«RUSSIAN CRISIS»: ATTEMPT AT CONCEPTUALIZATION IN THE CONTEXT OF CONTEMPORARY POLITICAL SCIENCEAND CIVIC EDUCATION

Abstract

This article proposes a political interpretation of the concept of the «Russian crisis». It argues that contemporary Russia is experiencing socio-political turbu- lence. The main indicators of the Russian crisis are identified, including the state’s inability to fulfill basic security and social protection functions, loss of interna- tional positions, export of internal crises beyond the country, centrifugal move- ments, electoral process crises, legitimacy crises, economic instability, growing internal conflicts, ideological hostility, social inequalities, and legitimacy crisis of the state system. The regime of the Russian Federation conceals these tenden- cies and focuses on expanding internal repressive measures and the international influence of authoritarian countries. For a long time, the academic environment has to some extent bypassed the coverage of crisis phenomena within Russia. However, the problem is now actively being reconsidered, as crisis processes in Russia have become comprehensive, occurring against the backdrop of social, economic, ethnic, religious, and political processes, in interactions between in- stitutions, interested groups, and individuals.

Studying the Russian crisis is a promising direction for both science and civic education. Objective research will allow for a better understanding of the prob- lems and context of the Russo-Ukrainian war, promote the development of criti- cal thinking and national consciousness among citizens. It is emphasized that crisis phenomena in various spheres of socio-political life are interconnected and only exacerbate destructive tendencies in Russia. The necessity of understan- ding the crisis from an interdisciplinary perspective, based on a wide and veri- fied source base, and using systematic monitoring data, in transparent and secure documentation practices, is justified. In the future, it is important to develop re- search on various aspects of the Russian crisis: political-administrative, techno- logical, military, ecological, social vulnerabilities, and others.