Why did the Soviet government keep some laws and regulations secret?

In the Soviet Union, the government maintained secret laws and regulations primarily to facilitate the distribution of exclusive privileges to the nomenklatura—the ruling elite at national and local levels.1

These secret provisions ensured that this elite class received benefits unavailable to the general public, such as high-quality housing, access to exclusive medical clinics, preferred university admissions for family members, and the ability to purchase scarce consumer goods at low prices. By keeping these regulations hidden, the regime could maintain a facade of equality while effectively insulating its leadership from the scarcity and inferior services experienced by ordinary citizens.1

Additionally, during the Stalinist era, the government utilized secrecy to manage legislation that contradicted its official ideology, which portrayed the Soviet legal system as a just path toward a communist utopia. By suppressing the public disclosure of certain laws, the state could maintain its ideological narrative while simultaneously exercising arbitrary control over the population.2