This arrangement greatly facilitates matters. The contact will be able to search in Russian libraries. Be prepared to wait. It takes an average Russian archive from one to five months to answer a genealogy request even after a front payment. Sometimes the search produces no results, but sometimes initial discoveries open new vistas for a more profound investigation.
Archives vary in terms of hospitality.
For example, Kirov, Arkhangelsk and Kazan welcome requests and fulfill them accurately, but Samara and Orenburg either turn down private requests or refuse to perform an additional search after the initial discovery of promising information. If you are searching deep in history, keep in mind that regional archives only keep records dating back to about 1790. Earlier information may be found in federal archives in Moscow or St. Petersburg. Every ministry, institution, factory, railroad, etc. maintains an archive of its own, which is available for the descendants. Each year, the files of dismissed personnel are archived in an alphabetical order.