Russian People Research Articles

THE CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL MECHANISM FOR REGULATING THE RIGHT TO HOUSING OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF CITIZENS IN RUSSIA

The article is devoted to the Study of the constitutional and legal mechanism for regulating the right to housing of certain categories of citizens in Russia. The article defines the concepts of "regulation" and "constitutional and legal mechanism of regulation", and also discusses various approaches to the definition of the latter. The authors believe that the basis of the legal mechanism of regulation is the constitutional legal mechanism of regulation. The object of the study is the inalienable constitutional rights and freedoms of man and citizen, which are vested in him by the State. The article highlights the elements of the mechanism of legal regulation: the rule of law, legal relationship, law enforcement act.

More than neighbours: Assessing crisis narratives of Nordic-Baltic elites in the context of European Union’s eastern border

Over the last decade, the European Union has faced multiple crises that have affected the direction and the nature of the integration process. This study focuses on the challenges posed by the Belarusian-EU border crisis (2021) and the proposed travel restrictions towards Russian citizens (2022) in the context of the Nordic-Baltic EU member states. The study addresses their impact through the double prisms of regionality and level of governance. The study looks at how national elite narratives on borders and the movement of people travel to the supranational context, in this case the European Parliament. While the Parliament is often overlooked in favour of the Council or the Commission, this study regards it as an effective analytical bridge between domestic and supranational decision-making levels. To achieve its empirical goals the study relies on governments’ official communiques, while the parliamentary analysis is based on pre-vote debates and Parliament’s roll-call votes. The article finds that, while the national narratives highlight a growing convergence of governmental narratives in adopting or justifying restrictive bordering measures, the EP debates and votes highlight the relevance of ideology and partisanship when it comes to the issue and the growing significance of the gap between mainstream and non-mainstream forces.

Трансформация правовых ценностей в годы Великой российской революции

The article notes that legal values are formed and developed in the social environment under the influence of historical, spiritual, economic and political factors. Using the example of revolutions that marked the transition from the Middle Ages to the New Age, the process of transformation of legal values is revealed. It is shown, based on the analysis of fundamental normative legal acts, how the evolution of legal values takes place in the conditions of the Great Russian Revolution of 1905–1922 at each stage.

Доминирующие типы темпоральности социально-ненормативных подростков

The article, using empirical material, examines the problem of temporal characteristics of non-normative adolescents. The questions are revealed about whether the non-normativity of adolescents is interconnected with their tendency to certain types of deviant behavior, as well as whether there are differences in the types of temporality of adolescents who have different features of non-normativity and behavioral deviations inherent in it. The respondents were 197 teenagers (among them 100 girls and 97 boys aged 15 to 16 years), all citizens of Russia, students of secondary schools. The following questionnaires were used: “Normativity. Intelligence. Regulation”, “Tendency to deviant behavior”, “Subjective assessment of time orientation”, “Time scenario of personality” and “Subjective attitude towards time scale”. As a result of the study, three groups of adolescents were identified - normative, non-normative-creative (emotional) and non-normative-reproductive (calculating). It has been established that normative adolescent express resource temporality - a plastic attitude to time, a permissive time scenario and a resource focus on the present and future. Non-normative-creative (emotional) adolescents have an infantile-fixed temporality - an indifferent attitude to time, an infantile-permissive time scenario and a fixed time focus on the present, reduced volitional control of emotional reactions, a tendency to overcome norms and rules and aggressive behavior. Non-normative-reproductive (calculating) adolescents have a neurotic-fixed temporality - time dependence, a prohibitive time scenario and a fixed time focus on the past, a tendency to overcome norms and rules and delinquent behavior. In practical terms, the transformation of temporality can be one of the promising areas of psychological support for adolescents, in order to prevent and prevent their deviant behavior.

The Concept of Crime of «Murder» in Russian Medieval Law

The paper pays special attention to the importance and long-overdue need for a more detailed study of historical and legal terminology, a revision of its etymology and semantics, legal meaning using all kinds of methodological structures, which, in turn, can significantly expand the scientific understanding of the legal life of past generations, become the key to understanding the intricacies of their legal life, legal consciousness and many other important aspects of life. The work reflects the ideas of a multidimensional study of Russian statehood and culture, which the author has been conducting for many years. It is especially emphasized that the study of the legal terminology of the period of medieval Rus’ should not be carried out in isolation from the spiritual traditions and customs and mainly the religious and philosophical foundations of the Russian people, which were decisive in the development of society, states and law. Using extensive research material, the author makes an attempt to reconsider the issues of the genesis of medieval criminal law. In pre-revolutionary, Soviet and post-Soviet historical and legal science, a purely narrow understanding of the concept of «murder» was formed as a crime against life in the form of intentionally causing death. Russian memorials of law related to the Middle Ages contain information indicating that this term denoted a fairly wide range of offenses and crimes — both against the life of Orthodox Christians and against their health, decency, religion, etc.

Russian Ethnic Groups in the National Structure of Belarus

Based on statistical data and materials of the All-Union population censuses of 1959-1989, as well as national population censuses of the Republic of Belarus in 1999-2019. the development trends of ethnic processes in Belarus are analyzed. The characteristic of the ethnic structure of modern Belarusian society is given. An excursion into the history of the Russian ethnic group and the indigenous peoples of Russia in the Belarusian lands was made. The role and place of the Russian ethnos in the post-war period of Belarus is shown. The role of migration in ethnic processes is considered. An important place is given to the analysis of the push migration of the Russian-speaking population in the national republics of the period of the collapse of the unified demographic space of the USSR. An analysis of the features and problems of the Belarusian-Russian migration is given. The characteristic of individual indigenous Russian peoples in the national structure of Belarus is given. The ethnic ties of the border regions of Belarus and Russia are highlighted. The changes of the Belarusian ethnos in the national structure of the Russian Federation are reflected.

Images of Russian Self-Consciousness: History and Culture

The article examines in detail the cultural and historical prerequisites for the formation of national self-consciousness in the context of its specificity. Its specificity is predetermined by the historical destiny of the people, the geographical location of the state and the worldview of Russian people. Attention is focused on three bases of the formation of this phenomenon: “their” faith, power and rigid ethno-social distance with the poles “we” and “they”. The dynamics of the mythologeme of “anti- Westernism”, the transformation of religious consciousness, as well as the specific manifestation of tolerance, conditioned not by origin, but by the common space of settlement, are analyzed separately. It is emphasized that these structural elements of national self-consciousness in various forms existed in all periods of Russian statehood: from ancient Russia to the present. The author’s reflections are illustrated by the data of interdisciplinary sociological research conducted in the period from 1995 to 2021 under the guidance of the author by the team of the Laboratory of Ethnic Sociology and Psychology of the Faculty of Sociology of St. Petersburg State University. The peculiarity of their presentation is the analysis of the dynamics of people’s worldview and behavior under the systemic impact of social and political transformations of the external environment.

Shock Wave of Russian Emigration and Self-Reflection of Its Representatives

This essay introduces the notion of the shock wave of Russian emigration, applicable to those Russian citizens who strongly opposed the outbreak of military aggression against Ukraine and chose to leave Russia within the first weeks of the beginning of the fullscale invasion on February 24, 2022. Based on the data collected from in-depth interviews, the study of the shock wave gives an overview of the spectrum of the respondents’ personal motivations for leaving the country, fears and expectations that were driving them, and their deeper reflection on their experiences where metaphors and imagery play a very prominent role.
 Text in English

Leave Not Stay. Introduction to the Thematic Block

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had an enormous impact on various areas of life in Russia itself; yet, one of its consequences most widely covered by the media was the mass emigration of Russian citizens. Why has it attracted so much attention from the media and researchers— several research groups are now examining various aspects of this new wave—and why is it of interest to the authors of this thematic block and editors of the journal where it is appearing?

The Role of the Oath Taken by Foreigners for Becoming Naturalized Russian Citizens (from the 15th to the Early 20th Century)

This article considers the role of the oath of Russian citizenship as confirmation that foreigners become naturalized as Russian citizens. The concepts of “cross kissing”, “cross-kissing record”, and “oath” are examined in relation to the procedure of citizenship acquisition in Russia from the 15th to the early 20th century. Particular emphasis is placed on the genesis of the essence and scope of the oath institution in Russia. A comparative analysis is performed on the oaths taken by foreigners to assume the positions of public officials and subjects of the Russian emperors. The obtained results show that the change of citizenship did not entail compulsory religious conversion as long as the 17th century. All applicants for Russian citizenship had the right to take the oath in their native language and in front of the clergy member representing the religion they professed. As the oath of citizenship gained legitimacy and popularity in Russia, the lawmakers tried to unify the procedure, while ensuring that the oath text and ceremony remain sacred.

Ethnical Identity and Ethno-Cultural Needs of the Russian Urban Population in the Republic of Tatarstan

This article considers the features of “ethnic culture” and its place in the everyday and spiritual life of the Russian urban population of the Republic of Tatarstan. Its symbolic and functional importance for various sociodemographic groups is explored. The population of Tatarstan is viewed as a single historical and ethnographic community descending from the Great Russians of the Volga region. The structure of the social identity types and the characteristics of ethno-cultural group practices are described. Special attention is paid to how social space and ethno-cultural needs are related. The comparative analysis of different social groups of the urban and rural Russian residents of Tatarstan is carried out. The study employs the hermeneutic approach to decipher social phenomena with symbolic meanings. The theoretical insights and generalizations are based on the materials of a comprehensive ethno-sociological study performed on the modern Russian population of Tatarstan in 2022 with the help of both quantitative (mass survey) and qualitative (in-depth interviews, focus group) methods. The results obtained show a direct relationship between the type of ethnic identity and the level of ethno-cultural needs among the Russian urban population of Tatarstan. It is also concluded that many ethno-cultural practices, from the ritualized tradition to personal interiorization, have transformed under the influence of the socio-cultural landscape of the city.

We’re All the Same: Collective Narcissists’ Cross-National Support for Putin and Russian Military Attacks

National narcissism is associated with support for nationalist and anti-democratic leaders and decisions in one’s own country. We hypothesize that it might also relate to more favorable judgments of outgroup nationalist leaders and actions, even if the latter may pose a threat to the ingroup. Using the context of the Russian attack on Ukraine, we hypothesize that people with a higher level of national narcissism would be more supportive of Russian attacks, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and the Russian people. This may be due to a higher perception of belief similarity to Putin and Russians. We also considered the moderating role of the explicit target of the attack (Ukraine vs. ingroup). We tested our hypotheses in two studies (Study 1: N = 339 French; Study 2: N = 400 Americans). In both studies, national narcissism was related to a judgment of the attack (on Ukraine or the ingroup) as less immoral and to a better opinion of Putin. These effects were mediated by perceived belief similarity. In both studies however, these less negative judgments of the attack and of Putin did not extend to Russian people. Our results highlight that national narcissists are inclined to support a nationalist outgroup leader and their violent actions, although these may ultimately harm the ingroup.

Путінське задзеркалля: псевдоісторичні ремінісценції як ідеологічне обгрунтування антиукраїнської експансії

The purpose of the research is to characterize the main immanent properties of the rhetoric of the President of the Russian Federation, V. Putin, which appeals to the history of Russia and Ukraine. The methodological approaches are based on the theoretical work of leading experts in history, political science, law, social psychology, hermeneutics and the application of interdisciplinary methods and modern terminology. The scientific novelty of the material is determined by reference to several Putin texts, which ideologically and motivationally framed the large-scale invasion of the Russian army into Ukraine. For the first time, they are analyzed together as forming the core "concept" of the Kremlin's aggressive anti-Ukrainian course. Conclusions. Historical and related commemorative politics play a special role in totalitarian and authoritarian states, as they effectively mobilize society and legitimize existing regimes. In the modern Russian Federation, historical politics serves as a tool for justifying the expansionist, imperialist course of the Kremlin to its neighbors. The disintegration of the Union of the SSR caused a shock to most Russians, who were overwhelmed by feelings of resentment and nostalgia for the lost greatness of the world power. On these psychological strings, the President of the Russian Federation, V. Putin, "plays" who systematically resorts to historical reminiscences, in which he searches for arguments for asserting an aggressive line of behavior in the international arena. The fact that these appeals to the past are accompanied by falsifications and even outright lies is of no particular importance to the "deep Russian people." After all, the speaker determines the degree of truth of what is said there. Manipulation of the mass consciousness of Russian citizens enabled the Russian authorities to mentally and physically involve tens of millions of people in the war against Ukraine. The texts of Putin's articles and addresses convince that the Russian leadership and society have lost their ethical and value orientations, ignore the principles of the rule of law, democratic freedoms, and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries.

The Soviet Era in Russia’s Millennium History. Rereading Viktor Trostnikov

The article focuses on the works of the renowned Russian religious thinker Viktor Trostnikov and his perspectives on the Soviet period. The primary question guiding his creative output was: “What was the ultimate meaning behind the sufferings and hardships that befell Russia in the 20th century?” Viktor Trostnikov’s reflections on the Soviet epoch, which largely coincided with the greater part of his life, appear more objective and significant compared to the reasoning of authors adhering to either pro-communist or anti-communist views. Viktor Trostnikov regarded Marxism as a heretical doctrine that, through its pseudo-scientific nature, poisoned the minds of the Russian people. The religious nature of Marxism influenced the Christian sentiments of the people, facilitating the success of the October Revolution. The doctrine of communism was a Christian heresy, Christianity without Christ. During the Soviet era, the Russian people retained the ability to believe in something higher than the material world. Leninism provided the people with an inspiring and uplifting dream. The Christian paradise in the heavens was replaced by a terrestrial communist utopia in the future. Throughout the Soviet period of Russian history, state atheism failed to dismantle the deeply rooted traditional spiritual and moral values of Orthodox civilization within the people’s souls. Viktor Trostnikov highlighted instances of genuine asceticism during the Soviet era. Despite the USSR being an atheistic state until its dissolution, covertly our country remained the Third Rome. Viktor Trostnikov proposed considering the history of Russia of the 20th century, including revolutionary events and the Soviet era, from the perspective of Russian civilization. Crucially, during this challenging period, the people managed to preserve the core of their culture and civilizational identity, which was “camouflaged by external godlessness”. Viktor Trostnikov offered a distinct understanding of Stalin’s figure, the relationship between authorities and the people during the Soviet era, the role of industrialization in Soviet history, and the role of art in the country’s life.

Orthodox identification of the Russian population in the Republic of Dagestan. 1985–1999

We have a research idea to show the peculiarities of the development of the Orthodox component in the transitional period of the historical development of our country on the example of the Russian population of the Republic of Dagestan as adherents of Orthodox traditions in the national multiconfessional region. The relevance of the research associated with the transformation of the religious component of Russian people of Dagestan under the influence of globalization and socio-cultural processes of recent decades.A positive effect on the development of the religious component of our society as a whole with a number of features in national regions, in particular, Dagestan have been analyzed. The investigated archival and periodical material and analysis of the empirical data have made it possible to consider the development Orthodox identification in the period 1985–1997. The low growth has been noted. Conclusions have been drawn about the unstable situation of Orthodox parishes due to a number of factors, including the political situation, migration processes among the Russian population, which, in turn, led to the low activity of the clergy, their interaction with the authorities to solve pressing social problems.

Gennady Shimanov and His Unfulfilled Dream of “Orthodoxizing the Soviet State”

The article delves into the life and endeavors of Gennady Mikhailovich Shimanov (1937–2014), a relatively unknown to the wide audience yet a profoundly intriguing thinker, Orthodox publicist and dissident of the Soviet and post‑Soviet eras. It provides an overview of his biography and creative journey, highlighting his atypical position within the dissident and human rights movement, which predominantly leaned towards liberalism. In general, Shimanov’s beliefs revolved around practicing Orthodoxy during the Soviet era, Christian socialism, and Russian nationalism. The article focuses on Shimanov’s historiosophical prediction in the 1970s, suggesting the transformation of the Soviet state into an Orthodox theocracy, and the subsequent debates within the dissident literature of that time. Unusual for that period was Shimanov’s conviction in the necessity of maintaining loyalty to the Soviet state even on the part of dissidents. The article also touches upon Shimanov’s post‑Soviet creative works and their character, notably after the collapse of the USSR when his expectations starkly failed to fulfill, or fulfilled in the opposite direction. Nevertheless, other successful ideas and predictions by Shimanov are acknowledged. For example, those regarding the detrimental consequences that the country and society would experience if the liberal approach was chosen as the way out of the historical impasse of the Soviet era. The article also notes weaknesses in Shimanov’s ideologies, particularly evident in the post‑Soviet years: painful antisemitism, excessive social interpretation in understanding of Christianity, and ideological engagement. Simultaneously, the article acknowledges positive aspects of his ideas, namely his focus on national and family issues that heavily impacted the future of the Russian people.

The concepts of “Motherland” and “State” in Russian language

The subject of the study is the concepts “Motherland” and “State”, their synonyms and associative images in Russian songs and Russian language, including Russian phraseological units, proverbs and sayings. The first concept is understood as a small homeland and a large homeland. Each person has his own small homeland, which is associated with place of birth, family, house, street, village, town, etc. The large homeland in a broad sense refers to the native country. The small homeland is part of the big homeland. These concepts play a role in the formation of Russian person’s national consciousness, spiritual values, worldview, character and personality. The purpose of this work is to clarify their meanings and differences in Russian language and in Russian people’s consciousness. Research methods include descriptive, associative, comparative methods, methods of synthesis and generalization, and semantic analysis. When analyzing and comparing the concepts “Motherland” and “State”, this work examines the images reflected in the texts of Russian songs about these concepts and language examples in Russian phraseological dictionaries. The conducted research shows that the term “Motherland”, associated with national history, culture and ethnic identity, has a spiritual psychological flavor. The term “State” with a social meaning is defined as a political, legal, economic form of organization of human society. This concept is associated with the images of “law”, “authority”, “army/armed force”, “citizen”, etc. Clarifying the differences in their semantics in Russian language helps speakers of other linguistic cultures to better understand their significance in Russian people’s history, culture and consciousness, their role and influence on the formation of Russian people’s national psychology and spiritual world. The study of these concepts has prospects for expanding foreign students' vocabulary, deeper understanding of the Russian language, culture, people, its spiritual world and their relationships and enriching their cultural, linguistic and personal experience.

The Potential of Tax Impact on the Economic Inequality of Citizens in Russia

The Potential of Tax Impact on the Economic Inequality of Citizens in Russia

Aggressor State, Aggressor Individual, and What International Law Does/Should Protect

This note examines the measures taken against Russian citizens in the context of the Russo-Ukrainian War in positive international law and analyzes the rationale for sanctioning individual citizens of an aggressor state. It questions whether the gravity of state aggression by Russia enables measures targeting individuals based solely on their Russian citizenship by investigating whether the blanket denial of asylum and imposition of travel bans for Russian citizens constitutes a breach of norms of international law. It further tests this citizenship link by turning to the legality of denationalization of pro-Russian Ukrainian citizens under international law. Building on this foundation, the note probes the existing schemes of responsibility under international law and corporate law to delve into how international law should approach citizens of an aggressor state.

«Сказание о хождении в Тибет пандита-хамбо-ламы Заяева из цонгольского рода» как источник по истории буддизма

The history of Buddhism and the initial period of its spread in Transbaikalia in the XVII-XVIII centuries are insufficiently studied due to the lack of archival materials and sources, while the surviving historical records provide different information about some events, such as the year of construction of the first Buddhist temple and the first sermon, the years of D.-D. Zayaev's life. The earliest extant sources are "Autobiography" and "Travel Notes" written by D.-D. Zayaev in 1768. They contain valuable information not only about the history of Buryat Buddhism, but also about the life and activities of D.-D. Zayaev (1711-1776), the first Buryat pandita Khambo-Lama, whose name is associated with the beginning of the spread of Buddhism among the Buryats and its institutionalization in the Russian Empire, but also with the description of his pilgrimage to Tibet. In this regard, in order to clarify some dates on the early history of Buryat Buddhism, texts related to him have been searched for and analyzed in the funds of the Center of Oriental Manuscripts and Xylographs (CVRK) of the Institute for Mongolian, Buddhist and Tibetan Studies of the Siberian Branch of the RAS. It was established that of the six sources found, the most informative work is "The Legend of the Tsongol Kin Pandita Khambo-Lama Zayaev's Journey to Tibet" in the Old Mongolian script, stored in the Mongolian collection of the CVRK. As a result of the study, it was revealed that this work is a late manuscript consisting of the "Travel Notes", the Biography of D.-D. Zayaev and of an anonymous manuscript containing a brief description of Buddhist sacred places and shrines in India, Nepal, Tibet and Mongolia, what has determined its structure consisting of 3 parts. It was found out that this manuscript contains information about the socio-economic situation of the population of Tibet and neighboring countries, as well as information about the history of Buddhism in Transbaikal region in the middle of the XVIII century. It testifies to Russia's geopolitical interests in this region of Inner Asia and the peoples living there, as the author reports, saying that it was written at the behest of Catherine II, who outlined a range of issues: "to describe what I’ve seen on my way to Tibet, the length of the road and distance, as well as about the customs and habits of people". The unique historical information preserved by the Buryat pilgrim and the Russian citizen D.-D. Zayaev is also relevant for conducting comparative studies of the phenomenon of modern pilgrimage that is becoming popular not only for believers but among ordinary lay population.