Family with children on a lavender field in Crimea. Lavender plantations occupy more than 120 hectares in the Bakhchisaray district near the Turgenevka village. Konstantin Mikhalchevsky / RIA Novosti
THE TOPIC OF PRESERVATION AND PROTECTION OF RUSSIAN TRADITIONAL VALUES BY THE END OF THE FIRST DECADE OF THE 2000s BEGAN TO GRADUALLY COME TO THE FORE (FIRSTLY, IN EXPERT DISCUSSIONS, AND THEN IN PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS), WHICH WAS CAUSED, FIRST OF ALL, BY THE ISSUE OF NATURAL EXPANSION OF THE WESTERN VALUE SYSTEM TO RUSSIA AND THE FORMATION OF A MASS CULTURE OF CONSUMPTION IN THE COUNTRY. ACCORDING TO EXPERTS’ OPINION, THE CURRENT SITUATION ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT THE “LOST” GENERATION, GROWING CONFLICT OF GENERATIONAL IDENTITIES, AND OPPOSITION OF VALUE WORLDS INSIDE RUSSIAN SOCIETY.
Photo exhibition (“Heroes with an Eternal Russian Heart”) held in the Muzeon Park of Arts in Moscow. October 12, 2022. Eugeny Odinokov / RIA Novosti
In recent years, a request for the preservation and protection of traditional values, which was reflected in their gradual specification in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and state strategic planning documents determining the vision of the goals and tasks of state policy for years to come, such as the Fundamentals of State Cultural Policy, Strategy for the Development of Education in the Russian Federation for the Period up to 2025, Information Society Development Strategy, National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, etc., is formed in society.
The most important changes in the legislation occurred in 2020-2021 when amendments establishing traditional values as the basic values (value orientations) of Russian society were enshrined in the country’s Basic Law following the results of the constitutional referendum.
The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation97 established the need to protect the traditional Russian spiritual and moral values and the country’s culture and historical memory defined by the Constitution of the Russian Federation in the new version of the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation.
On June 27, 2022, during a meeting of the Council for the Implementation of State Policy in the Sphere of Family and Children Protection, the President of the Russian Federation once again drew attention to the importance of unifying the concept of “spiritual and moral values.” Vladimir Putin instructed the Government of the Russian Federation to harmonize and unify the definitions of the concepts (“spiritual and moral values” and “spiritual and moral upbringing”) in legal acts regulating issues of patriotic upbringing.98
Girl draws a picture at the Church of the Hieromartyr Kirill of Kazan, Kazan. In July, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of memory of Saints Peter and Fevronia, patrons of the family and marriage. July 8, 2021. Maxim Bogodvid / RIA Novosti
Moreover, the President instructed the Government of the Russian Federation to enshrine the relevant state financing (in particular, for shooting feature films for children and youth and organizing visits to cinemas by schoolchildren on a budgetary basis in order to watch feature, documentary, popular science, educational and animated films aimed at the comprehensive development of children and adolescents basis of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values) in the current legislation.
On September 30, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation made an appeal to the nation, in which, among other things, attention was focused on such a trend characteristic of the current state of Western countries as a transition to a radical denial of moral standards, religion and family customs as institutions where the worldview of children and, consequently, the entire civil society in the future was formed.
A further continuation of the work on defining the system of goals, objectives and tools for implementing the strategic national priority (“Protection of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values, Culture and Historical Memory”) became the draft Decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On Approval of the Fundamentals of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values” prepared by the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in accordance with the previously adopted National Security Strategy.
The text of the draft decree reproduced the list of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values published in Article 91 of the National Security Strategy, proposed a definition of traditional values, contained the thesis on the need to develop a scientifically based system of indicators of the efficiency of state policy to preserve and strengthen traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, as well as included the need to establish an interdepartmental coordination body endowed with broad powers in the field of their protection.
While considering the wide public outcry caused by the publication of the draft decree99 and the different positions taken with regard to the evaluation of the submitted document, the Civic Chamber performed the examination of the published draft decree, during which various opinions of citizens and public organizations were considered and analyzed.
Participants of the motor rally in support of the special military operation in Ukraine in one of the public gardens of Sevastopol. Several public movements, such as “Blockpost Sevastopol” and “Sevastopol without Fascism”, as the organizers of the motor rally. March 3, 2022. Anna Sadovnikova / RIA Novosti
Having supported the main idea of the draft decree on implementing the principle of protecting the traditional values of the peoples of Russia as a national priority at state and national levels, the Civic Chamber formulated proposals and comments on the draft decree on the basis of results and opinions expressed during the examination, while indentificating that the draft decree submitted by the ministry should be further discussed and significantly revised.
Based on the results of public discussions in mid-February 2022, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation suspended public debates of the draft decree in order to develop new approaches to the preparation of the document.
Participants of the “Candle of Memory” action near the Victory Museum in Moscow. Veterans, honored guests and volunteers lit exactly 1,418 candles from the Fire of Memory and Glory (according to the number of days of the Great Patriotic War). June 22, 2022. Eugeny Odinokov / RIA Novosti
The Civic Chamber noted that the continuation of work to consolidate the efforts of civil society and representatives of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation in the future will make it possible to objectively consider all opinions, arguments and comments and develop a high-quality strategic document that will help preserve and strengthen the traditional system of values and historical memory in the Russian Federation.
On November 9, 2022, this Decree was signed by the President of the Russian Federation. The approval of the strategic document became an important event in the life of Russian society. It is especially significant that the final document was prepared considering the numerous opinions and positions of various groups of society, including religious organizations, whose teachings formed the basis of traditional spiritual and moral values.
The final version of the strategic document also considered the proposals of the Civic Chamber regarding the preservation and enhancement of human potential, religious diversity, as well as threats to cultural sovereignty.
The Civic Chamber noted that it is necessary to perform further substantive work to develop mechanisms for implementing the requirements of the Decree, explain it to public organizations and associations and determine specific activities of all state authorities responsible for its implementation. Today in Russia, at the legislative level, various protection mechanisms preventing any propaganda of suicide, drugs, extremism and criminal behavior as negative and socially dangerous phenomena are created. At the same time, there has been no formal legal prohibition on the promotion of nontraditional sexual relations.
On October 20, 2022, the deputies of the State Duma introduced relevant draft laws in order to establish a mechanism for protecting society and children from any destructive information related to the promotion of nontraditional sexual relations.
The adoption of the proposed draft laws has become another important step for protecting the traditional ideas about the family, motherhood and childhood, which ensure the continuous change of generations, is a condition for the preservation and development of the multinational people of the Russian Federation. Therefore, people need special protection from the state.
INTERETHNIC AND INTERRELIGIOUS RELATIONS DURING THE LONG HISTORY OF RUSSIA HAVE BEEN THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE NATIONAL POLICY OF THE STATE. THEIR UNDERESTIMATION REPEATEDLY LEAD TO SERIOUS POLITICAL CRISES THREATING ITS INTEGRITY.
Participants of the “Waltz of the Peoples of Russia” action dance to Georgy Sviridov’s “Snowstorm” in front of the Friendship of Peoples Fountain, Exhibition of Achievements of National Economy (VDNH), Moscow. The action is held on the International Day of Peace as part of the Year of the Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia. September 21, 2022. Vladimir Vyatkin / RIA Novosti
In recent years, the state and civil society have come a long way in the formation and implementation of the current and efficient model of state national policy, the Presidential Council for Interethnic Relations and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs are established, and the Strategy for State National Policy for the Period up to 2025 is developed, in the implementation of which the role of civil society institutions in the sphere of interethnic and interreligious relations is fundamentally increased. The measures taken to form a new management system and infrastructure for the implementation of the national policy made it possible to restore the ethnocultural sovereignty of Russia and ensure the return of the state to the sphere of ethnopolitics.
Today, ethnocultural and religious associations, interethnic organizations and their NPOs actively interact with the state on the widest range of key national tasks.
Among such public organizations and associations, the Assemblies of the Peoples of Russia, Eurasia, representatives of indigenous peoples, All-Russian Public Movement “Senezh Forum,” Russian cultural centers, ethnovillages, houses of ethnicities and ethnocultural centers in various regions of the country, and many other nongovernmental organizations dealing with issues of the country’s national policy and harmonization of interethnic relations may be pointed out.
Acting as partners of state authorities, they are those irreplaceable institutions of civil society, without which the coordination of relations between citizens and the state in the field of interreligious and interethnic relations at the present stage may be significantly difficult.
The high importance of maintaining and improving harmonious interethnic and interfaith relations in Russian society was confirmed by the signing of the decree on holding the Year of the Cultural Heritage of the Peoples of Russia in 2022,100 within the framework of which a large number of events, scientific conferences, round tables, actions, master classes, forums, exhibitions and projects dedicated to languages, religions, traditions and customs of the peoples of Russia, by the President of the Russian Federation on December 31, 2021.
The Civic Chamber also conducted its work within the framework of the Year of Cultural Heritage. Under the auspices of the Civic Chamber, the VI Media Forum of Ethnic and Regional Media,101 All-Russian Musical Project “EthnoLife”,102 International Online Forum “Linguistic Diversity as the Basis of the Ethnocultural Identity of the Peoples of Eurasia”,103 Conference “Meaning of Teachings of Saints Cyril and Methodius for the Preservation of the Slavic Civilization”,104 Scientific and Practical Conference “Role of the Religious Factor in the Formation of the All-Russian Civil Identity”,105 III All-Russian Conference “Sustainable Development of the Ethnocultural Sector”,106 and a number of other events for strengthening and expanding the interconfessional and interethnic dialogue in the country were performed. One of the clearest evidence of the rise of interest in the ethnic and religious diversity of our country among Russians was the growing popularity of the account of Margarita Lyange, member of the Civic Chamber, in the TikTok social network. There the founder of the Guild of Interethnic Journalism regularly publishes colorful videos about the traditions of various peoples and ethnic groups living in Russia.
By the end of October, the number of channel subscribers reached 800,000 people, while the number of views of the video content posted on the channel in October exceeded 21 million views.107
The state’s long-term work on harmonizing interethnic and interreligious relations in the country is also positively assessed by Russian society. According to the results of a survey conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), 81.1% of Russians highly appreciate the state of interethnic relations. Citizens of the country specify a number of achievements of national unity. They include the strengthening of the status of the Russian language and bringing the study of the national languages of the peoples of Russia from 80% today to 100% by 2024, the establishment and strengthening of the Houses of Friendship and the Houses of Ethnicities and the Assembly of the Peoples of Russia and the ongoing expansion of the House of the Peoples of Russia in Moscow.108
It allows us to conclude that the current model of the state national policy has justified itself, while showing its efficiency and being in demand by Russian society.
Today, in the face of new geopolitical challenges, this model needs to be adjusted. It is necessary to mobilize and strengthen the unity of the multinational people of Russia, strengthen the responsibility and attention of all branches of state power for preventing any discrimination and possible infringement of the interests of citizens of our country on ethnical and confessional grounds.
One of the primary tasks of the implementation of the national policy in terms of new challenges is the preservation and enhancement of traditional spiritual and moral values, which are an inseparable part of the entire diversity of national cultures of the Russian Federation.
The strengthening of the role of the family, improvement of the quality of life of families with children and promotion of family values as the basic values of Russian society uniting of all the peoples of Russia are becoming primary tasks not only for the state demographic policy, but also for the formation of national identity.
While considering the large-scale changes that have taken place this year in the country and the world, in October 2022, the State Duma together and the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs began to develop an updated law on the basis of the state national policy.109
The issue of interethnic and interreligious relations has always been a very delicate and in many ways acute issue. This year has shown that, despite all attempts to quarrel the multi-confessional people of Russia and challenge its unity, the state managed to maintain interethnic peace and stability in the country in direct interaction with society.
IN RECENT YEARS, THE SITUATION IN THE SPHERE OF DEMOGRAPHIC DEVELOPMENT IN RUSSIA HAS BEEN SIGNIFICANTLY COMPLICATED. THE GROWTH OF THE POPULATION LOSS CAUSED BY THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC AND SERIOUS BIRTH RATE PROBLEMS ACQUIRED A THREATENING CHARACTER OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS INDICATE THE NEED TO SEARCH FOR NEW APPROACHES TO THE ISSUES OF ENSURING THE DEMOGRAPHIC STABILITY OF THE NATION.
On May 25, 2022, during a meeting of the State Council Presidium on Social Support for Citizens, the President of the Russian Federation noted that a strong and prosperous family with many children should become the basic response to the country’s demographic challenge. Vladimir Putin emphasized that it was necessary to return the historical tradition of large families, which had to be established as a standard and value orientation for society and the most important priority for the state.110
Over the past decade, the Russian Federation has performed a large-scale comprehensive work on the practical implementation of key areas of the state family policy intended to promote the birth and upbringing of children, as well as to ensure their protection. With the direct participation of civil society, the state has built an integral system of measures of social support for families with children in need. Today, the state provides support for women during pregnancy and childbirth and possibility of treating children in case of illness, helps in the upbringing and education of children and creates opportunities for organizing their recreation. Special conditions are created by the state for families with children who are in difficult living conditions.
Child sleeps in the mother’s arms during the receipt of the Russian birth certificate at the City Administration of Vasilievka, Zaporozhye region. August 10, 2022. Konstantin Mikhalchevsky / RIA Novosti
The existing support measures for such families include direct cash payments and a wide range of nonmaterial assistance in the form of various social services.
From April 1, 2022, a new payment for children from 8 to 17 years old who are brought up in low-income families began to be made. With the introduction of such measure, the support system was expanded to children of all ages and covered all categories of low-income citizens. The introduction of the new payment will make it possible, if necessary, to provide targeted support to the family throughout the entire period of the child’s growing up, from the early stages of the mother’s pregnancy and the birth of the child up to the age of majority.
In 2022, an important decision in the framework of providing assistance to Russian families was the adoption of a federal law developed in pursuance of the President’s instructions to create an integrated system of measures of social support for families with children.111 By the provisions of the law, instead of the current support measures for pregnant women registered in the early stages of pregnancy and families with children under 17 years of age, a single allowance is introduced for such categories of citizens with incomes below one regional subsistence minimum (together with a comprehensive evaluation of needs). The changes will come into effect on January 1, 2023.
The draft law was considered during the public examination at the venue of the Civic Chamber by representatives of various civil society institutions. The idea of the draft law, which stipulates to take various measures aimed at the formation of a cross-cutting and integral system of the state family policy, unified approach in all regions of the Russian Federation for preventing poverty and increasing the social security of the family, was supported.
However, the participants came up with proposals to establish additional guarantees for family support during periods of unstable situation on the labor market, social security for large families, as well as child care benefits for certain categories of citizens.
The Civic Chamber notes that, in making decisions on social support for families with children, especially those families who are in difficult life situations for one reason or another, while taking the position of society, the state responds quite flexibly to requests for possible adjustments to existing mechanisms support. The constant expansion of opportunities for the use of maternity capital may be considered as an example of such interaction between representatives of the authorities and society.
Currently, they may pay for the services of a private teacher, nonstate kindergarten or school.112
In May 2022, the proposals of the Civic Chamber on measures to support large families were included in the Report of the State Council “On Tasks of the Regions of the Russian Federation in Supporting Families with Children.”
A significant step in supporting large families as a traditional family value and a basic response to the current demographic challenges of the country was the establishment of the highest honorary title of the Russian Federation (“Mother Heroine”). On May 25, 2022, at a meeting of the State Council Presidium on Social Support, the President of the Russian Federation113 supported the initiative of social activists to establish and, in fact, return the highest title of “Mother Heroine.”
On August 15, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation signed the decree on the establishment of this highest title awarded to Russian women who had given birth and adequately raised ten or more children. It also stipulated the payment of 1 million rubles.
Participants of the “Prosperous Large Family – National Idea and Basic Response to Demographic Challenges” session held as part of the final “Community” forum of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation. Moscow, November 3, 2022. Press Service of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation
At the initiative of the President of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Russian Federation increased lump-sum payments up to 500,000 rubles for the Order of Parental Glory awarded to families with seven or more children.114 A new lump-sum payment of 200,000 rubles was also established for parents who were awarded the medal of the Order of Parental Glory and raised four or more children.115
The large Amelin family participates in the population census through the “Gosuslugi” website at their home in Murmansk. October 20, 2021. Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti
It is impossible not to mention the Father’s Day,116 a holiday celebrated for the second year in the country and symbolizing the formation of a strong paternal social movement in Russia. Today, fathers’ councils, where socially responsible fathers are engaged not only in raising their children, but also helping other families, implementing projects in the field of children’s environment safety and helping single fathers, as well as being engaged in the patriotic education of children and youth, may be found in almost every region.
The continuation of the state’s activities in forming strategic value orientations based on the high role of the family led to the establishment of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity on July 8 by the relevant decree of the President of the Russian Federation.117 The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity was celebrated in 2022 for the 15th time as a significant date in our country and for the first time as a public holiday of the Russian Federation.
The annual awarding of families with medals (“For Love and Loyalty”) established by the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives became a good holiday tradition. This year, such an award was also presented to 40 families from the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. The awards became a symbol of the unity of families, people and civil society.118
The Civic Chamber, for its part, has repeatedly noted that in order to perform the tasks of the demographic agenda, the comprehensive interdepartmental implementation of medical, social, economic and cultural measures, where, in addition to protecting family health and strategies for strengthening social guarantees, the issues of creating health saving environment and forming proper reproductive behavior should occupy a key place, is required.
In order to ensure the reproductive potential of the generation of women over the age of 30 and encourage large families, the Civic Chamber sent its proposals to the head of the Social Policy working group of the State Council of the Russian Federation, including the introduction of federal family payment for many children in the amount of 1 million rubles and an educational subsidy of up to 250,000 rubles per year for children from large families to receive education, increase to the subsistence level of the minimum monthly allowance for pregnant women being registered in the early stages of pregnancy and standard tax deduction for children when calculating personal income tax. In the near future, the relevant payments will be made to large families of the Primorsky Region in a pilot mode.119
Today, in the context of the special military operation in Donbass, issues of support and social and economic protection of the families of mobilized servicemen come to the fore in public discussions.
The resolution to grant a deferment for men raising three or more children or children with disabilities became an important step in supporting large families in terms of partial mobilization. A large number of questions from citizens on this topic were sent to the Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation and the Commissioner for Children’s Rights in the regions. On October 4, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation supported the proposals of the children’s ombudsmen and granted a deferment to fathers of three or more children under 16 years of age, as well as fathers of three or more children under 18 years of age (in case of disability or palliative status of a child).120
Other measures applied to family members of servicemen include credit holidays for mobilized citizens, exemption from penalties for late payments on housing and communal services, as well as labor guarantees, according to which mobilized citizens and volunteers will retain their jobs. The State Duma is considering expanded and additional measures to help mobilized citizens and their families. In addition, the regions of the Russian Federation are developing and implementing their own measures.121
The Civic Chamber notes that in the context of demographic challenges faced by the state and Russian society large families should become a value target and social norm in Russian society, and young people must strive to create families and be focused on having children.
Today, the education of the younger generation on the basis of traditional spiritual and moral values is the most important task. A prosperous large family as the basis of Russia’s demographic development will become a sign of its successful solution.
A WIDE PUBLIC DEMAND FOR THE PATRIOTIC EDUCATION OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH HAS BEEN FORMED IN OUR COUNTRY OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS. IN 2022, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A NEW RUSSIAN MOVEMENT OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH FOUNDED BY 26 LARGEST CHILDREN AND YOUTH PUBLIC-STATE AND PUBLIC ASSOCIATIONS WAS ONE OF THE SIGNIFICANT EVENTS IN THIS SPHERE.
Visitor during the XI Interregional Festival of Slavic Art “Russian Field” at the Kolomenskoye Historical and Architectural Museum and Reserve in Moscow. August 27, 2022. Kirill Kallinikov / RIA Novosti
The idea of establishing the movement was first voiced at a meeting of the Supervisory Board of ANO “Russia – the Land of Opportunities”.122 Diana Krasovskaya, a student of school No. 54 named after Yuri Gagarin in Sevastopol, came up with this initiative. She proposed the President of the Russian Federation to establish a children’s movement that would unite children of all ages throughout the country. While supporting the idea of a young activist, Vladimir Putin noted that any initiatives to establish such an organization should come from society, and the relevant support would be the task of the state.123
The need for the emergence of a children’s movement has been repeatedly discussed by participants in various youth projects, and this idea is close to both children and parents. According to surveys conducted by the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM), respondents approved the establishment of an all-Russian children’s organization comparable in scale to the pioneer movement. More than 80% of parents reacted positively to the initiative.
On May 19, 2022, day of the 100th anniversary of the All-Union Pioneer Organization, several draft laws on the establishment of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth “Big Change” were submitted to the State Duma of the Russian Federation.124 The explanatory note to draft laws noted that the new movement should become a platform for preparing children and youth for a full life in society, including the formation of their worldview based on traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.
One of the most important directions and declared goals of the movement is patriotic education, as well as the formation of love and respect for own Fatherland.125 The publication of draft laws on the establishment of a youth movement uniting the largest public organizations dealing with youth attracted wide public attention.
On May 31, 2022, the Civic Chamber held the public evaluation of draft federal laws stipulating the establishment of the movement, defining its legal status and mission and ensuring its participation in legal relations related to the protection of the rights and legitimate interests of children and youth, as well as the organization of their upbringing, recreation and recovery.
By giving a positive opinion on the submitted draft laws, the Civic Chamber noted the need to adjust them in terms of clarifying the goals of the movement, requirements for mentors and provisions for the inclusion and exclusion of participants from the movement. Additional attention in the draft law was proposed to focus on issues of patriotic education, formation of civic identity, strengthening of interethnic relations, as well as prevention of extremism and xenophobia.
The proposals and recommendations of experts made during the public examination of draft laws were heard by the authors of the legislative initiative. A significant part of them was considered in the final version of the draft law.126 On July 14, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation signed the law on the establishment of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth.127
On July 20, 2022, the first constituent meeting of the new Russian Movement of Children and Youth was held. The President of the Russian Federation agreed to head the Supervisory Board of the organization and once again emphasized the special attention on the part of the state to dealing with the younger generation, as well as opportunities proposed by the new movement to children and young people in Russia.
From December 18 to 20, Moscow hosted the First Congress of the Russian Movement of Children and Youth, where young delegates from 89 regions of the country discussed the attributes and symbols of the new movement, main activities and development program for the coming years at numerous discussion platforms. According to the results of voting by the congress delegates, the Russian Movement of Children and Youth received a new name – “Movement of the First”.
In April 2022, a strategic session was held at the Civic Chamber, during which the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren updated its development strategy for 2022-2025. The updated strategy considered the modern realities affecting the implementation of educational projects and defined the main approaches and tasks in the performance of the movement’s activities. Since its establishment in 2015, the Russian Movement of Schoolchildren has become an important component of the system of patriotic education in educational institutions.128
The successful work of the movement with schoolchildren in the field of civil-patriotic and military-patriotic education would be impossible without the broad support of their parents. Sociological surveys confirm that the majority of citizens of our country support the idea that schools should participate in the patriotic education of young people. This position is shared by 67% of VCIOM survey participants.
This year, two important innovations were included in the educational process. The flag-raising ceremony and the performance of the anthem of the Russian Federation in all schools of our country became one of the innovations in the field of patriotic education implemented within the framework of the federal project (“Patriotic Education of Citizens of the Russian Federation”). The idea of holding such a ceremony in general education institutions evoked a positive response from Russian citizens; 59% of Russians polled by VСIOM supported the patriotic initiative to raise the flag of the Russian Federation and sing the national anthem before each school week.129
Another educational initiative aimed at creating a sense of pride in own Fatherland was the introduction of a number of extracurricular activities (“Talks About the Important”) in all Russian schools. In the classroom, students discuss issues related to the history and culture of our country and its role in world processes.130 On September 1, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation held the first “Talks About the Important” open lesson.131 The meeting with schoolchildren, winners of olympiads and competitions in culture, art, science and sports was held in the format of questions and answers: about supporting youth projects, personal development, future of various industries and the country as a whole, goals and tasks of the special military operation in Donbass.
One of the topics for discussion was the work of the Association of Young Historians “Strength is in Truth!” and the possibility of replicating experience in preparing thematic expositions using objects of material heritage (evidence of the era) in electronic form. The President supported the initiative to create electronic exhibitions and museums, while paying attention to the fact that such work should be based on reliable sources of information and material objects confirming the course of past events.132
Today, the “Patriotic Education” federal project is one of the key tools aimed at the development of educational work in general and vocational education institutions. On February 9, 2022, the discussion of the results of the implementation of the federal project in 2021 was held at the Civic Chamber.
In the course of the discussion with representatives of the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh), public experts identified a number of topics and areas that need to be given special attention as part of the further implementation of the federal project. In particular, the importance of broad coverage of the progress of the project and the achievement of the main indicators of its efficiency was emphasized, while the need for more active involvement of veteran organizations in the performance of activities under the project was noted.133
In order to strengthen the component of the patriotic education and to widely involve youth in passing the standards of the All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Complex “Ready for Labor and Defense,” the Civic Chamber in November 2022 supported the initiative of social activists to include the “Zarnitsa” military sports game and new types of physical tests, which consider the peculiarities of military training, in the All-Russian Physical Culture and Sports Complex “Ready for Labor and Defense.”
From October 27, 2022 to November 22, 2022, the Commission of the Civic Chamber of the Russian Federation on Youth Affairs, Development of Volunteering and Patriotic Education conducted the following survey:
“Actual Issues of Patriotic Education”.
As part of the survey, respondents were asked to identify the most and least efficient ways to spread the values of patriotism in Russian society.
The survey was participated by 2,555 respondents
*Open question. All survey participants were given the opportunity to answer freely. When processing the results, all answers of respondents were grouped into thematic categories. When answering the question, the respondent could identify several ways to spread the values of patriotism in Russian society (most/least efficient). All methods named by the survey participants were considered and distributed into the appropriate categories. Thus, the value of the total share of answers of respondents exceeded 100%.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT TASKS OF ANY STATE AND DEVELOPED SOCIETY IS THE PRESERVATION OF ITS HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE AS ONE OF THE PRINCIPALS OF ENSURING NATIONAL SECURITY AND SOVEREIGNTY, THE LOSS OF WHICH LEADS TO SPIRITUAL DEPLETION, LOSS OF MEANINGS AND GOALS OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE NATION AND STATE. HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE, AS A STORAGE OF HISTORICAL MEMORY, DIRECTLY PARTICIPATES IN FORMING THE PERSONALITY OF EACH HUMAN AND HIS/HER COMMON CIVIC IDENTITY. TODAY, ITS ROLE AS THE DEEPEST BASIS OF CULTURAL SOVEREIGNTY IS STEADY INCREASING.
In recent years, large-scale work has been done in Russia to legislate numerous public initiatives related to the protection and preservation of historical memory.
The obligation of the state to protect its historical truth and the inadmissibility of underweighting the significance of the people’s feat in defending the Fatherland are enshrined in the Constitution of the Russian Federation.134 The new version of the National Security Strategy, adopted in 2021 defines the strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values and the preservation of the cultural and historical heritage of the people of Russia as the national interests at the present stage.135
Participants of the patriotic action dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow organized by the Public Movement “Donetsk Republic” within the framework of the “Echo of Times” project implemented on the territory of the “Savur-Mohyla” memorial complex. Donetsk People’s Republic, June 22, 2022. Pavel Lisitsyn / RIA Novosti
Numerous public projects of civil and military-patriotic education and volunteer activity in the field of preserving historical and cultural heritage, which is expanding every year, indicate that the adopted changes are expected and demanded by Russian society.
Over the past few years, civil society and the state have been actively resisting attempts to rewrite and destroy the historical, cultural and material heritage of the Great Patriotic War. Russian civil society expressed a consolidated position rejecting the destruction of the historical heritage of Russia and its peoples in the course of the special military operation. The public project for restoring the monuments of the Great Patriotic War,136 which is participated by representatives of the Civic Chamber and such public organizations as “VICTORY VOLUNTEERS”, Russian Search Movement and Immortal Regiment, is being implemented on the territory of Donbass.
Within the framework of the project, the register of monuments requiring restoration and preservation is being formed; various public organizations and volunteers are working to take care of monuments and burials.
An unprecedented attack on Russian culture and history in Western countries in 2022 became the continuation of the policy of “abolishing” and destroying historical and cultural values associated with Russia. The so-called cancellation of Russian culture against the background of the special military operation has become the dominant attitude of a number of Western states towards the cultural and historical heritage of Russia. According to a VCIOM survey, every second Russian was concerned about the attempts of Western countries to withdraw Russian culture from the public international space.137 A significant part of Russians expressed the opinion that their rights in the cultural sphere should be protected. At the same time, 73% of the citizens surveyed believed that it was not necessary to take mirror measures and “cancel” Western culture in our country.
The response to such attempts to politicize and discredit Russian culture was the actualization of the public demand for national cultural projects in the country, which was also supported by the state, by allocating an additional 1 billion rubles as part of the second grant competition of the Cultural Initiatives Foundation in 2022 for supporting projects related to “Russian cultural identity, traditional spiritual and moral values.” According to the results of the second competition, 905 projects in the field of culture, art and creative industries received grant support. They will be implemented in 80 regions of the country. Cultural figures, who fell under sanctions, also received support.138
The attitude to the special military operation split the cultural community of our country. Some of the cultural figures spoke out against it. Many of them left Russia. Nevertheless, the majority of patriotic representatives of the cultural community not only supported the decisions of the President of the Russian Federation, but also took an active part in supporting citizens and servicemen in Donbass. Popular musicians, poets, actors, journalists and people of other creative professions collect funds, medicines and essentials, organize meet-the-artist events free of charge, participate in concerts for wounded servicemen and those who are on the front line, support the historical and cultural unity of Greater Russia not only in word, but also in deed.