Purpose. To identify the conceptual foundations for ensuring the unity of the peoples of Russia on the basis of a historical and civilizational analysis of models of state and sociocultural integration.

Procedures and Methods. The methodological basis of the study is formed by a combination of civilizational, comparative, and historical-intellectual approaches.

Results. The article examines the methodological polemic between constructivism and essentialism in the perspective of forming a unified methodology for Russia’s national policy. Models of sociocultural state-building are identified and described, including monocultural, polycultural, multicultural, intercultural, transcultural, and metacultural models. The study analyzes eleven approaches to ensuring the unity of the peoples of Russia, historically generated in Russian state and public thought. With regard to Russian state-building, the advantage of the civilizational model over the nation-state model is substantiated. It is shown that the stability of the unity of the peoples of Russia presupposes the preservation of ethnic diversity, the existence of a Russian civilization-forming core, and a two-level structure of identity.

Theoretical and/or Practical Significance. The results of the study may be used in the conceptual development of the foundations of state national policy, in the implementation of the Strategy of the State National Policy of the Russian Federation for the period up to 2036, and in the education system when forming ideas about Russia as a state-civilization. The proposed conclusions are significant for developing the worldview foundations of the unity of the peoples of Russia and for countering destructive ideological approaches associated with both ethnic nationalism and unifying globalism.

Aim. The study of various aspects of the history of the reunification of Crimea with Russia in 2014 in the national historiography of 2020–2025.

Methodology. Systematic and comparative research approaches form the methodological basis of this work, which ensures comprehensiveness and objectivity in assessing the contribution of domestic researchers to the historiography of the topic of the reunification of Crimea with Russia in 2014.

Results. The author reviewed the main studies of Russian historians published in recent years, which present a study of the cause-and-effect relationships of the process of reunification of Crimea with Russia. The author's analysis of a number of features of domestic research, the most important and secondary issues of the topic under study, which makes it possible for a fairly objective assessment of various approaches, generalizations and conclusions. In the aspects considered by the researchers when covering the stated topic, the author highlights the features associated with the evolution of the Crimean Peninsula both during its entry into the Soviet Union and Ukraine, as well as the prospects for its socio-economic development after reunification with the Russian Federation. The author also highlights those aspects of the topic that were not touched upon by researchers during the specified historiographical stage, and explains why some of the aspects are in the focus of attention of historians and political scientists, while others remain outside the field of study.

Research implications. The analysis of the research literature, logically constructed generalizations and reasonable conclusions on various aspects of the reunification of Crimea with the Russian Federation make it possible to take into account numerous nuances in the development of the foreign and domestic policy of the Russian Federation.

Aim. Analysis of Soviet ideological assessments, regulatory approaches, and regional practices regarding prostitution and the Soviet state mechanism for controlling it in the first half of the 1920s.

Methodology. The study is based on the works of Russian historians, as well as on materials from regional archives. The formulation of the problem led to the use of historical, systemic, and logical methods of historical research.

Results. The study found that in the 1920s, a mechanism for Soviet control of prostitution began to form. It revealed that in the first half of the 1920s, the commercialization of sexual relations in the Smolensk province led to serious moral and demographic consequences.

Research implications. Studying the phenomenon of prostitution will allow us to identify its social risks and improve the social policy strategy in this area, which began to be developed in the first half of the 1920s.

Aim. The study aims to historically reconstruct the relationship between representatives of the old Narodnik (Populist) movement N. V. Chaikovsky and E. E. Lazarev against the backdrop of socio-political events taking place within the Russian political emigration in Europe.

Methodology. The paper analyzes previously unpublished archival materials stored in the fonds of the State Archive of the Russian Federation (GA RF). These materials were used to uncover biographical information about N. V. Chaikovsky and E. E. Lazarev, as well as other individuals associated with them. The research employed retrospective, biographical, and comparative methods.

Results. Previously unknown biographical details about N. V. Chaikovsky and E. E. Lazarev were identified. New factual information concerning prominent members of the Socialist Revolutionary Party and other representatives of the Russian emigration has been introduced into scholarly circulation. The study also presents the evolution of the views of the old Narodnik movement in the political struggle from the late 19^th to the first quarter of the 20^th century.

Research implications. The publication presents new materials on the history of the revolutionary movement in Russia, related to leading figures of the Narodnik movement. The research materials can be used in further scholarly work focused on the history of Russia in the late 19^th – early 20^th centuries, as well as in the teaching of the discipline “History of Russia in the 20^th Century”.

Aim. Examine the history of the creation of the Soviet Government Procurement Commission and research its working methods to assess the contribution of the Soviet mission to the development and improvement of the Lend-Lease program.

Methodology. An analysis of archival documents concerning the activities of the Soviet mission in the United States was made. A comparative analysis of these data with the approach of other historians on this issue was carried out.

Results. It is shown that over the years of the Procurement Commission's work, it was possible to qualitatively and quantitatively improve the quality of Soviet-American cooperation during the war. It was revealed that this body worked independently and autonomously, which allowed it to develop its own methodology for working with partners. It is concluded that the responsible work of the employees allowed all planned projects to be completed.

Research implications. The results of the study can be used for further study of the history of Lend-Lease, revealing the mechanism of the key Soviet body for its implementation in the USA.

Aim. The presented article is dedicated to the study of the activities of state authorities and military administration in providing benefits, allowances, and privileges to servicemen of the Soviet Armed Forces and their family members in 1945–1964 – a topic that has remained outside the scope of academic research.

Methodology. Based on documents from the Russian State Archive of Contemporary History and the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the main directions and forms of this work have been revealed. Historical analysis has allowed for the identification of the ways in which it was organized and improved, as well as the accumulated positive and negative practical experience.

Results. Following the research, conclusions have been formulated regarding the significance of this work in the context of post-war economic recovery and the reorganization of the Armed Forces, aimed at maintaining the high morale of the troops.

Research implications. The formulated conclusions can be useful for the practical activities of state authorities and military administration in enhancing the effectiveness of the social security system for servicemen and their families in contemporary conditions.

Aim. To determine the areas of environmental protection activities in the fashion industry in the USSR, taking into account regulations in party and government decrees.

Methodology. Scientific methods of historical periodization were used to identify the main periods in the development of state environmental policy and the specifics of applying its postulates in textile and light industry enterprises. A historical-systemic method was used for a comprehensive examination of environmental protection issues from the perspective of the detrimental impact of textile and light industry enterprises on the environment.

Results. Based on historical sources, an analysis of the negative impact of fashion industry enterprises on the environment is provided; the main stages of production of various fashion products and the characteristics of the negative impact of these industries on the environment are identified; the types of industrial pollution in textile and light industry production are structured; and the areas of environmental protection activities in fashion industry in the USSR are determined, taking into account regulations in party and government decrees.

Research implications. The main stages of production of various fashion products and the characteristics of the negative impact of these industries on the environment during the existence of the USSR are identified. As a result of the analysis of the resolutions of the party and government, the special significance of monitoring the environmental activities of enterprises, the importance of scientific research in the field of ensuring environmental protection and forecasting the possible negative consequences of the impact of production processes of enterprises in the textile and light industries on the environment were determined.

Aim. Identify the peculiarities of the formation of the neocolonial status of Russia in the 1990s and determine its impact on the socio-economic situation of civil servants and public sector employees, considering this transformation as a result of an institutional and ideological shift, accompanied by a change in the role of the state.

Methodology. The main content of the study is an analysis of scientific literature, statistical data and conceptual approaches to the study of transformations in the post-Soviet space, while using comparative historical, systemic and institutional methods, which made it possible, comparing various sources and interpretations, to identify patterns of changes in the social status of civil servants.

Results. The analysis showed that the formation of a model of state structure based on market principles, the rejection of ideology and the weakening of the social function of the state, led to a sharp decline in the standard of living of civil servants and public sector employees who lost their previous social status and material support.

Research implications. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the clarification of the concept of neocolonial status in relation to Russia in the 1990s, and practical – in the possibility of using the conclusions obtained in the development of modern social and personnel policies aimed at raising the status of this category of citizens.

Aim. To identify the main stages of the development and formation of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's character traits and the foundations of his worldview during his childhood, adolescence, and university years.

Methodology. The primary sources used for the study are Zhirinovsky's memoirs, as well as documents dedicated to the biography and political activities of Vladimir Zhirinovsky, discovered by the author of this article in the Russian State Archive of Socio-Political History and introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. The analysis and study of these materials is the primary focus of this study, based on a comparative historical method.

Results: The analysis revealed that it was a difficult childhood and adolescence, filled with hardships, that shaped the future politician's character and determined the foundation of his worldview. This article summarized significant material gleaned from memoirs devoted to this issue. For the first time, a number of documents from the Russian State Archives of Socio-Political History (RGASPI) containing little-known facts and episodes from V.V. Zhirinovsky's biography were brought to light and introduced into scholarly circulation.

Research implications. The historical significance of this research lies in the systematization and classification of these data, which can serve as a basis for further scientific studies of Vladimir Zhirinovsky's biography in his early years. It is crucial to note that this article is the first scientific study of the childhood and youth of this prominent politician and scholar. The practical significance lies in the potential use of these materials in teaching relevant special courses on modern Russian history and political science.

Aim. To determine unresolved aspects of the Afanasievo and Okunevo culture populations genesis by analyzing known ancient DNA data.

Methodology. Comparison of published data from the literature sources obtained by different bioinformatics methods is the main approach.

Results. The Afanasievo populations are heterogeneous, but their origin is associated with the Yamnaya population. The Okunevo populations, which replace the Afanasievo populations, are associated with the North Eurasians ANE. It is unclear how the Afanasievo populations separated from the Yamnaya during their movement through the Botai culture area. The habitat of the Okunevo populations’ ancestors remains uncertain, as it cannot be located neither in Altai nor in the Siberian territories to the north of it.

Research implications. The key aspects of spatial and temporal genesis of Afanasievo and Okunevo populations are defined. The question is raised for residual enclaves of the Okunevo and Afanasievo populations that remained after the replacement of the main population by these cultures.

Aim. Finding the areas of isolation of the Proto-Slavic and Proto-Baltic ethnic communities.

Methodology. To determine the distribution areas of ancient ethnic groups, data on copper deposits, areas of cattle domestication, plant cultivation, etc., were used in conjunction with data on the names of copper ore/copper, livestock and cultivated plants, etc.

Results. The participation of Proto-Slavs and Proto-Balts in ore mining (Proto-Slavs) and copper smelting (Proto-Balts) during the development of copper deposits in the Balkans in the Eneolithic has been proven. It is shown that the initial area of migration of the Proto-Balts to Europe in the Neolithic was the area of the Shulaveri-Shomu culture, the initial area of migration of the Proto-Slavs was the area of the Takhuni culture of the Pre-Pottery Neolithic.

Research implications. The relevance of the article lies in the reduction of uncertainty in the ideas about the ethnogenesis of the Baltic and Slavic peoples, associated with the presence of several alternative theories of the so-called Indo-European community.

Aim. In our study, we explore the main trends in contemporary foreign historiography on Russian conservative liberalism.

Methodology. The study was conducted using foreign historical studies published in the 1990s–2020s, using a problem-chronological research method.

Results. The paper examines the views of contemporary foreign historians and philosophers on the history and nature of conservative liberalism in the late Russian Empire. A relative stagnation in foreign research on the history of liberalism, with the exception of biographical studies, is noted.

Research implications. This study contributes to the study of the activities of right-wing liberal political groups in Russia in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries. The article may be useful to specialists in the history of Russian liberalism.

Aim. To assess the main approaches and approaches to studying the events, as well as the causes and preconditions of the Special Military Operation, adopted in contemporary Ukrainian academic scholarship.

Methodology. The key research method used was the historical-genetic method, supplemented by the principle of historicism. It allows for an objective assessment of a body of scientific work, examining it in relation to the political and legal conditions in which it was created, rather than in isolation, enabling a more objective and balanced assessment.

Results. The article examines the transformation of academic scholarship into a tool for imposing ideologies on society that benefit the ruling regime, which seeks to maintain power by creating a false identity. The author examines the dominant conceptual approaches in Ukrainian historiography and assesses the scientific validity of dominant discourses. The hypothesis of the dictates of a political regime seeking to use fundamental historical scholarship to justify and strengthen its own power is confirmed.

Research implications. This article explores the main approaches and conceptual frameworks in the study of the Special Military Operation, as adopted by historical scholarship in contemporary Ukraine, uncovering the motives behind the distortion of historical facts and the formation of biased assessments. This, in turn, provides the basis for developing a set of theoretical and practical tools to effectively counter the transformation of fundamental science into a tool for manipulating public opinion, used to strengthen political power and incite national hatred and enmity.

Aim. To systematize and quantify the transformation of the civilizational approach in Russian scholarly discourse from 1991 to 2026 based on an analysis of 317 publications from the eLibrary database. The study aims to identify the dynamics of publication activity, the disciplinary expansion of the approach, the evolution of its conceptual content, and the polarization of the scientific community on the methodological status of the civilizational approach – from an academic tool to an element of public policy.

Methodology. The study utilizes a comprehensive quantitative content analysis methodology: bibliometric analysis (quantitative assessment of publication dynamics by year (1991–2026) with the identification of periods of activity), categorical analysis (coding of publications according to specific parameters), author analysis (identification of key researchers and scientific schools based on frequency of mentions and citations), chronological analysis (periodization of the evolution of discourse with the identification of stages), and critical analysis (selection of publications with methodological criticism of the approach).

Results. A steady increase in interest in the civilizational approach has been identified: from 5–7 publications in 1991–1995 to 90–95 works in 2021–2025. Key growth points occurred in 2009–2010 (discussions about its methodological status) and 2022–2024 (integration into the discipline “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”), and problems in using the civilizational approach methodology have been identified.

Research implication. The study systematized the evolution of civilizational discourse in Russia for the first time since 1991. Key stages in the approach's development were identified, key authors were identified, and its dissemination across various academic disciplines – from history and philosophy to law, pedagogy, and even economics – was traced. This systematization allows us to overcome the fragmentation of existing historiographic works and provide a comprehensive picture of the development of scientific thought. The data obtained can be useful in developing new educational programs, assessing the quality of humanities research, and formulating sound scientific policy.

Aim. This article examines the mechanisms by which the image of the United States is constructed in North Korean media discourse and its structural symmetry with the American media image of the DPRK.

Methodology. Based on content analysis and critical discourse analysis of 1,240 publications of the Nodon Sinmun newspaper for 2017–2024, as well as a systematic sample of materials from The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN for the same period, the dynamics and mechanisms of designing the image of the United States were revealed and the degree of structural symmetry of this construct with the American media image of the DPRK.

Results. A fundamentally important pattern is identified: while the strategic narrative of the United States as the "main imperialist enemy" remains constant, tactical rhetoric undergoes regular modulation depending on the phase of the diplomatic cycle. Concurrently, it is shown that American media discourse about the DPRK reproduces a structurally symmetrical binary opposition of "friend or foe," shifting only the semantic poles.

Research implications. The discovered mechanism of “mirror construction” is interpreted as a structural element of a protracted geopolitical conflict, in which the image of the enemy performs identification, legitimation, mobilization and signaling functions for both participants.

Aim. To show that social isolation (voluntary and forced) creates anthropological threats to international security.

Methods. Based on an interdisciplinary synthesis of theories of anomie, alienation, ressentiment, risk society, learned helplessness and the human security concept, social isolation is analyzed as a multidimensional phenomenon; hikikomori (voluntary self-isolation) and cancel culture (forced exclusion) are examined as its illustrative forms.

Results. The analysis shows that social isolation leads to degradation of human capital, demographic crises, weakening of international cooperation, individual radicalisation and lone wolf terrorism, while cancel culture is transformed into a tool of hybrid warfare (using the example of Russia’s «cancellation»).

Research implications. The necessity is substantiated of revising traditional approaches to security, including the problems of social isolation on the agenda of international organizations, and developing ethical and legal norms for digital platforms.