Editor-in-Chief: Yuriy M. Pochta, PhD, Professor ISSN: 2313-1438 (Print) ISSN: 2313-1446 (Online) Founded in 1999. Publication frequency: quarterly PUBLISHER: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University) Open Access: . APC: no article processing charge Peer-Review: double blind. Publication language: Russian, English Indexation: White List, Russian Index of Science Citation, RSCI, Google Scholar, Ulrich's Periodicals Directory, IPSA, WorldCat, Cyberleninka, DOAJ, Dimensions, ResearchBib, Lens, Research4Life, JournalTOCs, British Library, Bodleian Libraries (University of Oxford), Ghent University Library
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba (RUDN University)
The right of authorship belongs to the authors of articles. The authors transfer the rights to use the article (including the use and distribution of an article in the Open Access) to the publisher of the journal on a non-exclusive license (Publishing Agreement (Public Offer)). At the same time, authors remain full rightsholders. Publishing Agreement (Public Offer) to Publish an Article in an Academic Periodical 'RUDN Journal of Political Science' The Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba” (RUDN University), represented by the Vice-Rector for Scientific Work Andrey Aleksandrovich Kostin, acting under a Power of Attorney No 0036-03/21-163 dated 12.10.2021, hereinafter referred to as the Publisher, on the one hand, hereby offers to the public at large, hereinafter referred to as the Author, on the other hand, hereinafter collectively referred to as the Parties, to enter into this agreement, hereinafter referred to as the Agreement, regarding publication of scholarly materials, hereinafter referred to as the Article, in the Journal named 'RUDN Journal of Political Science', hereinafter referred to as the Journal, under the following terms. 1. General Terms and Conditions 1.1. Pursuant to Clause 2 of the Article 437 of the Russian Federation Civil Code, this Agreement shall be recognized as the public offer, hereinafter referred to as the Offer. Subject to Article 438 of the Russian Federation Civil Code, this Offer shall be deemed to have been completely and irrevocably accepted after the Author had submitted his/her materials by uploading those onto the network electronic system of the article acquisition for review available at the respective section of the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/author/submit/1 on the Information and Communication Network known as the Internet, hereinafter referred to as the Internet. 1.2. Pursuant to the Russian Federation effective law as applicable to compliance with the copyright to electronic information resources, no materials from any site, electronic journal or project may be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form, either in a hard or soft copy, without a prior consent from the Journal's authors and editorial staff, which may be expressed by posting a respective consent (open license Creative Commons Attribution International 4.0 CC BY-NC) in the relevant section of the Journal's site on the Internet. Whenever any published materials are used within the context of other documents, a reference to the original source needs to be specified. 1.3. The Journal is registered by the Federal Oversight Service for Communications, Information Technologies and Mass Communications (RosKomNadzor). 2. Terms Used in This Agreement The Author is an individual (or individuals) whose creative labor has produced the Article. The Offer Acceptance means a complete and irrevocable acceptance of the Offer under the terms specified in Clause 3 hereof (the Author accepts the Offer by submitting an application to the Publisher, i.e. by uploading the Article along with support materials onto the network electronic system of the article acquisition for review available at the respective section of the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/author/submit/1 on the Internet). The Journal means an academic periodical named 'BULLETIN of Peoples` Friendship University of Russia. Series Political Science'. The Application means an electronic request of the Author addressed to the Publisher for publishing the Article in the Journal by uploading the Article and support materials onto the network electronic system of the article acquisition for review available at the relevant section of the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/author/submit/1 on the Internet). The Publisher is the Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba” (RUDN), being the Journal's founder and publisher. The Article's Metadata means any materials in Russian and English intended to be included into the Science Citation database as per the original version of the Article such as the Article title; authors' details (full last name, first name, patronymic, present employer of each author with indication of the postal code, contact details (e-mail) of each author; abstract; keywords; topical classifications: UDC or any other bibliographic and library classification, and subject indices; bibliography (list of references). The Offer means this document (offer to the Author) to publish an Article by uploading it onto the site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/author/submit/1 on the Internet. The Publication means the act of publishing the Article in the Journal. The Journal's Editorial Staff means a creative team engaged in preparing the Journal for publication. The Editorial Board is an advisory body of the Journal's Editorial Office. The Article means a result of fundamental and applied scholarly efforts in the form of a scholarly material, scientific review material, scientific message, bibliographical review on specific topics of the scholarly study, and background information on Russian and foreign scientists submitted by the Author for publication in the Journal. The Parties mean the Author and the Publisher. The Article Requirements mean requirements to the materials published in the Journal's section named "To Authors" of the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/about/submissions#authorGuidelines on the Internet. The Service means publication of the Article in the Journal as per the Author's application. 3. Subject Matter of the Agreement (Offer) 3.1. Subject to this Agreement, the Author shall provide the Publisher at no expense for the copyright duration as stated by the Russian Federation legislation with a non-exclusive license for use of the Author-created Article for the purpose of its publication in the Journal. 3.2. The rights to use this Article as assigned hereunder shall include but not limited to: reproduction of the Article or any part thereof, as well as its metadata in Russian and English in any material form whatsoever, including soft and hard copy forms, as an individual work product in periodicals and/or databases (whether local or web-based) owned by the Publisher and/or any other persons at the discretion of the Publisher; dissemination of the Article or any part thereof, as well as its metadata in Russian and English on any media as part of the Journal and/or databases owned by the Publisher or any other persons, at the discretion of the Publisher, or as an individual work product, worldwide via open access or by subscription without payment of any fee to the Author; making public the Article or any part thereof as well as its metadata in Russian and English so that any person could access the Article from any location and at any time of his/her choice (including via the Internet); issuing permissions to use the Article or any part thereof as well as its metadata in Russian and English to any third parties while notifying the Author by publishing the respective information on the Journal's site without payment of any fee to the Author; processing, including translation of the Article (including translation into foreign languages), and use of the processed (translated) Article in any manner specified above; any other rights, not expressly assigned to the Publisher hereunder, including patent rights to any processes, techniques or methods, and other means, described by the Author in the Article, as well as trademark rights, shall be retained by the Author. 3.3. No territorial restrictions will be applied to the use of rights to the Article. 3.4. This Agreement shall become effective from the time the Article is submitted to the Journal, i.e. uploaded along with support materials onto the network electronic system of the article acquisition for review available at the relevant section of the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/author/submit/1 on the Internet, hereinafter referred to as the Article Upload. 3.5. The rights shall be assigned by the Author to the Publisher at no expense, and the Article publication in the Journal shall not result in any financial contribution to the Author. 3.6. If the Publisher decides to refuse to publish the Article in the Journal, this Agreement shall cease to be in force. A decision to refuse publication shall be sent to the Author via the e-mail address specified in the Application. 3.7. The Publisher undertakes, throughout the currency of this Agreement, to provide to the Author the services associated with publication of the Article on the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science on the Internet. 4. General Terms of the Services Provision 4.1. The Publisher shall provide the services to the Author only if: the Author submits all materials compliant with the Offer requirements by way of the Article Upload; the Author Accepts the Offer. 4.2. The services shall be provided to the Author free of charge. 4.3. If any materials submitted by the Author are found in breach of rules and requirements of this Offer, the Publisher shall have a right to refuse to publish those. 4.4. The Publisher shall not be responsible for any third-party unauthorized use of the data provided by the Author during the currency of this Agreement. 5. Rights and Responsibilities of the Parties 5.1. The Author warrants that: he/she is the valid holder of exclusive rights to the Article; rights granted to the Publisher hereunder were not earlier assigned and will not be assigned to any third parties prior to publication of the Article by the Publisher in the Journal; the Article contains all the references to cited authors and/or sources (materials) that are required by the effective copyright law; the Author has obtained all required licenses to results, facts and other borrowed materials used in the Article where the Author is not a copyright holder; the Article does not contain any materials that may not be published in public sources in accordance with the effective Russian Federation statutory instruments, and the Article publication and dissemination will not involve any disclosure of classified (confidential) information, including state secrets; the Author has familiarized himself with the editorial policy and ethical principles published on the Journal website (http://journals.rudn.ru/political-science/about/editorialPolicies) and the consequences of violating these principles, has advised other Co-authors of the terms of this Agreement and has received consents from all the Co-authors to conclude this Agreement under the terms hereunder. 5.2. The Author undertakes to: submit a manuscript of the Article as per the Requirements to articles; avoid using the soft copy of the Article produced by the Publisher for commercial purposes and in other periodicals; while preparing the Article for publication, the Author undertakes to: make edits specified by readers and approved by the Journal's Editorial Office in the text of the Article and/or revise the Article following the Publisher's request, where necessary; proofread the Article within the timeframes specified in the Journal publication schedule; make only such edits in the proof that are minimally required to correct errors made in the Article original and/or introduce factual and momentary changes. 5.3. The Author is entitled to: pass to any third party a soft copy of the published Article provided by the Publisher pursuant to Clause 5.4 hereof for the Article to be incorporated, in whole or in part, into a scientific information database or repository in order to promote academic or scholarly investigations or for informational and educational purposes subject to the Author, Journal and Publisher being properly referenced. 5.4. The Publisher undertakes to: publish the Author's Article, in soft or hard copy form, in the Journal in accordance with the terms hereof; provide the Author with the proof of the Article and make reasonable edits as requested by the Author, where required, following the Journal's Editorial resolution; provide the Author with the soft copy of the published Article by sending it to the Author's e-mail address within 15 business days of the Journal issue's publication; respect the Author's rights established by the effective law, protect those and use best endeavors to prevent any copyright infringements by third parties. 5.5. The Publisher is entitled to: carry out technical and literary editing of the Article such that its basic content would remain unchanged; review the Article and suggest appropriate changes to the Author, and elect not to publish the Article if the Author fails to introduce such changes; require from the Author and/or other persons that the Journal, Publisher, Author and any other copyright holder, as well as the title of the Article, Journal issue identification and a year of publication as specified in the Journal be properly referenced whenever the Journal and/or the Article, including any individual part or fragment thereof, are used by any of the above-mentioned individuals thereafter; publish preliminary and/or advertising information on the forthcoming publication of the Article in mass media and any other information sources; establish rules (conditions) for acceptance and publication of materials in the Journal. The Journal's Editorial Board, headed by the Editor-in-Chief, shall enjoy an exclusive right to accept and/or reject any materials submitted to the Journal's Editorial Office for publication purposes. No manuscript (tangible medium) submitted by the Author to the Journal's Editorial Office will be subject to return. The Journal's Editorial Staff will not enter into any correspondence regarding the rejection of the Article by the Journal's Editorial Board; suspend provision of services to the Author hereunder temporarily for technical, technological and other reasons preventing the services from being provided for the duration of remedial activities; suspend services hereunder in accordance with civil procedures if: the Article does not correspond to the topics covered by the Journal or by any part thereof, or the submitted material is found insufficient for the individual publication, or the Article design is found at variance with the requirements imposed; the Author is in breach of any other obligations assumed under the Offer arrangement; introduce changes to the Offer as per the procedure established by the Offer. 5.6. Unless otherwise provided or stated herein, the Parties shall refer to the effective legislation of the Russian Federation. 6. Offer Acceptance and Conclusion of the Agreement. The Term of the Agreement 6.1. This Agreement shall become effective when concluded, i.e. when the Author Accepts the Offer by sending an application to the Publisher, that is, by uploading the Article (Article Upload), and remain in effect for five years. 6.2. The Offer Acceptance constitutes an Agreement made in writing (Articles 438 and 1286.1 of the Russian Federation Civil Code) under the Offer terms. 6.3. Unless any of the Parties sends to the other Party a written notification of the Agreement termination no later than two months prior to the end of the specified five-year period, the duration of the Publisher's copyright to the Work shall be automatically extended by the similar period. The number of extensions is not limited. 6.4. The term of the Agreement may not exceed the duration of exclusive rights to the Article pursuant to the Russian Federation legislation. 6.5. Whenever the Author assigns (disposes of) its exclusive rights to the Work to any third party, this Agreement shall remain in effect. 7. Agreement Modification and Termination Procedure 7.1. The Publisher shall have a right to unilaterally modify the terms of this Agreement by giving a prior notice to the Author, at least ten (10) calendar days before such modifications become effective, to the Author's e-mail address specified in the Author's application or via the Journal's site. These modifications shall become effective from the date specified in the respective notice. 7.2. If the Author disagrees with any modification in the terms of this Agreement, the Author shall have a right to submit a written notice of his/her withdrawal from this Agreement by uploading it onto the network electronic system of the article acquisition for review, available at the relevant section of the Journal's site at URL: http://journals.rudn.ru/index.php/political-science/author/submit/1 on the Internet. 7.3. This Agreement may be terminated early: at any time by mutual agreement of the Parties; or otherwise as stipulated herein. 7.4. The Author shall have a right to cancel this Agreement unilaterally by sending the Publisher a respective notice in writing at least sixty (60) calendar days prior to the intended date of the Author's Article publication in the Journal. 7.5. The termination of this Agreement for any reasons shall not release the Parties from responsibility for breach of any Agreement terms during the currency hereof. 8. Liability 8.1. A Party which has failed to perform its obligations under this Agreement, either in full or in part, shall be held liable pursuant to the Russian Federation legislation in force. 8.2. All the data provided by the Author shall be trustworthy. The Author shall be responsible for completeness and reliability of the data provided to the Publisher. The use of untrustworthy information obtained from the Author shall not entail any responsibility upon the Publisher for any adverse effects resulting from its actions based on such untrustworthy information. 8.3. The Author shall take full personal responsibility for compliance with the requirements of the Russian Federation law on advertising, protection of copyright and related rights, protection of trademarks and service marks, and protection of consumer rights. 8.4. The Publisher shall not be held responsible hereunder for: any actions resulting directly or indirectly from the actions of the Author; any loss incurred by the Author whether or not the Publisher was in a position to predict such loss. 8.5. The Publisher shall be relieved from any responsibility for non-compliance with the terms of this Agreement if such non-compliance is a result of a force-majeure event such as an act of state authorities, including adoption of legal instruments, fire, flood, earthquake, other natural calamities, loss of power and/or computer network failure, strikes, civil commotions, riots, and any other similar events. 9. Dispute Resolution Procedure 9.1. Any disputes and disagreements shall be resolved by the Parties by negotiations, and if the Parties fail to reach an agreement, these shall be resolved in accordance with the effective law of the Russian Federation. 9.2. If any disagreements remain unresolved, the Parties shall settle those at the location of the Publisher in accordance with the effective law of the Russian Federation. 10. Miscellaneous 10.1. Any notifications, messages, requests etc., excluding documents which need to be forwarded in original form pursuant to the Russian Federation legislation, shall be deemed to have been received by the Author, if delivered (sent) by the Publisher via the Journal's site, including by publishing those, by fax or e-mail specified in the Application, or using other communication facilities. The Parties acknowledge validity of notifications, messages, requests etc. delivered (sent) using the above-listed methods. 10.2. Where the Publisher becomes subject to any claims related to non-compliance with an exclusive copyright or other intellectual property right of any third party during the writing of the Article or in connection with conclusion of this Agreement by the Author, the Author undertakes to: immediately upon receipt of a Publisher's notification, take measures to settle disputes with such third party, and, where necessary, join the litigation in favor of the Publisher and use its best endeavors to exclude the Publisher from the defendants; reimburse the legal cost, expenses and loss incurred by the Publisher as a result of application of a pre-award relief and measures for execution of a judgment, and damages paid by the Publisher to any third party for the infringement of exclusive copyright and/or other intellectual property rights, as well as other expenditures incurred by the Publisher as a result of infringement by the Author of any warranties provided hereunder. 10.3. Subject to Article 6 of the Federal Law On Personal Data No. 152-FZ dated July 27, 2006, for the period from the conclusion of this Agreement and until the discharge of Parties obligations hereunder, the Author expresses his/her consent to processing of the following personal data by the Publisher: last name, first name, patronymic; taxpayers identification number (TIN); place and date of birth; citizenship details; ID document details; registration and actual location address; e-mail address; mailing address with postal code; contact phone numbers; fax numbers; and details of the employers. 10.4. The Publisher is entitled to process the above personal data for the purpose of this Agreement performance, including for provision of information and reference services to the Author. The processing of personal data shall be understood to mean any handing (operations) with personal data, including collection, systematization, accumulation, storage, refinement (update, alteration), use, distribution (including transfer to third parties), depersonalization, blocking and deletion of personal data in accordance with the effective Russian Federation legislation. 10.5. Where permitted by the Russian Federation legislation, the Author is entitled to withdraw his/her consent to processing of personal data as listed in Clause 10.3 by forwarding a respective notice to the Publisher. Upon receipt of such notice, the Publisher has a right to suspend services. 10.6. The Author will, on a goodwill basis, submit his/her details (and details of each Co-Author subject to their prior consent) to the Journal's Editorial Office consisting of his/her: last name, first name, patronymic, academic rank, academic degree, job title, employer details (name and mailing address), work phone number and e-mail address for the purpose of its general publication in the Journal along with the Article. 11. Registered Address and Particulars of the Publisher Federal State Autonomous Educational Institution of Higher Education "Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia named after Patrice Lumumba” (RUDN University) Address: Mikluho-Maklaya st., 6, Moscow, 117198 TIN 7728073720, CRR 772801001, PSRN 1027739189323. Vice Rector for Scientific Work A.A. Kostin
Transversality of Network Communications and the Choice of Behavior Strategy: Conceptual Dimension
The academic discourse examines how the specific features and attributes of network communication facilitate transversality in interactive exchanges. Scholars particularly emphasize two key phenomena emerging from networked communication: individuation (the personalization of participation) and network solidarity (collective identity formation). These dual phenomena develop within a communicative space characterized by cooperation, instrumental functionality, shared belonging, visual representation, personalization, and motivational stimulation. A central focus lies in how network communication achieves transversality through what we might term a “politics of difference” - the strategic intersection of diverse perspectives. This transversality manifests through several dynamic qualities: the contextual fluidity of communication processes, their inherent multidimensionality, the strategic adaptability of messages, critical receptiveness to opposing views, self-referential meaning-making, pragmatic interaction patterns, and permeability to institutional influences. Together, these characteristics fundamentally reshape behavioral strategy selection models. Where traditional public choice theory operates on causal logic, communicative transversality shifts strategic priorities toward: precautionary approaches (focusing on effects rather than root causes), trust-building through cooperation, and maximizing latent interaction potential.
Copyright (c) 2025 Smorgunov L.V. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Social Media as an Alter Ego of Reality: What Does Affective Political Polarization Teach Us?
Affective political polarization is comprehensively considered in combination of its emotional, behavioral and cognitive aspects. They manifest themselves in the differences between an individual’s attitude towards politically like-minded people (the in-group) and opponents (the out-group), including emotions experienced, willingness to cooperate, and a tendency to attribute positive or negative qualities. Particular attention is paid to the problem of differences between the intensity of manifestations of affective political polarization in the online environment compared to traditional forms of communication. Most contemporary researchers predict a higher level of polarization within online interactions. This hypothesis is based on the properties of Internet communication, which make it easier for the user to manage the network of contacts and sources of information and lead to the emergence of “echo chambers” and “filter bubbles”. The empirical evidence in favor of this mechanism, however, is rather limited. Indeed, there is very scarce research that would directly compare the levels of affective polarization in the digital and traditional environments. This problem is addressed by the authors based on survey data collected in 2025 among Russian respondents. We measure all key indicators of affective polarization for both online and offline environments, thereby making it possible to compare them directly. We build on previous research and use the attitude towards the country’s leadership as a key polarizing dimension. We analyzed data using correlation, regression and principal component analyses. Our results show that affective polarization demonstrates overall high consistency in the physical world and on social media. Regression analysis does not reveal any significant differences in levels or factors of affective polarization in the two environments.
Copyright (c) 2025 Stukal D.K., Shilina A.N., Akhremenko A.S. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Emotional Dynamics in Russian-Language Telegram Channels: Between Cohesion and Affective Polarization
This study proposes a novel methodological framework for analyzing key socio-psychological processes, namely in-group cohesion and affective polarization, within digital media during crises. By examining emotional dynamics in Russian-language Telegram channels (2.5k channels, 1.2M messages) across month preceding and following the onset of the Special Military Operation (SMO), we demonstrate an asymmetric transformation: intensified positive consolidation within ideologically aligned communities alongside heightened intergroup polarization, particularly in external engagements. Employing machine learning, text analytics, and network analysis, our work not only captures the specific reaction to the triggering event but also advances social identity theory by highlighting the fundamental role of emotional boundaries in shaping digital communities. These insights retain critical relevance for understanding social media dynamics in contemporary conflicts and societal divisions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sinitsina A.V., Soloviev V.A., Tyapkin D.I. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Affective Polarization in the Russian Social Media Within the Political Mobilization: A Machine Learning Approach
In the context of the current rise in global political tensions and widespread protests, the examination of affective polarization dynamics has become increasingly significant. This phenomenon, which previously dominated the American political scene and was studied through the lens of party affiliation, is now gaining attention in other countries as well. Affective polarization has been observed in Russia, a nation with a long history of political cleavages. Despite the significance of this problem, research on affective polarization presents challenges in developing unbiased and objective methods for analysis that are free from traditional survey biases. Additionally, it remains an open question whether affective polarization and political activism reinforce each other, which is the central hypothesis of my research. To evaluate the proposed methodology, a study based on machine learning techniques is conducted. Specifically, the following methods are employed: spectral clustering, thematic modeling using BERTopic, and Shannon entropy analysis. As a basis for the empirical analysis, primary data from the VKontakte social media platform during the summer protests in Moscow in 2019 is utilized. These data consist of user-generated messages containing instances of hate speech, which serve as a primary indication of affective polarization among participants. The findings support the hypothesis that there was a statistically significant increase in the level of Shannon entropy, as well as the emergence of polarized themes associated with protest mobilization. These results suggest that political mobilization may be linked to the propagation of affective polarization within society. Through the application of the developed methodology, an objective assessment of political processes can be achieved. Furthermore, this approach provides a means for monitoring and evaluating risks associated with escalating social tensions.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kruchinskaia E.V. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
‘Not With Us - Against Us’: ‘We’ vs. ‘They’ in the Transformation of Black Lives Matter Participants’ Collective Identities in Online Interactions with All Lives Matter, 2013-2014
First- and third-person plural pronouns drive the construction and transformation of collective identities in digital protest discourse. Drawing on social identity theory and discourse-analytical approaches, the research analyzes a corpus of 100,000 tweets from July 2013 to December 2014. It examines changes in the use of “we” and “they” by Black Lives Matter (BLM) participants in online discourse before and after the emergence of the counter-protest movement All Lives Matter (ALM). Using trigram-based collocation analysis with Pointwise Mutual Information (PMI) scoring, the study reveals a shift from a diffuse and morally framed in-group identity in 2013 to a more consolidated and movement-specific identity in 2014. Simultaneously, the referents of “they” evolved from state institutions such as the police to include ideological opponents from civil society. These findings support the hypothesis that the emergence of counter-protests altered the discursive boundaries of opposition, resulting in a more polarized and dualistic structure of collective identity. The study contributes to scholarship on protest-counter-protest dynamics by highlighting the linguistic mechanisms through which group identities are formed, contested, and reconfigured in response to ideological confrontation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Koncha V. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Network Discourse of Patriotic Online Communities in Modern Russia: Problematic Field and Axiological Modes
Online communities in social networks have become a vital tool for constructing the value sphere in the last decade. The study presents a study of the problematic content field of the popular patriotic communities “Donetsk / Lugansk / Novorossiya”, “Nikolai Starikov”, “History: Russia and the World” in the aspect of their axiological modes. Publications were selected for each community by continuously uploading data for February 2021, 2022, and 2024, which were processed using the Conceptoscope analytical complex; contextual analysis was performed on keywords, as well as graph-based analysis. The study showed that the problem field of communities consists of several blocks: 1) historical meta-narrative, 2) Russia - the West 3) Ukraine, SMO 4) internal policy of the Russian Federation 5) natural beauty of Russia. The authors conclude that since February 2022, the problematic field of the analyzed communities’ content has been significantly expanded due to the topic of a Special Military Operation (hereinafter referred to as SMO), which is interpreted as an act of protecting the country. The need for consolidation and mobilization of Russian society is actualized; a positive attitude towards SMO becomes a criterion for identifying patriotic forces. In the February 2024 content, the structure of the problem field remains, but the rhetoric of Western double standards is intensifying, the idea of a multipolar world and a new architecture of international relations is being pedaled, as well as the discourse of glorification, patriotism and traditional values is progressing, and the idea of cleansing Russia from internal enemies is gaining momentum. The problem field of the communities is based on the values of a common historical memory, the idea of the sovereignty of the Russian state, the uniqueness of Russian civilization, the consolidation of the Russian world, the enduring nature of traditional values, the condemnation of the axiological foundations of the Western world, the principles of its organization. The successful production and promotion of patriotic content of the analyzed thematic online communities is determined by using an integrated approach combining historical narrative and current events, analytical articles and emotionally saturated materials. It is this approach that makes it possible to give positive axiological modes to patriotism and make it one of the leading factors of socio-political life.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kozlova N.N., Rassadin S.V. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Political Categories in Discussions Within Local Online Communities: Empirical Research Methodology Employing Volgograd Case Analysis
In the context of digitalization of society, neighborhood communication is increasingly moving online. The communication of neighbors on public social media platforms creates extensive archives of data that can be used for political science research. These data open up new opportunities for the study of grassroots politics, group identities, political activism, etc. Nevertheless, there is currently a gap in research related to the lack of comprehensive methods that allow analyzing neighborhood online communities on a city scale, not limited to individual cases. The purpose of this work is to eliminate the existing gap by proposing a methods for identifying neighborhood online communities on a city scale using data from the VKontakte social network. Based on this methodology, an attempt is being made to identify in the discussions of the neighboring communities of the city of Volgograd an array of publications in which political categories occur. The paper describes the process of searching for neighborhood online communities, and also describes the preprocessing of text data. A mechanism is proposed for cleaning the corpus of texts from advertisements, which represented a wide proportion of publications, but acted as noise that hindered the main task. Publications mentioning political categories are identified by automatically encoding the cleared corpus into groups of keywords, followed by rechecking. The resulting archive, covering 17 years of neighborhood interaction, made it possible to determine, through the use of thematic modeling tools, the main periods of development of neighborhood communities. Starting from short non-political messages in groups of neighboring youth, ending with an established political repertoire: the work of homeowners associations; interaction with representatives of authorities, mainly executive ones, to solve local problems; organization and participation in local patriotic events. The most active types of neighborhood online-communities were identified: territorial public self-governments, communities of shareholders and microdistrict communities.
Copyright (c) 2025 Babkin A.A. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Sovereignty of the Digital Space of Socio-Political Communications in Contemporary Russia and Its Key Components: Evidence from Expert Research
In the context of global technological transformations in the digital communication sphere, ensuring the digital sovereignty of a contemporary state is becoming increasingly urgent. This problem is of particular importance in the sphere of socio-political communications, which is characterized by its significant potential to influence mass consciousness and transform the traditional spiritual and moral foundations of state and society. The identified problem acquires additional significance for Russia, which is currently in a geopolitical confrontation with the collective West, many of whose countries are technologically advanced powers claiming a dominant role in the digital space. The authors studied current digitalization practices in various countries of the world and also conducted an international expert study, based on the analysis of the results of which several key conclusions were made regarding the content, structure, and degree of universality of models for ensuring the sovereignty of the digital space of socio-political communications. Based on the results of the study, the authors conclude that sovereignization processes in modern states have national specificity, which raises the question of the need to develop a model of digital sovereignization based on national characteristics in contemporary Russia. In addition, the results of the study allow us to conclude that the digital sovereignty of the space of socio-political communications is a single system of interconnected infrastructural, communication, technological, personnel, competence, management and content (value-semantic) components that ensure in their unity, achieved with the help of national legislation and practices of its implementation, independent and successful functioning in the national interests of the socio-political sphere of life of a modern state in the digital space. The key components of the digital sovereignty system of the national space of socio-political communications identified in this study can be used as a basis for developing our own model of digital sovereignty for contemporary Russia.
Copyright (c) 2025 Volodenkov S.V., Fedorchenko S.N. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Institution of the State and Public Administration in the Digital Age: Disappearing Phenomenon or Reality?
The processes of the development of the institution of the state and public administration face the discrepancies. The authors propose to consider a number of transformational processes that are currently stable and that systematically affect a fundamental change in the social role and purpose of the state and power management activities. The methodological basis of the research is mainly interdisciplinary in nature, since when considering the digitalization of the institute, the state takes as its basis the problem field, rather than disciplinary requirements. The study also used a discourse analysis of analytical and expert materials, scientific research devoted to both general issues of digital transformation of public policy and individual problems of digitalization of public institutions and practices. The study substantiates that the ideas about the formation of a new form of digital domination are based on the socio-political myth of the universality and objectivity of various algorithmic systems, according to which only innovative digital technologies can ensure justice in society, social equality, and eliminate various forms of discrimination and abuse of public power. In conclusion, the paper substantiates the need to develop and complicate the general concept of public authority and its sociotechnical purpose in the digital age. It is proved that the institution of the state will not only be preserved, but its complexity will occur, its sociotechnical purpose will be adjusted, and the role of the latter will increase during the transition to a new technological order.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kochetkov A.P., Mamychev A.Y. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Digital Sovereignty in the South Caucasus: Navigating Challenges Towards Integration within Global Digital Corridors
The article explores key challenges in the formation and development of digital sovereignty across the South Caucasus region. Adopting a political science perspective, it outlines the conceptual framework of the study, which focuses on assessing the level of digital advancement and sovereignty in the context of emerging regional security risks and threats. The analysis examines the institutional foundations underpinning digital infrastructure development in the region, offering an assessment of national readiness for digital transformation. Particular emphasis is placed on the legislative regulation of the digital sector, as well as on strategic approaches to digital development and sovereignty as reflected in national policy documents. The study demonstrates that the ongoing strategic competition between the “North-South” and “East-West” transport and logistics corridors in the South Caucasus also shapes the logic and geography of emerging digital routes. In this context, multilateral integration into international internet traffic corridors is identified as a critical challenge for diversifying access routes, enhancing national digital security, and strengthening digital sovereignty. The analysis of the logistical architecture of digital corridors - at both regional and macro-regional levels - enables the identification of the main barriers and prospects for digital integration in the South Caucasus. Methodologically, the study employs a cross-country comparative approach alongside quantitative measures of digitalization, including the Network Readiness Index, mobile and fixed internet penetration, and related indicators.
Copyright (c) 2025 Davtyan V.S. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Turkey’s Strategies for Ensuring Digital Security and Regulating Media Landscape
The Republic of Turkey has demonstrated a significant increase in influence on the world stage over the past decade, and the rise of information security ambitions has not been lost on the Republic of Turkey either. Turkey is currently at the forefront of digital and information initiatives in the Middle East. Not the least place in the country’s news reports is occupied by news of blocking and acts of active regulation of Internet and traditional media, which are of growing concern to Turkish society. The research paper discusses in detail the historical background, legal basis, current state and trends in approaches to ensuring digital and information security in Turkey, as well as the regulatory function of the state in relation to the Internet and media. As a methodological basis for the study, a case study of specific examples was used, setting up the Turkish leadership to be directly involved in the processes of regulating the information space and media. In addition, a content analysis was conducted, supported by a study of the statutes of the main regulatory structures in Turkey. Key articles and monographs by leading Turkish scholars in the fields of jurisprudence, information security and its history were also studied. It was revealed that one of the main reasons for the strengthening of control over the information space was the targeting of a number of cyber attacks on the entourage of President R.T. Erdogan. At the same time, it is emphasized that the unrest of recent years has become an additional trigger for changing approaches to digital security and media regulation.
Copyright (c) 2025 Avatkov V.A., Mishin L.D. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
AI-Driven Innovation in Russian Youth Policy: Strategies, Mechanisms, and Practices
How Artificial Intelligence (AI) enhances the effectiveness of Russian youth policy implementation amidst technological advancements and digital transformation? The study’s novelty lies in its comprehensive analysis of specific mechanisms for integrating AI into the Russian youth policy system, considering national strategic priorities. Furthermore, it identifies personalized approaches to youth human capital management through AI. Analyzing the functional potential of AI technologies, the Russian Youth Policy Strategy to 2030, and relevant practices of applying digital technologies with AI systems in the context of youth policy, the authors highlight three key areas for AI implementation: 1) developing strategic monitoring and forecasting systems for youth vulnerabilities, 2) acceleration of transformation processes in the sphere of implementation of youth policy through the introduction of digital products with elements of artificial intelligence, and 3) optimizing processes for engaging youth in social dynamics, intensification of civic engagement. The article presents examples of successful national and international scenarios in these areas and proposes new approaches to enhance youth policy strategy implementation through innovative intelligent technologies. Significant limitations of AI application are noted, including ethical concerns and methodological challenges. The study outlines key risks in developing legislative initiatives aimed at regulating the use of AI within the youth human capital management ecosystem, emphasizing the importance of balancing innovation promotion with the protection of citizens’ rights and freedoms in the digital environment.
Copyright (c) 2025 Strebkova K.E., Maltseva D.A., Fedotov D.A. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Harnessing Artificial Intelligence in Electoral Processes: Emerging Opportunities and Innovations
The rapid development of technologies is an occasion to reflect on their capabilities in various fields, including political, related to electoral processes. Since the election of authorities is the most important task of legitimizing it, therefore, the question of the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies on this important field of activity becomes relevant. The purpose of the work is to characterize innovations and identify opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence in the electoral process. The source of the article was the results of an expert survey, a distinctive feature of which is the comparison of the results of a survey of experts - leading domestic researchers in the field of electoral processes - with the position of the NicbarBot chatbot. The method of collecting information during an expert survey is an unstandardized interview, the method of processing the obtained primary data is discourse analysis. On the part of artificial intelligence, the theoretical elaboration of questions, algorithmization of responses, political neutrality, and a focus on achieving positive results of electoral innovations were revealed. Unlike AI, experts measure their answers against the real political situation, society’s willingness to innovate, sometimes there is an ideological context in the answers and there is no idealized optimistic idea of possible positive changes that electoral innovations can bring. The conclusion is made about the ambivalence of AI, which is associated both with the performance of useful functions in the electoral process and with a danger to society, because a person has not yet learned to control it. The possibilities of AI in the electoral process are associated with a variety of activities during the preparation, conduct of elections and counting of votes, as well as in the activities of election management bodies. Artificial intelligence is becoming a trigger for electoral innovations, the focus of which depends on the developers and participants of the electoral process.
Copyright (c) 2025 Baranov N.A. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Leveraging AI Technologies in Politics: Navigating Threats and Unveiling Opportunities
Presently, the rapid evolution of digital technologies that profoundly reshape diverse facets of human endeavor stands as a pivotal theme in both scholarly discourse and practical application. Prominent among these advancements are artificial intelligence (AI henceforth) and neural networks, emerging as indispensable instruments within the realm of politics. The pervasive transformation wrought by integrating AI extends across numerous dimensions of political engagement - spanning strategic design of electoral campaigns through efficient governance mechanisms. Artificial intelligence can provide the opportunity to analyze huge amounts of data and is already being actively used in various countries, opening up new perspectives for understanding social dynamics. In this regard, the article analyzes the main risks and potential of introducing artificial intelligence technologies into the political sphere. The purpose of the study is to identify the main threats and opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence technologies in modern Russian politics. The methods of collecting empirical data were: in-depth interviews of experts (32 experts, representatives of the academic community, IT specialists, government officials, as well as experts in the field of implementation and implementation of digital technologies) from 7 regions of the country, a series of focus groups (5 focus groups) among young people (18-35 years old), average age (36-59 years); senior (retirement) age (60 and over). 10 respondents participated in each focus group. According to the results of the study, the main threats and opportunities for the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the political sphere were identified.
Copyright (c) 2025 Sokolov A.V., Frolov A.A., Babajanyan P.A. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Conceptual Framework for Enhancing Government-Citizen Engagement Amid Digital Transformation in Contemporary Russia
Optimizing government-citizen engagement amid Russia’s digital transformation requires a comprehensive approach that extends beyond technological solutions. To systematically analyze this issue, this study proposes and theoretically substantiates an integrative five- component conceptual model, which includes: technological infrastructure, an institutional and legal framework, mechanisms for civic participation, informational openness, and an environment of trust. The model’s validation, based on a series of expert focus groups with representatives from government, business, and the academic community, reveals a significant asymmetry in the development of its components. Despite technological progress, the research identifies a profound deficit of trust in the state’s digital initiatives, skepticism regarding the actual impact of e-participation mechanisms, and a weak dialogue between the authorities and society. The study argues that effective optimization is impossible without fundamental changes aimed at building trust, ensuring genuine citizen participation, increasing transparency, and improving institutions. Based on this analysis, practical recommendations for public policy are formulated.
Copyright (c) 2025 Morozova S.S. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
Digital Image and Socio-Political Activities of the Russian Governors in the Context of a Special Military Operation
In the context of active digitalization and mediatization of the social and political life of society, digital communications between citizens and government representatives, primarily using social media, are becoming increasingly important. The digital image, as well as its positioning, are becoming not a secondary activity of a political actor, but the main one, since the information they broadcast, including socio-political information, directly affects citizens’ perception of the reality. Today, the online space is becoming the primary platform for the functioning, positioning and assessment of the perception of political actors by citizens - online users, since the Internet space is recognized as a social institution endowed with all institutional features and meanings. The purpose of this article is to study the image and socio-political activities of Russian governors who are forced to act in new crisis realities; to study the processes of transformation of the digital image of these heads of regions; in assessing the effectiveness of information coverage of the socio-political activities of governors in the digital space in the conditions of their own. The study was conducted using the following methods: content analysis, visual analysis and linguodiscursive analysis. The empirical base is the open data of eight telegram channels belonging to Russian governors in the period 2023: “Nastoyashchij Gladkov”, “AV BogomaZ”, “Gusev”, “Veniamin Kondratiev”, “Roman Starovoit (emoji of the flag of the Russian Federation)”, “Aksenov Z 82”, “Vasily Golubev”, “Razvozhaev”, including a corpus of texts, video and photographic materials, as well as all comments and “reactions” contained in these accounts for the period June 2023. The main results of the study are to describe the digital image system of governors facing crisis situations, to identify areas of socio-political activity that they continue to develop, despite the prevailing conditions. The described research methodology made it possible to identify how the governors of Russian regions in non-standard geopolitical conditions construct their digital image, which socio-political topics they raise, how they interact with citizens and design information coverage of their activities in social media.
Copyright (c) 2025 Gnedash A.A., Birucheva E.I. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0
The Value Bases of Digital Political Participation of Modern Russian Youth: Results of Empirical Research
Modern megalopolises are special socio-economic agglomerations in which the quality of life, comfortable urban environment, infrastructure development, high level of information technology and Internet accessibility create an attractive image of the territories for the younger generation. The conditions of communication and socialization of the urban environment in a modern megalopolis are determined by the high level of digitalization, speed and volume of information flows. All these factors influence the value orientations and political preferences of young citizens. The influence of digitalization on the formation of political norms, values and forms of political participation among the younger generation determines the relevance of the study. The purpose of the study is to identify the relationship between the value preferences of young people, the degree of inclusion in network communications and digital forms of political participation. The methodological basis of the study was the value concepts of R. Inglehart, M. Rokeach, the theory of civic culture of G.A. Almond and S. Verba, the theory of value schisms of S.M. Lipset - S. Rokkan. The empirical basis of the study was the results of an online survey of young people in large cities of the Russian Federation. Multivariate analysis methods allowed us to identify the connection between the model of political participation using digital technologies and the types of value orientations of urban youth. The results of the cluster analysis revealed two politically active groups that have different ideological and value vectors of activity. The basis for the divisions between the two segments is the axis with individualistic and collectivist poles, which are combined with liberal and conservative value priorities.
Copyright (c) 2025 Lagutin O.V., Shentyakova A.V. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0