In the Soviet Union, and, after that, Russia, all scientific publications had to go through the "1st department" of the institutions where the authors work, to

In the Soviet Union, and, after that, Russia, all scientific publications had to go through the "1st department" of the institutions where the authors work, to certify that the to-be-published article or book did not contain any secret or confidential information. Where I worked prior to 2008, it was a quick formality.