The Satinsky Archive

The Satinsky Archive is made up of first-person interviews with former government officials, businesspeople, citizen diplomats and consultants that capture the essence of the American and foreign participation in the late Soviet Gorbachev-era reforms and the turbulent Yeltsin-era reform period through the eyes of those who experienced it. The purpose of the Archive is to preserve the history of this period as a contribution to understanding contemporary Russia. The majority of the interviews were conducted prior to the February 24, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and were used as source material for Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy: Through American Eyes (2024).

Learn more about the archive, Daniel Satinsky
and selected resources

The Satinsky Archive is made up of first-person interviews with former government officials, businesspeople, citizen diplomats and consultants that capture the essence of the American and foreign participation in the late Soviet Gorbachev-era reforms and the turbulent Yeltsin-era reform period through the eyes of those who experienced it. The purpose of the Archive is to preserve the history of this period as a contribution to understanding contemporary Russia. The majority of the interviews were conducted prior to the February 24, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and were used as source material for Creating the Post-Soviet Russian Market Economy: Through American Eyes (2024).

Learn more about the archive, Daniel Satinsky
and selected resources

‘When we talk about history, the behind the scenes setting of the stage is rarely understood or recorded. So, that’s very important, because this is an important period in the history of the world and for us to learn well from it, we really need to understand the biggest possible picture of perceptions that we can.”

James Hickman

Director, Esalen Institute Soviet American Exchange Program

Interviews BY TOPIC

Citizen diplomacy in the 1980’s

Discover how Cold War tensions, people-to-people exchanges, rock concerts, space bridges, and bold joint ventures shaped U.S.–Soviet citizen diplomacy—and sowed the seeds of post-Soviet Russia’s transformation

Step inside the whirlwind of post-Soviet Russia, where Yeltsin’s reforms, U.S. aid programs, Western consultants, and an emerging expat culture—from Peace Corps projects to Moscow’s first American diners—reshaped the nation’s leap into neoliberal modernity.

Witness the dramatic leap from Soviet central planning to a Russian market economy, as U.S. entrepreneurs, global banks, law firms, and multinationals transformed finance, real estate, media, dining, and telecom—laying foundations that still shape Russia today.

Explore how 1990s Russia was reshaped by Western culture—from Hollywood films, pop music, and evangelical missionaries to malls, fast food, and even Caesar salads—sparking both lasting lifestyle shifts and fierce backlash against foreign influence.

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