Russian State Research Articles

To Whom Much is Given: The Russian Orthodox Church’s Role in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Abstract The essence of a war is in its justification. In Vladimir Putin’s Russia, the state has turned to Patriarch Kirill and the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to assemble a tranche of religio-legal justifications for the war in Ukraine. Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor was instantaneously colored by theological proclamations from the Kremlin and the Patriarchate. While powerful as mere propaganda, much more is at stake. In March 2024, the ROC officially declared Russia’s “special military operation” to be a “holy war,” the first time the ROC has made such a statement since the Russo-Japanese War under Tsar Nicholas II. This article argues that the decree is the logical reverberation of a broader urge to revivify Russian imperial mores, particularly in the legitimation of warfare against Ukraine. Vladimir Putin and Patriarch Kirill have instrumentalized one another. Patriarch Kirill gives religious substance to the Russian president’s claims of geopolitical slight, while the latter buttresses the ROC’s relevance amidst modernization. It is a partnership as nostalgic as it is pragmatic, rooted in the symphonic heyday of tsars and primates. An examination of the historical relationship between the Russian state and its church (as the ROC has come to be known) offers a multitude of lessons in the maintenance of the Kremlin’s power, the stateward trend of ROC theology, and the lengths to which states go to legitimate revanchist acts.

СУВЕРЕННАЯ РОССИЙСКАЯ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННОСТЬ. КОГНИТИВНЫЕ ТЕХНОЛОГИИ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ ЦЕННОСТЕЙ

Modern Russian statehood is based on domestic historical, legal, cultural values, the preservation of which is manifested in the provisions of the Constitution of the Russian Federation as one of the im-portant tasks. The value system is a topic that has repeatedly become the subject of scientific analysis. Protecting this system and its elements from threats, in particular from cognitive distortions and transformations, has become especially relevant in recent years. The article is devoted to the analysis of the influence of cognitive technologies on the system of sovereign Russian values. It is concluded that in Russian legislation, along with the concept of information security, it is necessary to consolidate cognitive security. In its most general form, it can be considered as a system for counter-ing cognitive technologies.

К ВОПРОСУ О СООТНОШЕНИИ ПОНЯТИЙ «ЛИШЕНИЕ ГРАЖДАНСТВА», «ПРЕКРАЩЕНИЕ ГРАЖДАНСТВА» И «ОТМЕНА РЕШЕНИЙ О ПРИЕМЕ В ГРАЖДАНСТВО»

In this article, the author has undertaken a study of the content of the concepts of deprivation of citizenship, termination of citizenship and cancellation of decisions on admission to citizenship. The purpose of the article is to compare the scope and content of these terms, to draw conclusions about the possibility of using them in legislation and in practice. The main method used in this work is the general scientific method of comparison, which consisted in comparing the editions of legal norms in the legislation on citizenship in different periods at the present stage of develop-ment of the Russian state. In addition, such general scientific methods of scientific cognition as de-duction, analysis and synthesis, private scientific methods: historical and axiological, special: formal legal and the method of legal hermeneutics were used. The author concludes that it is impossible to identify the concepts under study, the need to give a clear definition of the cancellation of decisions on admission to citizenship, the preference in some cases for using this term instead of the concept of termination of citizenship, the need to take into account the positions of the Constitutional Court of the Russian Federation on the possibility of canceling decisions on admission to citizenship only when providing such false information that influenced the decision this decision, on the need to con-sider all issues of cancellation of decisions on admission to citizenship and termination of citizenship exclusively in court and the inadmissibility of the actual deprivation of citizenship of persons who have become Russian citizens by way of recognition.

Neighbours of the empire: Images of Russia in Lithuanian and Polish textbooks

In the paper, we analyze the image of the Soviet Union and Russia presented by the Lithuanian and Polish states to the youngest generation. Our empirical data comes from textbooks for social sciences and recent history, beginning from the gaining independence of both countries after the First World War until the aggression on Ukraine in 2014. We focused on the ways of presenting to the pupils the politics, society, and culture of the Soviet and Russian states. We show how textbooks present the Russian state as irrational and dangerous and how the longue durée of the imperial thinking is seen as the leitmotiv of the narratives on Russian history.

Optical properties, inclusions, and chemical composition of blue corundum from the Stazh-2 deposit, South-Western Pamir

Background. The Stazh-2 deposit of blue corundum is a representative object in the post- Soviet territory with prospects for mining of jewelry crystal raw materials. In terms of its geological position, the deposit can be classified as a contact-reaction (bimetasomatic) deposit formed in the contacts of granite veins and magnesites, being comparable to the world-famous Kashmir Sumjam deposit. During its study at the end of the last century, no mineralogical studies of blue corundum were conducted using precision methods, such as IR, Raman and absorption spectra, DiamindView luminescence, in order to establish patterns in color distribution, solid and gas-liquid inclusions, deformations and chemical composition. Determination of these parameters could serve as a basis for the involvement of crystal from this deposit in the jewelry industry.Aim. Examination of blue corundum from the Stazh-2 deposit located in Archean magnesite marbles of the Goran metamorphic series of the South-West Pamir using IR, Raman spectra, absorption spectra, and DiamondView luminescence to establish color distribution within crystals, solid and gas-liquid inclusions, deformations, and their chemical composition.Materials and methods. Four polished plates weighing from 0.48 to 0.76 carats with an area of about 1 cm2 and a thickness of 1.5—2 mm, as well as two faceted inserts — “Oval” 2.86 carats, 9.5x7.5 mm, and “Circle” 1.35 carats, 9 mm. The inserts were prepared from samples from the collection of the Department of Mineralogy and Gemology, Russian State Geological Prospecting University (MGRI). The research methodology comprised (1) optical microscopy using a Leica S9D stereomicroscope; (2) infrared spectroscopy in the mid-IR range from 400 cm-1 to 4500 cm-1 with a Nicolet iS50 FT-IR Thermo Scientific FT-IR spectrometer, detector DTGS KBr, aperture 200, resolution 4 cm-1 , PIKE DRIFTS attachment; (3) Raman spectroscopy using a confocal Renishaw InVia Qontor Raman-microspectrometer with an excitation solid-state laser 532 nm, nominal power 100 mW and diffraction grating 1800 lines/mm; (4) UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy by a PerkinElmer Lambda 1050WB spectrometer in the range of 270—1200 nm, a spectral resolution of 0.5 nm, a scanning speed of 56.7 nm/min; (5) micro-X-ray fluorescence analysis using a Bruker TORNADO M4 micro-XRF spectrometer with an X-ray tube power 20 W and a vacuum mode of 20 mbar, an X-ray beam diameter of 50 μm; (6) luminescence imaging in short-wave radiation 225 nm, recorded using a Diamond View device. Instrumental studies were carried out at the Gemstone Research Laboratory of Gokhran of Russia.Results. (1) For the first time, spectrometric data of blue corundum from the Stazh-2 deposit were obtained by IR-, Raman, and UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy methods, as well as micro-XRF. (2) In blue corundum, a local (focal) content of chromium, an element alien to granites, was established. Here, metasomatites with corundum were formed. Areas with chromium exhibit sharp rectilinear boundaries. (3) Zircon, diaspore, boehmite, muscovite, calcite, as well as gas-liquid inclusions with CO2, were determined in the composition of blue corundum. (4) Two color generations due to newly formed fractures and minerals were identified. (5) The inclusions of diaspore, boehmite, muscovite, and calcite are the result of the hydration and carbonation reactions that occurred between corundum and anorthite at later development stages. (6) The blue corundum samples contained Ti and Fe with a predominance of Ti over Fe, which is a distinctive feature of the Stazh-2 deposit from other deposits of blue corundum and sapphires.Conclusion. The obtained materials can be used by Gokhran of Russia for identifying sapphires of the contact-reaction (bimetasomatic) genesis, which include Kashmir sapphires of the highest quality, as well as for educational purposes.

Ensuring quality higher education in Ukraine in times of war

This study focuses on exploring the issue of ensuring quality higher education in the conditions of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It synthesizes and analyzes literature sources, legal documents, secondary data, original (survey) data, and the author’s experiences with enhancing the quality of higher education. Using analysis of the legal documents, such as the National Doctrine of the Development of Education, the Law of Ukraine ‘On education’, and the Law of Ukraine ‘On higher education’, I study the legal framework for Ukrainian higher education. Using secondary data obtained from online sources, I find irrefutable evidence of mass destruction from Russian military aggression on educational institutions of Ukraine and the educational process in general, and specific initiatives from the Ukrainian state, Ukrainian universities, and international institutions to support the Ukrainian higher education system in wartime conditions. Using original data collected through surveys, I present first-hand information on the processes of changes in higher education in Ukraine under the conditions of Russia’s ongoing military aggression and the issue of ensuring quality higher education through the prism of the experience of students at the Ivan Franko National University of Lviv. Using the author’s personal teaching experience in the implementation of joint global classrooms, I analyze the possibilities of developed partnerships for motivating students and ensuring quality higher education in the conditions of war. Based on the analysis and synthesis of secondary data, I identify the main responses of the higher education system of Ukraine which enable it to maintain the quality of higher education as the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals during the war, namely (i) improvement and wider implementation of an online education system; (ii) organization of work of higher education institutions relocated from the occupied territories to territories controlled by Ukraine; (iii) support of international institutions; and (iv) partnership programmes with partner universities. The analysis of the results of the survey of students highlighted that the top priority of a Ukrainian university during wartime should be the safety of all participants in the educational and research process and high-quality education, and the most serious problems that create obstacles to ensuring the quality of education are the distressed psychological states of the participants in the educational process and organizational issues in the conditions of military aggression. By analyzing the experience of the implementation of joint global classrooms format, I also highlight that this format can be an effective additional measure in motivating students and ensuring the quality of higher education in the difficult conditions of war, and a developed partnership plays a crucial role in its implementation.

Reality, stability, dynamism, rigidity, flexibility of the Constitution of the Russian Federation

The artcile first of all, it is emphasized that reality puts on the agenda the question of the fate of the current Constitution of the Russian Federation. The author of the article is a supporter of the development and adoption of a new Basic Law of our country. There are two major factors in favor of this. Firstly, Russia is entering a new stage in the development of society and the state. It demands a new Constitution that would reflect everything new that is connected with him, outline, and determine the prospects for further development. Secondly, since the adoption of the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 1993, changes have been made several times. We especially note the amendments of 2020. Their content and volume, from our point of view, are evidence of a virtually new edition of the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Let us also draw attention to the fact that there is a violation of the consistency and logic of the presentation of constitutional matter. It makes sense to fix this. It is emphasized that when preparing a new Constitution, one should proceed from its main features, which determine its connection with the development of society, its role and place in the life of the country. Those are reality, stability, dynamism, rigidity, flexibility. Today, more than ever, the question of the ideological property, the ideological essence of the Constitution is relevant. So, the most important thing first of all is to determine what the modern, domestic ideology of the Russian people, society, and the Russian state is. At the same time, there is a reasonable demand that, in order to increase the reality of the Constitution, relevant provisions of an ideological nature should be included in its text. This requires its mandatory consideration when preparing the new Basic Law of Russia.

The Russian hybrid intelligence state: reconceptualizing the politicization of intelligence and the ‘intelligencization’ of politics

ABSTRACT On the case of present-day Russia, this article proposes a novel way to conceptualize the intelligence-politics nexus, or else, the mutual politicization of intelligence and ‘intelligencization’ of politics. Recognizing the importance and salience of intelligence in Russia, the author criticizes the paradigm of the ‘KGB state’, arguing that rather than the FSB’s penetration and subsequent capture of the state, we see a symbiosis at work. Inspired by cognitive theories of conceptual integration, the article highlights qualitatively new phenomena that do not stem from either intelligence or state, but are hybrids consisting of more than the sum of the constituent parts. Rather than representing an anachronism or an aberration from the Western norm dictating a strict division of labour between intelligence and politics, the Russian hybrid intelligence state emerges as a postmodern phenomenon. As such, it can carry lessons for the analysis of intelligence-politics relations in other countries, too.

Historical and legal aspects of the formation of the academic environment in Ukraine in the X-XII centuries (economic and legal aspect)

The article examines the historical and legal aspects of the formation and development of the oldest scientific centers of Kyivan Rus at the end of the 10th and beginning of the 12th centuries. Art., as well as the economic and legal regime of their property. It has been studied that in Kyivan Rus, as one of the powerful states of Europe in the IX–XII centuries. starting from the 10th century a significant development of education, literature and science was observed, which is connected with the Baptism of Vladimir the Great of Russia, the introduction of Byzantine, canonical law and the formation of the original ancient Russian state and legal thought. It has been established that education and science gained special development under Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise at the end of the 10th century. and the formation of the first national science center in Ukraine – the academic center «Yaroslav Academy», which was established at Sophia Cathedral in 1037. It was found that the activities of the «Yaroslav Academy» were based on both national traditions and the use of ancient and Bulgarian-Byzantine experience. It was noted that the activities of the «Yaroslav Academy» were characterized by the presence of a spectrum of scientific directions: translation activities, creation of own literary works and the first legal monuments («Pravda Ruska»). It has been established that the «Yaroslav Academy» should be considered the first scientific academic environment on the territory of medieval Ukraine, which operated in the format of reviving and spreading scientific knowledge and creating its own scientific works. It is noted that one of the important issues of the Yaroslav Academy’s activities is the study of the economic and legal regime of its property. The article analyzes the legal regulation of land ownership, including the land ownership of the church (Kyiv Metropolis). It was found that the institution of the metropolis provided for the right to independent church-administrative activity in the internal affairs of its diocese. It was established that the management of church property was carried out in accordance with the church statutes. It was concluded that the economic management of the property of the «Yaroslav Academy» was carried out by the Kyiv Metropolitanate, which had the right to manage church property, which was formed at the expense of the «princely tithe», which was deducted in favor of the Church (Kyiv Metropolis) and profits from «church courts».

Implementation of the principle of religious tolerance in the Russian State: past and present (geosocial approach)

Implementation of the principle of religious tolerance in the Russian State: past and present (geosocial approach)

Evolution of political traditions and mentality of Ukrainian society

The article analyzes the processes of formation and evolution of political traditions and mentality of Ukrainian society, their impact on public sentiment and political decision-making, which can be both supportive and legitimate foundation, as well as rejection and denial, and an obstacle to political and economic development. Due to the peculiarities of its historical development and geopolitical location, Ukraine has strong ties with European countries and shares similar values, and is geographically part of Europe. Ukrainian political traditions are based on support for democratic principles and freedoms, rejection of dictatorial authoritarian practices, the ability of Ukrainian society to self-organize and build effective horizontal ties, and individualism. Ukrainians, like Europeans, consider the dignity of the human person as a fundamental value, and violence as unacceptable and humiliating. During national revolutions and in times of war, Ukrainians bravely defend the Motherland, protecting their freedom even at the cost of their lives. These fundamental features of the Ukrainian political mentality contributed to the formation of the Ukrainian political nation, and in combination with Cossack military traditions, the experience of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army and a number of patriotic organizations, they influence the heroic military confrontation with Russia today. However, the long stay of Ukrainian lands as part of other state entities, the imposition of different models of seeing the world, values, beliefs, the extermination of the political elite and patriotic activists and their families, etc. also reflected in the political traditions, moods, preferences, patterns of behavioral reactions of Ukrainian society. Especially destructive was the influence of Russian state entities, the period of being part of the USSR, which shaped the consciousness of homo soveticus – a cog in a totalitarian state system with limited rights and opportunities.

DIDACTIC ANALYSIS OF THE PANSLAVISTIC MYTHOLOGY IN THE PHILOSOPHICAL REFLECTIONS OF IVAN MIRCHUK

In the article, the author analyzes the views of the leading ideologues of the concept of pan-Slavism in the Russian Empire, who, according to Ivan Mirchuk, had a decisive influence on the formation of the modern ideological mythologeme of the hegemony of the Russian state on a planetary scale and contributed to the deepening of ideological differences between Western and Eastern civilizations. Using the example of the arguments of representatives of the Slavophile stream of Russian Pan-Slavism regarding its messianic role in the history of the Slavic peoples, the researcher proves the absurdity of the very idea of the superiority of one nation over another. At the same time, intelligence focuses the reader’s attention on those dangerous tendencies of the spread of this theory, which in the future may lead to global world conflicts with catastrophic consequences.Following the further development of the ideology of pan-Slavism during the second half of the 20th century, the researcher reveals the process of transformation of Moscow messianism into the leading role of the now Soviet (Soviet) people in world history, which received its theoretical embodiment in the concept of pan-Sovietism. It was she who contributed to the final consolidation of the lawless position of the Slavic peoples within the framework of a single state entity on the territory of Eastern Europe, and the emergence of a new socio-cultural generation with an ideologically shaped rejection of values contrary to communist ideals and a negative attitude towards the entire surrounding world.The research methodology is based on the philosophical-anthropological and psychological analysis of the key ideas of the concept of pan-Slavism and pan-Sovietism in the historical-philosophical studies of I. Mirchuk. In particular, we used formal-logical, critical and hermeneutic methods of research to reveal the process of transformation of the pan-Slavism mythology in modern Russia and its influence on the socio-political life of other Slavic peoples. Among the general scientific methods, the methods of deduction and comparison came in handy, which helped to analyze the views of individual representatives of various pan-Slavic currents on the problem of uniting the Slavic peoples into a single ethnic substratum in different historical time periods. And the principles of objectivity and systematicity helped us dispel the myth of Russian messianism among other Slavic peoples.Conclusion. Thus, the main mythologeme of the ideology of Pan-Slavism in the studies of the Slavic scholar I. Mirchuk was reduced to the messianic role of Russia and its people, as the leader among the entire Slavic world, in relation to all other, primarily European nations. Neglecting the historical and spiritual contribution to the development of the world culture of other nations and peoples, the Moscow Empire to this day continues to call itself the only center of true Christian traditions, which strives to lead the planet to a better future. Declaring itself the successor of the Roman Empire as the “Third Rome”, Muscovy, and later the Soviet Union, completely usurped the right of other Slavic peoples of the continent to independently choose their own path of state formation and social development.The transformational processes experienced by pan-Slavism at the beginning of the 20th century brought only the change of the name of the ideology to pan-Sovietism, fully preserving the essence of the imperial unity principle in all spheres of social and political life of the communist era. According to the leading communist ideologues, all the best that the world had could be found only in the Soviet Union, or rather in its capital. Other Slavic peoples got the desired equality only in the negative attitude of the center towards any manifestations of their own spiritual identity and economic initiatives, which were instantly punished by brutal repression and physical destruction under the slogans of finding non-existent enemies of the people and invented counter-revolutionary activities. The theoretically attractive idea of the special purpose of the Slavic peoples in the international arena has in practice turned into an imperial totalitarian dictatorship of one country, which wanted only one thing – world domination.

Основные направления оптимизации процесса ресоциализации российских офицеров, уволенных в запас

This article investigates the key problems and suggestions for improving the process of officers’ adaptation to civilian life after military service. The theoretical part of the study examines the specifics of the socio-psychological state of officers, the regulatory and legal framework for resocialization, as well as international experience in this field. The analysis is based on three research directions: studying the challenges of transitioning to civilian life, identifying shortcomings in current resocialization programs, and evaluating proposals for their optimization. Obtained results indicate that for successful adaptation of officers it is necessary to pay special attention to the improvement of professional retraining programs, financial support, as well as information and organizational assistance. The author concludes that it is necessary to adapt international experience to Russian conditions and proposes specific directions for enhancing resocialization programs in Russia.

The experience of teaching national history and the foundations of constitutional knowledge in the late 1930s early 1940s (using the example of railway schools in the Kursk region)

The relevance of the topic under discussion is determined by the significant social importance of school history education. Over thirty years of Russian society's and state's life in conditions of ideological and political diversity, as well as the complete erosion of the Western-scale liberal values, has led to most Russians realizing the need to adhere to traditional moral principles based on ideas of patriotism and humanism. The domestic education system is the main vehicle for this. Therefore, the controversial experience of teaching history in schools arouses professional interest among researchers and practicing teachers.The purpose of the study is to reveal the peculiarities of teaching history in the pre–war years on the basis of archival documents and published materials on the example of departmental educational institutions of railway transport.Objectives: to characterize the contradictions of the process of introducing historical and social sciences disciplines into school education; to reflect the role of historical knowledge in the patriotic education of the younger generation.Methodology. The research was based on the principles of objectivity and historicism. To solve the tasks set by the author, the methods of historical-genetic, historical-systemic, historical-comparative, typological, retrospective were used.Results. The study of the experience of teaching the historical and social sciences cycle of academic disciplines in the pre-war years on the example of departmental educational institutions of railway transport made it possible to objectively assess the impact of humanitarian training of students on the formation of their civic position and the education of patriotic feelings, which had a decisive impact on the behavior of graduates of railway schools during the period of military trials and subsequent restoration of the national economy.Conclusions. The experience of teaching history and the foundations of constitutional knowledge accumulated in the pre-war period is worthy of application in the context of modern reform of historical education. Recognition of the leading role of national history in shaping the worldview of the younger generation requires a systematic approach in teaching and educating young people based on love and respect for their Homeland.

Blocking the information war? Testing the effectiveness of the EU’s censorship of Russian state propaganda among the fringe communities of Western Europe

Blocking the information war? Testing the effectiveness of the EU’s censorship of Russian state propaganda among the fringe communities of Western Europe

The concept of an ideocratic state

Relevance. It is quite obvious that the modern world has entered a new stage of its development, the prospects of which are very vague. The model of the mondial world order with its ideas of faceless globalization, depopulation, universalization, de-Christianization, etc. are rejected by Russia. Recently, in political discourse and in official strategic planning documents, Russia has been called a civilization state with a pronounced identity. In the Russian conservative legal doctrine, the definition of specific features of Russia's state identity was a key topic, and the priority of intangible values was noted as the main feature of Orthodox civilization. It is no coincidence that Russian socio-political thought has always been puzzled by the search for a Russian idea. In this regard, the concept of ideocratic statehood is of particular interest, the main meaning of which was to search for a key idea or system of ideas on the basis of which the state should be built.The aim is to reconstruct and interpret the theory of the ideocratic state of the Russian conservative political and legal doctrine of the late XIX - first half of the XX centuries.Research objectives: to study the evolution of the concept of an ideocratic state, to analyze its conceptual apparatus, to comprehend the importance of state ideology for the modern stage of development.Methodology. It is based on the historical method of cognition, which contributed to the disclosure of the evolution of the theory under study, the method of diachronic and synchronous comparison, as well as a problem-theoretical one, which allows determining the degree of modern relevance of the concept under study.Results. The conducted research allowed us to establish that the concept of ideocratic statehood was mainly formed in the works of representatives of the socio-political movement of Eurasians, which originated in the 20-30 years among Russian emigration. The most significant contribution to the theoretical development of the doctrine of the ideocratic state was made by N.N. Alekseev. It was he who generalized the ideas of the Eurasians, conceptualizing them into a legally sound theory of demotic ideocracy or a guarantee state.Conclusion. Ideocracy is a concept of governance based on the postulate of idealism, based on which the definition of the state as a single super-organic entity, where the idea shared by all the people rules.

State-Civilization: Cultural Aspects of Political Theory

The paper examines the current state of the theory of the state‑civilization, a new concept of the form of the state for both domestic and foreign historical and political science that is based not only and not so much on the legal recognition of its constitutional and legal status, but rather on the cultural identity of its founding community. The author analyzes the current ideas of Russian scholars and researchers regarding the main features of the state‑civilization, and compares them with the traditional concept of «national state.» Using the methodology of historical and cultural analysis, the author considers the stages of the Russian statehood formation. It is postulated that the State as a system of political institutions and management practices is one of the elements of civilization. The specifics of the system of state power and administration practices are the result of conscious human activity at a certain stage of the development of society on a par with other achievements of social and spiritual cultures. The conclusion is made about the variability of the form and content of the state in its political and legal meaning, which prevents the concept of the state‑civilization from being opposed to the concept of a national state, despite the existing views of a number of researchers on this subject. However, the author notes the immutability of such phenomena of civilization as space, people and culture, customs and traditions, ways and values, which suggests that the concept of «state‑civilization» should be considered in relation to the study of law and politics in its cultural significance.

Institute of the National Heritage: A Retrospective of the Idea, Image and Economic Constitutionalization

The institution of the national heritage takes an important place in the Soviet constitutional construction, in the history of legal science and in the practical construction of the planned economy — the most efficient economy in the world. Its introduction was dictated by the revolutionary conditions of 1917, passed all legislative levels of consolidation, served as the material for the work of the Gosplan of the USSR — the state body responsible for planning the development of the national economy of the USSR and monitoring planned implementation. It also was the foundation for the work of large‑scale state enterprises that create high income for the development of high rates of industrial economy and increase the standard of living of the population. The historical and legal research of the Institute of National Heritage, the experience of the development of a planned economy, should be conducted in the national interests of the Russian Federation. The institution of the national heritage, its constitutional consolidation and implementation have become a basic part of the socially oriented economic organization of the Russian statehood. The socially oriented economic organization of the State, in turn, is the target task of economic constitutionalization. 2024 marks the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the first Union Constitution of the USSR in 1924. It should be assumed that not only a historian or a lawyer, but also any person who is not professionally involved in the evolution of statehood, knows that the new constitution arises as a result of political, social, and economic transformations. There is a reason to recall the Soviet state‑building, its main motivational forces. There are epoch‑making constitutions adopted as a result of revolutions — in the Russian past, these were the Constitution of the RSFSR of 1918 and the Constitution of the Russian Federation of 1993. The Constitution of the USSR of 1924 would not have seen the light if there had not been the Constitution of the RSFSR of 1918, which, in turn, the world would not have seen without the revolutionary events of 1917. The Constitutions of 1936 and 1977 were in progress. What is the legal idea that permeates the entire Soviet history? Let’s try to answer the question.

The Lull Before the Storm? Criminal Justice, Crime and Incarceration in Russia (2000–2020)

The article reviews the design of the criminal justice system and trends in crime in Russia over the last two decades (2000–2020). First, we argue that the criminal justice system is built upon the idea of meeting quotas, which ensures its accountability to the Russian state and downplays its transparency and crime-control efficiency. Second, we analyse recent crime trends and argue that Russia has experienced a long-term drop in crime. Finally, we overview the available evidence on the enforcement of drug laws and the operation of the prison system in Russia.

Historical Prerequisites for the Formation of Legal Sovereignty of Russian Regions

The paper examines the theory of federalism in the political, administrative and territorial structure of the country. The collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s caused the inclusion of the principle of national unity in the Constitution of the Russian Federation. The authors trace the dynamics of the division of powers between central and local authorities in Russia. The authors point out the importance of harmonizing the interests of the federal center and the regions, and the equal participation of all constituent entities of the Federation in state building as a guarantee of the unity of Russia. Building a competent balance in the distribution of powers between the federal center and the constituent entities of the Federation makes it possible to mitigate the contradictions that arise, which indicates the desire to ensure a balance of interests between the central government and the regions. The national authorities are working to increase the financial autonomy of the regions, giving them the right to exercise control over their funds. This approach, taking into account the differences in mentality, culture, and needs of the regions, allows for a flexible approach to the management of different constituent entities of the Federation. Increased attention to regional specifics is a vector of the policy of the modern Russian supreme power. The desire for a reasonable balance between the central government and the regions reflects the historical evolution of the Russian state structure towards genuine federalism.