"Mariamsky’s affair" in Russian diplomacy in the middle of 18th century

The article is devoted to an episode of Russian diplomatic history of the times of Impress Elizabeth Petrovna. The research testifies what even the least significant diplomatic employee could find himself in the epicenter of the European policy. The unsuccessful attempt of Prussian agents to recruit the junior employee of the Russian embassy in Vienna in 1747 led to the change of the staffing policy of the Russian diplomacy concerning the lower diplomatic employees. Because of «Mariamsky’s affair» some confidential expeditions of Russian secret agents to Europe were organized, and Chancellor Bestuzhev-ryumin even suggested the Impress abolishing the Ukrainian autonomy.