in the 20th − Early 21st Centuries: Management Strategies and Practices, Dynamics, Geopolitical Context” (FWZM‑2024-0005).
Links: Issue 5 2025
Keywords: deportation; Armenian families; special contingent “Turks”; socio-demographic characteristics; statistical materials; Georgian SSR; Krasnodar krai