In this research, I aim to relate the “Moscow is the Third Rome” theory to the historical development of Russia as a state and civilization. The research methodology is based on the civilization approach to understanding historical and socio-political processes. The importance of analysing the content of Russia’s civilizational mission from the “Moscow is the third Rome” perspective is shown. This article focuses on the emergence and relevance of Russia’s civilizational mission expressed in the formula “Moscow is the Third Rome”. The process of strengthening the belief about the state’s sacred mission within the modern Russian society is investigated. It is shown that there have been three attempts in Russian history to create a harmonious Russian Empire, with the third attempt having been undertaken in 2000. The theoretical contribution of the article is the transfer of the discourse on the genesis of the concept “Moscow is the Third Rome” in the area of civilizational analysis.

This article sets out to determine the historical grounds for the rupture of Eucharistic communion between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates. The method of historical genesis was used as a key research method, since it allows historical sources for the modern conflict between the Moscow and Constantinople Patriarchates, as well as the pattern of its manifestation to be identified. The article considers the entire history of relations between the Russian Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople from the perspective of the ideological concept of the fall of Constantinople as the Second Rome. The historical reproducibility of interchurch conflict is established. The author refers to the history of Fanar’s hostility towards Russia and the Russian Church as new attractors of the formation of Orthodox civilization. The results of the study show that, in the history of the Constantinople Patriarchate, the Uniate precedent was not accidental and was manifested in the subsequent history of Fanar. The specific feature of this research consists in the projection of the centuries-old history of the Churches on the current inter-church conflict, relating the philosophy of the Third Rome to the realities of the historical process.

In the present article, I analyse the modern historiographic situation concerning the period of the Ferraro-Florentine Union and the figure of Metropolitan Isidore using the materials of S. Yu. Akishin’s monograph “Metropolitan Isidore of Kiev”. The aim of the study was to assess the modern attempts to rethink the activities of Isidor from the standpoint of real history. These attempts are aimed at rehabilitating his image, rejecting his traditional image as a traitor to Orthodoxy and an advocate of the Union. The key method of analysis was the correlation of historiographic characteristics with the recognized facts of the fifteenth century’s history. It is concluded that the grounds for withdrawing charges against Isidor as "pushing through" the Union are insufficient. The theoretical contribution of this article is the distinction between supporters of Uniate transformations in the favour of the West and the adherents of Orthodox identity. This differentiation is the key to the analysis of contemporary challenges in the development of the Church.

The aim of this study was to consider the concept of "Moscow is the Third Rome" in relation to the genesis of Russian civilization. To this end, the conventional methods of historical research were used, along with the methodology of the theories of civilizations, development of ideal systems, national archetypes. I reconstruct the main components of the "Moscow is the Third Rome" theory and contextualize it within different periods of Russian and global history. This theory is believed to be a semantic basis for Messianic ideas about a special role and importance of Russia in world history, being an archetype of Russian national identity. The theoretical relevance of the present study is the contribution to introducing a new concept of Russian historiosophy, based on the tradition of Russian national historical reflection.

The reader is offered a translation of an essay by the famous German scholar Oswald Spengler “Vom deutschen Volkscharakter” (“On the German national character”) with an introduction to the translated text. In this work, Spengler made an attempt to elucidate some cultural features specific to his nation. The analysis was carried out in a broad context of German history and cultural characteristics of other nations. According to Spengler, the German mentality is characterized by such features as increased discipline (“unlimited need to serve”) and a lack of commitment to political calculation and “political theatre”. At the same time, he emphasizes Germans’ gullibility with regard to such a form of political leadership as “führership”. Spengler's work may be of interest both to historians and political scientists applying the methodology of axiological analysis for investigating various political phenomena.

The article is aimed at characterizing documents covering various aspects of the history of nature protection in the USSR, contained in the funds of the Russian State Archive of the Economy. Moreover, their informational value for the purposes of investigating the national environmental history is discussed. The materials relating to the history of nature protection are mainly contained in the funds of the bodies of agriculture, forestry and water management, as well as in intersectoral structures, which are responsible for the management and planning of the national economy. The documents of the State Committee of the USSR are found to be valuable for analyzing the environmental situation in the country, the reaction of the society to its deterioration, the main aspects of the government's environmental protection and the genesis of the social environmental movement at the turn of 1980-1990.

The article reveals the essence of the new “Eastern policy” (Ostpolitik) of of A. Merkel’s government (2013-2017) concerning its relations with Russia. This period was associated with the Ukrainian crisis, in the context of which all the nuances, difficulties, nature and troubles in the relations between Germany and Russia are considered. A number of convincing examples show that the role of Germany was far from positive and resulted in the aggravated relations between the West and Russia. Reasons behind such a German position are explained.

The purpose of the article is to analyze the measures of state social support for certain population groups during the First World War. Systematization of legal documents from that period and analysis of archival materials for the first time introduced into scientific circulation have allowed new categories of the recipients of state income support among the Muslim clergy to be identified. The study shows that social assistance measures were targeted. These measures were aimed at supporting a limited number of people in need with the lowest incomes. The state’s obligations with respect to such social protection did not lead to extraordinary budget expenditures. It is established that, during the war years, the Muslim clergy were assimilated to the categories of civil servants for the first time. The article is addressed to historians, sociologists and religious scholars, as well as everyone interested in Russian history.

The purpose of the article is to reconstruct the history of construction and combat application of the armored train No. 746. The study is based on the analysis of archival materials, periodicals, memoirs and historiography. This analysis summarizes scattered information about the armored train. A conclusion is made that, despite a short period of fighting, the crew of the armored train destroyed and misled significant enemy forces. The armored train became one of the success factors in the defensive operation on the southern face of the Kursk Bulge.

The rationing system played an important role in Russia’s supply system during the period of siege in the Russian capital, which officially started on 19 October, 1941. The controlled distribution of scarce resources corresponded to the conditions of wartime and guaranteed the civilian population a minimum of food and basic necessities at fixed state prices. At the beginning of the war, the lack of clear prescription of the procedure of registration for ration cards and industrial cards, as well as that for their redemption, resulted in relevant crimes: theft of cards in printing houses and during their transportation, storage, distribution; production of unregistered cards in printing houses, reuse of cards, their falsification. In this paper, I analyse infringements in the rationing system in Moscow at the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The research is based on the principles of historicism and consistency, as well as on general historical and logical research methods. The theoretical contribution of the article consists in the analysis of archival documents and monographs on the problems of controlled distribution of resources during the Great Patriotic War. The article is addressed to historians and researchers interested in the history of the Great Patriotic War.

The article deals with the problems of housing construction in the Moscow region in the post-war period. Reasons for poor working practices of construction organizations in the Moscow region are analyzed. The article discusses problems connected with the lack of qualified construction staff, poor organization of rural housing construction in the Moscow region, inefficient government construction in rural areas, imperfect forms of remuneration, the lack of industrial construction methods and standard projects.

The purpose of this article is to briefly reconstruct the military situation in Chechnya, as well as the political situation in Russia, which had an important impact on the outcome of the military campaign in the Chechen Republic after the presidential elections in 1996. I analyzed texts and publications based on the memoirs of generals A. Kulikov, G. Troshev, K. Pulikovsky, V. Shamanov, as well as on the reports of the Russian mass media from July-August 1996. The results show that the conclusion of peace agreements and the subsequent withdrawal of federal troops were politically determined by the re-election of the President Boris N. Yeltsin. Moreover, the signing of the agreements divided Russian society and led to sharp criticism on the part of the Russian military leaders. The defence authorities insisted on a large-scale operation to destroy militant forces. The article is intended for specialists teaching the course "Modern History of Russia".

The aim of this work is to compare white supremacist and Jihadi online materials to understand their similarities. The methodology used was content analysis of online journal materials created by white supremacist and jihadi groups, as well as videos retrieved from various social networks. Jihadi materials were provided by the University of Oslo through access to their Jihadi repository. The rhetoric and narrative identified in the analysed materials demonstrate similarities between Jihadism and white supremacism in terms of their discourse, aims and methods. A stricter ban or control over white supremacist online materials, similar to that over Jihadi materials, is proposed. This work is addressed to political scientists conducting research on political and religious extremism.

Sea power is the ability of a state to use its sea space efficiently both for military and civil purposes. This article is aimed at considering the evolution of the concept of “sea power” in global geopolitical thought. This issue is particularly important today, when the maritime space is increasingly becoming an area of clashing intergovernmental interests. This frequently results in various armed conflicts and foreign policy crises. Using chronological and comparative methods, I consider the evolution of this concept throughout the 19th-21st centuries. It is concluded that, despite the development of IT and international law, “sea power” continues to play a crucial role in the activity of a state within the maritime space.