Russian Government Research Articles

PERCEPTION OF RUSSIAN PANSLAVISM IN THE BRITISH PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES N THE BEGINNING OF THE EASTERN CRISIS OF THE 1870S

During the Eastern Crisis of the 1870s, the British political elites followed with particular attention the Panslavic ideas expressed in Russia and often perceived them as a threat of the Russian Empire’s expansion into the Balkan Peninsula. However, at the very beginning of the Eastern Crisis, the British Parliament’s attitude to the Russian Panslavism was neutral or even positive and it had a considerable impact on British-Russian relations. Britain’s perception of Russian Panslavism during this short but significant period has not been researched yet. This article uses the materials of parliamentary debates to trace the transformation of images of Russian Panslavism in the British political discourse in 1876 and to analyze the mechanisms of their construction. The author identifies three models of interpretation of Russia’s “Slavic interests”, first, as “Slavic sympathies” of the Russian population, second, as Russia’s “territorial ambitions”, and third, as “Russian intrigues”, which allegedly instigated Slav uprisings against the Ottoman Empire. In the summer of 1876, the interpretation of Panslavism as sincere sympathies of Russian society for its Slavic brothers received the greatest weight in the British political discourse. This interpretation contributed to the formation of a more positive image of Russia and even a temporary change in the pro-Turkish policy of the British government. However, by the late 1876, British politicians increasingly began to suspect the Russian government of “subversive Panslavism”. The formation of images of Russian Panslavism in the political discourse of Great Britain was influenced not only the traditional patterns of British foreign policy, but also by the internal political struggle that escalated during the “Bulgarian agitation”. Panslavism was also interpreted ambiguously due to the lack of information, so politicians often based their judgments on stereotypes about Russia, the Ottoman Empire and the Balkan peoples. Finally, parliamentarians’ views were also affected by a rethinking of their own British identity. British politicians revisited issues of relevance to Britain’s own attitudes to the sovereignty of empires, the uprisings of colonized peoples, moral responsibility and Britain’s international mission.

Русско-персидские школы как элемент реализации политики «мягкой силы» Российской империи в Северной Персии в конце XIX – начале XX в.

Introduction. The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries witnessed an intensified Russia–UK confrontation in Persia, which was paralleled by penetrations of other great powers (France, Germany, USA) into the Near and Middle East. Under those conditions, Russia’s traditional economic methods of influence in Persia became insufficient. Goals. The study seeks to examine the phenomenon of Russian educational institutions in Northern Persia as another way of pursuing own national political goals in the designated country. The work aims at confirming — with evidence from archival documents — the activities of Russian-Persian schools during the specified period were to shape a positive image of Russia in Persian society. Materials and methods. The most important sources characterizing the process of opening Russian-Persian schools in Northern Persia (their goals and objectives, training agenda, certain results) are documents of both central authorities and diplomatic, economic and military institutions of the Russian Empire to Persia discovered at the Russian State Historical Archive. Analytical and generalization methods — with comparative into historiographic and archival materials — have proved most instrumental therein. Results. The article identifies some prerequisites for the emergence of Russian-Persian schools in Northern Persia, determines the validity of their activities in this particular region of the country, clearly outlines the context of Russia’s competition with other governments in this matter to conclude as follows: the Russian government was perfectly aware of the need to open such schools that would disseminate the Russian language and Russia-related ideas among Persia’s population; graduates of those educational institutions would serve an important element in pursuing Russia’s interests both in trade, economy, and politics; despite various difficulties — primarily financial ones — the schools were popular enough among ethnic Persians both in Tehran and in other cities of Northern Persia.

TOLERANT AND INTOLERANT CONTENT OF ASSESSMENTS BY UKRAINIAN STUDENTS OF SUBJECTS SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE

Relevance. The study focuses on the problem of the attitude of Ukrainians to "good Russians" under the influence of the Russia-Ukraine war. The opinion of student youth is of particular importance. Depending on the holding of a certain personal position, young respondents largely evaluate modern military and political phenomena and processes. Methodology. The task of the online survey of 2,202 students of 35 universities from different regions of Ukraine, conducted in the spring of 2022, was to assess the degree of guilt and effectiveness of the actions of agents of social, in particular, military and political processes. The questionnaire used 5-point scales of semantic differential and subjective scaling. According to the content of the evaluations of the crimes of the Russians and the Russian authorities before Ukrainians, four groups of respondents were distinguished. Their attitudes towards various social and ethno-political subjects are compared. Results. It was found that anti-Russian attitudes significantly prevail in students' evaluations of Russians and the Russian government. A relatively small part of the sample consisted of anti-Ukrainian, neutral and tolerant views towards Russians. The anti-Russian majority most clearly accuses subjects to whom it attributes signs of attraction to the "Russian world". The anti-Ukrainian minority evaluates them positively, but tends to blame Ukrainian society and the Ukrainian authorities. However, the positions of the anti-Russian majority and the anti-Ukrainian minority turned out to be close in their high assessment of the effectiveness of the Ukrainian government and the command of the Armed Forces. Respondents who try to choose neutral assessments partly avoid a clear choice, and partly hide their pro-Russian sentiments. "Tolerant" respondents, who condemn the Russian authorities, but do not condemn Russians, tend to blame all those in power and to excuse "ordinary people" regardless of their nationality or citizenship.

СЕВЕРО-СИБИРСКАЯ ЖЕЛЕЗНОДОРОЖНАЯ МАГИСТРАЛЬ: ИСТОКИ ЗАРОЖДЕНИЯ ИДЕИ

The paper, based on identified historical documents, presents aspects of the origin of the idea of building the North Siberian Railway. The purpose of the study is outlined - to reveal the features of the promotion of plans for the construction of new railway lines at the beginning of the 20th century. The scientific novelty lies in the fact that the work presents unpublished materials, in particular, those stored in the archives of the city of Yeniseisk. Archival documents testify to the results of the meeting on communication routes (Irkutsk, 1906), which laid the foundation for the transformation of railway, river and land transport communications in Siberia. The activities of the authorities of Siberian provinces and cities aimed at developing a network of transport communications are shown. One of the large-scale plans was the idea of building the Northern Highway - Tomsk-Yeniseisk-Kirensk-Amur Road. It was supposed to solve the problems of introducing the entire Northern Region to the common cultural life - from the Ob to the Amur, as well as creating a strong and reliable connection with the Far East. The Russian government supported the idea of Siberian cities, allocating state funds for technical research on the planned Tomsk-Yeniseisk railway line. In 1913, a survey party examined the railway route and put it on the map. However, these plans were not destined to come true at the beginning of the last century, as the time of great upheavals was approaching, which significantly changed all of Russia. At the same time, the focused efforts of researchers of the last century became the basis for the process of accumulating scientific and practical experience, which was necessary for developing concepts for the development of the eastern regions of the country at the beginning of the 21st century.

Tourism in Russia’s Altai Republic: Indigenous perceptions

ABSTRACT The government of Russia’s Altai Republic encourages tourism for local socio-economic development. The year 2020 brought 2.2 million visitors to the Altai Republic, an ecologically pristine but economically depressed region, with a population of just 220,200. Ethnic Russians constitute a majority of the Altai Republic’s citizenry, but Indigenous groups make up 34 percent of the population. Using surveys and interviews, this study analyzed perceptions of tourism among four rural Indigenous groups in 2018–2019 concerning maintaining local culture, improving the standard of living, and preserving the environment. Survey participants generally did not agree that tourism helps them to maintain local culture or to improve the local standard of living, although interview respondents gave positive and negative viewpoints. Both those surveyed and those interviewed expressed overwhelming concern for the preservation of the natural environment and alarm regarding illegal and excessive hunting by outsiders.

A multilingual analysis of pro Russian misinformation on Twitter during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

The Russian government has long since engaged in an information campaign of propaganda and disinformation as a major part of foreign policy. This has been taken to new heights since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. In this study, we investigate pro-Russian misinformation within the opening weeks of the invasion in 6 languages: English, Japanese, Spanish, French, German, and Korean. Using Twitter data, we apply a combination of network and language embedding models to identify popular topics of misinformation amongst users in each language. Despite English users forming the most dominant language base on Twitter, we find that the popularity of misinformation in Japanese regularly outstrips English for certain topics. Misinformation shared by Spanish users is also over-represented in proportion to its much smaller user base. Our results provide insight into the current state of misinformation in each language. While we discuss some of the possible drivers behind the factors such as language over-representation, our study also highlights the need for further cross-lingual misinformation research in order to better understand this phenomena in a truly global context.

Институт «номинальный руководитель компании»: сущность, формы, мотивы и риски применения

The article is a multidimensional study of the institution of figurehead in the contexts of Russian corporate governance, legal regulation and judicial enforcement. Applying analytical methods of scientific research to analyze the institution of figurehead, the author seeks to consider various aspects of this institution, including its essence, forms, motives for use, punishability and associated risks. The work reveals the approach of Russian judicial practice to the definition of a “nominal leader” as a formal, not actual leader. The author hypothesizes that shadow corporate governance is one of the subsystems of the domestic shadow economy, and that “nominal management of the company’s operating practices” is a class of diverse structures, the generation of one part of which pursues frankly destructive goals in social terms, the other is situationally reasonable. Analyzing scientific publications, legislative acts, and judicial practice, the authors reveal individual forms of nominal management of a company: nominal shareholder, nominal company, nominal corporate act, nominal member of the board of directors, “multi-machine operator”, “technical premier”, member of the family business team, the executor of the instructions of the team of actual leaders, the textbook nominal director and situational-transit versions of the nominal leadership. The article highlights the risks of using forms of figurehead: a fundamental change in law enforcement practice, loss of time for management approvals, loss of confidential information, reputational and entrepreneurial, loss of business, withdrawal of assets and raider takeover. Administrative-legal, expert and corporate approaches are described in the discussion about the limits of punishment for “nominalities”, emphasizing the paradoxical nature of the institutional interpretation of the phenomenon of nominalities. In general, the article offers a broad scientific and applied discussion on interdisciplinary methodological grounds.

Russian-Persian Economic Relations in Early 20th Century: Road Construction

This article explores the history of the construction of one of the main transportation arteries in modern Iran: the Enzeli-Teheran highway with the Kazvin-Hamadan section. The road was funded by the Russian treasury and aimed to boost Russian-Persian trade by including not only the northern provinces of Persia but also the central part of the country. The intensification of trade was expected to occur through the introduction of automobile traffic on the highway, replacing the archaic caravan routes. The article presents the perspectives of both the Russian government of that period and entrepreneurial circles on the choice of road direction and the justification for transitioning to a new method of cargo delivery. It concludes that there were significant discrepancies in the positions of these parties. While the Russian government saw great geopolitical advantage in connecting the largest Enzeli port with Teheran and constructing the Kazvin-Hamadan branch linking northern Persia with its central part, entrepreneurs viewed it as a threat of European product penetration into northern Persia. Fortunately, the entrepreneurial community was not unanimous in its views, and a group emerged willing to embark on this new venture, promising to be successful and give a fresh impetus to Russian-Persian trade relations.

International Framing Competition Over the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ): A Comparison Between the American and Russian Media Framings

This article analyses the framing approaches of the Voice of America and Sputnik in the context of international framing competition since these are significant public diplomacy channels for the foreign policies of the United States and Russia. The paper questions how VOA and Sputnik frame the YPJ women by considering those countries’ policy objectives in Syria. Thematic content analysis and Robert Entman’s framing approach were applied. The paper indicates that there is a connection between policies of US and Russian governments during the Syrian civil war, particularly towards ISIS and framing tendencies of those government-sponsored media outlets over the YPJ women. While there was a consensus over the responsible agent (ISIS), framing competition has seen through factors affecting problem definition, solutions to this problem and moral justifications for the solution.

Assessing the predictability of the Bank of Russia decisions on the key rate and informational advantage in its forecasting

The communication policy of central banks plays a significant role in setting the expectations of economic agents. If key rate decisions are inconsistent with market expectations, managing expectations and anchoring inflation expectations may be difficult. We assess the predictability of the Bank of Russia’s key rate decisions over the 2021—2023 period in two ways: using media surveys of analysts and shifts in the Russian government bond index and the daily volatility of its yield. The results show a significant impact of unexpected key rate decisions on Russian government bond prices and daily volatility. Then, using statistical metrics computed from macroeconomic survey data and another linear and piecewise linear model, we find the informational advantage of the Bank of Russia in predicting the key rate. The decisions unexpected for the market are explained by the information advantage of the Bank of Russia, as well as the realization of geopolitical and inflation risks in the period under study. Thus, we conclude that there is a need to improve the quality of communication regarding future decisions. As the communication policy develops, the predictability of the Bank of Russia’s decisions on the key rate will increase. In turn, economic agents and market participants will adapt to the expected decisions in advance, which will accelerate the achievement of the inflation target and the adjustment of inflation expectations.

Dedication to Morphology (to the 70th Anniversary of the Birth of Professor I.V. Gaivoronsky)

In February 2024, Professor Ivan Vasilyevich Gaivoronsky, Doctor of Sciences in Medicine, the prominent Russian morphologist, Head of the Department of Normal Anatomy at S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy, celebrated the 70th anniversary. Ivan Vasilyevich was born on February 2, 1954 in the town of Kadievka, Voroshilovgrad region. In 1979, he graduated with a gold medal from S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy; within its walls, he came a long way from an adjunct to the Head of the Department of Normal Anatomy, which he has headed for more than 35 years. Ivan V. Gavoronsky is a member of the Presidium of the All-Russian Scientific Medical Society of Anatomists, Histologists and Embryologists and Chairman of its St. Petersburg branch, a member of the Coordinating Council responsible for the field of education “Health and Medical Sciences” and its educational and methodological commission in anatomy and anthropology, Chairman of the dissertation council in the specialties Anatomy and Anthropology, Pathological Anatomy and Forensic Medicine, created at S.M. Kirov Military Medical Academy. Professor Ivan V. Gaivoronsky focused his attention on the development of modern aspects of the collateral circulation issues, the state of various parts of the vascular bed under normal conditions and under the influence of various extreme factors, innovative technologies for preparing and preserving anatomical sections for educational purposes, medical craniology, the study of individual and typological features of the human body, applied issues, dictated by the needs of practical medicine, the history of anatomy, and the improvement of the educational process in the departments of morphological profile. He created a scientific morphological school, which trained 11 doctors and 60 candidates of medical sciences. For significant contribution to the development of Russian science and modernization of the educational process, Professor IvanV. Gaivoronsky was twice awarded the Russian Government Prize in the field of education; he was awarded the honorary titles “Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation” and “Honored Figure of Russian Higher Education”, academician of the Russian Military Medical Academy, Honorary Doctor of the Russian Military Medical Academy; he was awarded the Order of Honor and a medal of the Order for Merits to the Fatherland, II degree.

The Impact of China’s Belt and Road Initiative on Farmer’s Income: Evidence from Sverdlovsk Region

The purpose of this study is to Economic impact of the Belt and Road initiative on agricultural business and the role of the Russian government, in the case of the Sverdlovsk region, Russia. This study is based on quantitative research methods where primary data was collected through questionnaires while secondary data was obtained through verified data from a related project. The study was conducted for 6 months in the Sverdlovsk region, Russia, and included 120 participants. The researcher had previously compiled and considered 60 key questions in Russian in Sverdlovsk region. Demographic analysis of agro-entrepreneurs in the Sverdlovsk region shows that the majority are experienced people, mainly women and married, which indicates a family-oriented approach to agriculture. The outcomes also showed the region's attraction to foreign investors which shows Chinese investments in various economic sectors of the Sverdlovsk region, particularly in the machinery and equipment sector, which may have further boosted agricultural growth. BRI has played a crucial role in boosting the agricultural economy in the Sverdlovsk region and Russia as a whole by facilitating productivity, market access, and technological advancement, thereby driving the sector's growth and competitiveness.

Human Capital Formation in High-Tech: Features of Government Policy

Purpose: is to reveal the peculiarities of government policy aimed at building human capital in high-tech industries. Methods: this research is based on a systems approach; decomposition of human capital in order to identify systemic gaps in its formation; qualitative (traditional) analysis of government programs and projects; a comparative analysis of the directions of Russian government policy and some leading countries in the field of high technologies aimed at human capital development. Results: the essence and structure of the organization's human capital are considered based on the stages of its reproduction, as well as from the position of its expanded interpretation. Systemic gaps in the formation of human capital of high-tech organizations have been identified, including gaps in the formation of individual and corporate human capital, as well as in the institutional and infrastructural support for its reproduction. The features of Russian government policy aimed at the formation of human capital in the high-tech sector are shown, in comparison with the policies of a number of foreign countries. The role of government programs and projects (“Priority2030”, “Professionalitet” and “Advanced Engineering Schools”) in overcoming systemic gaps in the formation of human capital in high-tech organizations is outlined. Conclusions and Relevance: the performed analysis showed the presence of a wide range of government policy measures of a number of countries that occupy leading positions in the field of high technology, aimed at developing human capital in the high-tech sector. Among them are the development of fundamental science, interdisciplinary and mathematical knowledge, STEM competencies, as well as strengthening the interaction between the academic sector and the high-tech sector. The arsenal of tools of domestic government policy includes a focus on practice-oriented training, the development of digital competencies, advanced training of management personnel, as well as the development of interaction between the academic and high-tech sectors. The federal project “Advanced Engineering Schools” corresponds to the elimination of the largest number of system gaps. At the same time, the systemic gap at the stage of formation of general human capital, which manifests itself in the poor physical and mathematical training of schoolchildren, remains unresolved.

Polycentric defense, Ukraine style: explaining Ukrainian resilience against invasion

Contrary to predictions by many experts, Ukraine’s military has been resilient in the face of the Russian government’s invasion. Drawing on the logic of polycentric defense, this article helps explain how Ukraine has remained resistant against a conventionally more powerful adversary. We argue that polycentric defense in Ukraine has four benefits that aid counteroffensive efforts against invasion. First, polycentric defense facilitates the use of local and context-specific knowledge. Second, it permits competition, experimentation, and flexibility. Third, it reduces single-point failure vulnerabilities. Fourth, it encourages a wide variety of individuals to join the armed forces and contribute to the war effort. We present evidence of the benefits of polycentric defense in the context of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Sergei Witte in the estimates of Vasily Maklakov

The ideas of Vasily Maklakov, the lawyer, a member of the Central Committee of the Constitutional Democratic Party, about the influence of Sergei Witte, the Chairman of the Council of Ministers, on the process of Russian political transformation in 1905-1906 are analysed in the article. What served as sources for the study are recollections of Vasily Maklakov, Sergei Witte, Pavel Milyukov, Alexander Kiesewetter, Alexander Izvolsky. Vasily Maklakov’s ideas about the circumstances of the change in Sergei Witte’s perceptions of the form of government in Russia are revealed. It is proved that from October 1905 to April 1906, Vasily Maklakov perceived Sergei Witte as a supporter of Russia’s sustainable constitutional development. Vasily Maklakov’s perceptions of the reasons for Sergei Witte’s attempts to co-operate with the liberals are interpreted as follows – such an agreement would ensure liberal reforms. Maklkov’s judgements about the reasons for Witte’s shift to repressive policies against the revolutionaries – they were carrying out wrongdoing – are reconstructed in the article. Maklakov’s justification of the reasons for the right and liberal politicians’ refusal to support Witte’s policy is revealed. The differences in Maklakov’s and Milyukov’s views on Witte’s policy in 1905-1906 are disclosed. Maklakov characterised Witte as a great statesman able to persuade the emperor to introduce a constitution in order to create a state of law; however, to suppress the revolution, the said nobleman had to use repression as well. Witte’s first line of action led to criticism of his policies by conservatives, while constitutional democrats disagreed with the proposed version of the constitution and condemned the ill-treatment towards radicals. According to Maklakov, the lack of support from influential political forces was one of the reasons why Witte had to resign. Maklakov highlighted Witte’s significant ideas – strengthening the rule of law, organising the government’s interaction with the liberal public.

Горцы на стороне Российской империи в вооруженном противостоянии на Кавказе

The article reveals the circumstances of recruiting highlanders of the North Caucasus to serve in the ranks of the Russian army during the period of expansion of imperial power in the region. The Russian government saw this practice as a way to reduce their hostile belligerence, which they tried to use in their own interests. The motivation of people who agreed to swear allegiance to the state and fight against its enemies with arms in hand is analyzed. The difficulty of the choice was due to the fact that the enemy in this case could be co-religionists who did not want to recognize the new order established by Russia. There were frequent cases of going over to the enemy's side. This applied both to those highlanders who swore allegiance to the empire and to their rivals. The Russian command has not formed an unambiguous assessment of the effectiveness of such measures. There were those who expressed uncertainty about the loyalty of the police units involved. Others, on the contrary, saw this as serious assistance, strengthening the capabilities of the regular army. It seems that the main result of this practice was the gradual formation of a new perception of reality among the highlanders, and over time they began to feel themselves part of the imperial community.

Between Two Empires: Railway Construction in the Far East in the Late Imperial Period

Based on a wide range of archival sources, this article analyses the history of the creation and functioning of the Nikolskaya branch of the Ussuri Railway in the conditions of the Russian-Chinese transborder of the eastern approach to the Chinese Eastern Railway (CER). Designed to connect the CER with the Russian railway network, this branch was significant in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries from the point of view of ensuring the connection of the Trans-Siberian Railway with Vladivostok before the construction of a bypass along the Amur. The concept of “transborder” makes it possible to fit this plot into the broader problem of the formation of contact sociocultural zones along the long land border between Russia and China. The unification of the roads of the two empires into a single railway network led to an increase in migration flows, the founding of new settlements, and the development of civil and military infrastructure, elements of which can be still seen today. At the same time, for a long time, researchers paid no attention to the construction of the connecting branches of the CER and the Trans-Siberian Railway, excluding the adjacent territories from the general narrative of transborder issues, which makes the study particularly relevant. At the same time, archival materials make it possible to characterise not only the difficulties that the Russian government encountered during the construction of the connecting branch but also the initial stage of the formation of a network of settlements along it, their development, as well as the specifics of existence in transborder conditions. The listed issues were raised not only in the Committee of the Siberian Railway, the Ministry of Railways, and the Ministry of Finance, which directly supervised the construction and determined the volume of financing, but also in the CER Society. From the financial point of view, turning to the method of joint road construction using private and state funds, previously tested on other railways in the country, would become one of the arguments for leasing the Ussuri Railway to the CER Society.

Основные подходы к финансовым и институциональным условиям возникновения научно-образовательных консорциумов

Currently, scientific and educational consortia are becoming increasingly popular forms of collective action in the field of science and education. They are turning from static structures into dynamic communities that have a high degree of flexibility and are able to quickly respond to new challenges and trends. Consortia bring together universities, research centers, companies and other organizations in order to jointly perform scientific and educational tasks, exchange information and resources. Using their capabilities, such groups can achieve great results that are not available to one person or one organization. In science and education, various models of cooperation are used, which contribute to the creation of scientific and educational consortia. By a decree of the Russian government dated May 13, 2021, the Priority 2030 Strategic Academic Leadership program was adopted, which is aimed at supporting universities and stimulating their participation in achieving the national development goals of the country. Consortia are an important mechanism for the implementation of this program. The strategic academic Leadership program "Priority 2030" has become an important incentive for the development of consortia in the field of education and increased funding for universities. According to the data of form VPO-2, reviewed in this article, there has been an increase in the volume of cash receipts since 2021. The analysis of the main advantages of Scientific and Educational consortia shows that consortia allow solving complex tasks that are inaccessible to one scientist or educational institution. In addition, consortia ensure efficient use of resources, which is especially important in conditions of limited budgets.

Georgian Aristocracy in the Politics of the Russian Empire: Mechanisms and Stages of Integration

This article examines the process of integration of the Georgian elite into the social and political space of the Russian Empire in the first half of the nineteenth century. In this case, integration should be understood as confirmation of the class rights of the Georgian nobility. This process lasted for half a century. The first part of the article analyses the efforts of the Russian authorities aimed at finding an optimal format for confirming the class rights of the Georgian elite. The class guarantees of the Georgian aristocracy were recorded in several documents, most notably in the Treaty of Georgievsk in 1783 and the Manifesto to the Georgian People in 1801. In addition, the rights of the noble Georgian class were guaranteed in several official proclamations of the regional Russian administration. However, the “nobilisation” of the Georgian elite encountered several legal obstacles and was delayed. Another problem of the Russian government was the unauthorised issuance of princely and noble letters by Georgian princes, who, after the liquidation of the royal house of Bagration, were resettled to Russian capitals. The government was not immediately successful in stopping this illegal practice. All these difficulties led to the fact that by the middle of the nineteenth century, most representatives of the Georgian nobility had not received recognition of their class rights at the imperial level. The second part of the article examines the activities of the first Caucasian Viceroy, Mikhail Vorontsov, aimed at completing the process of the “nobilsation” of the Georgian nobility. In 1846, at the proposal of the Viceroy, two special temporary commissions were created in Tiflis and Kutais to examine the class rights of the Georgian nobility. The commissions consisted of representatives of the Georgian nobility and Russian officials. The work of the commissions was completed in 1849, and a year later the lists of Georgian princes and nobles received the approval of Emperor Nicholas I. The Confirmation of rights made the Georgian nobility part of the imperial elite and motivated Georgians to take an active part in empire-building.

Issues of Ecological Tourism Development on the Territory of Pribaikalye

Over the past few years, Russians' interest in domestic tourism has been steadily growing. This trend is due not only to external factors, but also to the initiatives of the Russian Government and governors implemented at the federal and regional levels. Tourism is becoming a strategic resource for the development of the Russian economy. The article gives examples of regions that are leaders in eco-tourism, demonstrates data confirming the development of tourism in Russian regions. Irkutsk region is characterized by the richness of flora and fauna, diversity of specially protected natural areas (SPNA). Protected areas are represented by two federal reserves (Baikal-Lensky and Vitimsky), Pribaikalsky National Park, two wildlife sanctuaries (Tofalarsky and Krasny Yar). Also in the Irkutsk region there is a part of the territory subject to protection — Lake Baikal World Natural Heritage Site. The ecosystems of protected areas are fragile in their structure, and serious interference in their structure can lead to destruction and death. Therefore, it is important to strike a balance between the development of tourism infrastructure and the preservation of natural heritage. In the world practice ecological tourism is a tool that allows designing modern ecological centers of international scale. This issue is particularly relevant for Pribaikalsky Krai; a number of documents at the federal and regional levels have identified the development of eco-tourism as one of the priority directions. In this context, it is very important to find such tools and mechanisms that will allow to preserve the environment for future generations, since the influx of tourists not only brings profit, but also leaves behind unfavorable consequences for the environment.