According to a Russian Scholar the relationship between the Russian mission and Baha'u'llah was a complex mixture of diplomatic surveillance, strategic protection and scholarly information gathering

The relationship between the Russian mission and Baha'u'llah was a complex mixture of diplomatic surveillance, strategic protection, and scholarly information gathering. While the mission initially viewed the movement as a threat to stability, it eventually became a primary source of information and, in some cases, a protector for his followers.

Initial Surveillance and Suppression

In the mid-19th century, early Russian envoys like Prince D. I. Dolgorukov and Count A. I. Medem monitored the Babi movement closely. Fearing that the unrest could undermine Russian influence in Iran, they urged the Shah's government to take decisive measures to suppress the movement. Dolgorukov demanded detailed reports from his consuls regarding the movement's dogmas and growth, viewing it as a matter that required "exclusive attention".

Direct Appeals from Baha'u'llah

As the movement evolved into Bahaism, direct contact occurred during Baha'u'llah's exile in Adrianople (1862–1868). Before being moved to Acre, Baha'u'llah sent letters to European consuls, including the Russian consul, protesting the unjust treatment by the Ottoman authorities. In these communications, he requested permission for his followers to settle in Europe.

Russian diplomatic records suggest that the persecution of Baha'u'llah and his followers in Turkey was partly motivated by the Persian envoy’s desire to please the Shah. Russian officials, such as N. P. Ignatiev (the ambassador in Constantinople), monitored these persecutions and reported on the reasons for the Bahá'ís' relocation to Acre.

The Ashgabat Community and Russian Patronage

A significant relationship developed in the late 19th century when Bahá'ís fled Iran and found refuge in Ashgabat, then under Russian control.

• Protection vs. Diplomacy: The Russian administration in the Transcaspian region, particularly General Kuropatkin, showed considerable favor toward the Bahá'ís, treating them as "martyrs" after instances of persecution and murder in Iran.
• Seeking Citizenship: The Bahá'í community in Ashgabat actively sought Russian citizenship to protect themselves and their commercial interests from Persian authorities.
• Political Tension: This protection caused friction with the Persian government; the Shah was reportedly "furious" with Kuropatkin for his patronage of the group. Some Russian officials, like V. I. Ignatiev, worried that this favor would harm Russo-Iranian relations and alienate the powerful Shiite clergy.

Intelligence and the "Glad Tidings" (Bisharat)

Russian diplomats played a key role in acquiring and analyzing Baha'u'llah’s writings.

• Tailored Messaging: The scholar V. R. Rosen, working with materials provided by the Ashgabat mission, discovered that Baha'u'llah’s leadership in Acre was strategically altering his messages for different audiences.
• Censorship for the Tsar: Rosen noted that the version of the "Glad Tidings" (Bisharat) sent to Russian authorities in Ashgabat omitted praise for republican or constitutional government, which had been included in the version sent to the British. This was a deliberate attempt to appeal to the Russian imperial authorities.

The Role of Military and Diplomatic Officials

Several members of the Russian mission were instrumental in studying Baha'u'llah’s doctrine through their diplomatic access:

• A. G. Tumansky: A Russian officer who spent significant time with Bahá'ís in Ashgabat and Iran, translating the Kitab-i-Aqdas and other major works of Baha'u'llah.
• G. D. Batyushkov: A secretary at the mission in Tehran who used his position to save Bahá'í manuscripts from government search and shared them with Russian scholars.
• V. I. Ignatiev: A diplomat who provided translated Bahá'í documents to General Kuropatkin and noted that Baha'u'llah maintained "reliable agents" everywhere to coordinate his followers.

By the end of the 19th century, while some diplomats remained skeptical of the movement's sincerity, others believed that the spread of Bahá'í ideals could benefit the region because they were better than the Shia ideals.

(N. A. Kuznetsova's 1963 article, "On the History of the Study of Babism and Baha'ism in Russia")

www.orientalstudies.ru/rus/images/pdf/journals/OIRV_6_1963_02_kuznetsova.pdf