The 50th anniversary of the laser has stimulated worldwide interest in the history of quantum electronics. This special collection, “Beginning of the Laser Era in the USSR,” presents early Soviet pioneering works that had a significant impact on laser science and quantum electronics. Several of the papers have never been published in English and were not generally available outside the USSR.

via Optics InfoBase – Laser Era in the USSR: LaserFest.

OSA has put a collection of early USSR papers on lasers online.