Abstract: In this paper, the author examines the main theoretical directions in the study of information wars as a phenomenon of the modern political process in the world. Much attention is paid to the analysis of domestic approaches to determining the components of information wars, their goal-setting and mechanisms. Separately, the paper examines the phenomenon of social networks as the most important component of information warfare. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the increasing use of political propaganda in today's informational and increasingly digitalised world. The paper operationalises the concepts of "information warfare" and "political propaganda", studies technologies and methods of political influence, factors and stages of development of political propaganda, and describes the role of social networks as tools of political propaganda. As a result of the conducted research, the close relationship between social networks and information warfare technologies was confirmed. This is facilitated by the following factors: a large number of users, lack of control over the virtual space, imitation of real communication by virtual. The study conceptualised the main concepts in the works of Russian scholars to analyse the use of social networking technologies in political propaganda and information warfare. The relevance of the research topic is determined by the the fact that in the modern information and increasingly digitalizing world. The paper operationalizes the concepts of "information warfare" and "political propaganda", examines technologies and methods of political influence, factors and stages of development of political propaganda, and describes the role of social networks as tools of political propaganda.  

Keywords: information security, mass media, desinformation, cognitive warfare, conceptualization, hybrid warfare, contrpropaganda, social networks, propaganda, information warfare

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of Russia's interaction with key partners in the energy sector after a new round of sanctions pressure from the United States and Western countries. The article hypothesizes that the stability of the Russian fuel and energy sector after the introduction of restrictive measures is associated with the substitution of energy exports to eastern markets. The purpose of the work is to assess the prospects for the development of the fuel and energy complex of the Russian Federation under the conditions of sanctions pressure. The author examines such aspects of the topic as: changes in the volume and directions of exports of Russian energy resources, measures taken by Russian companies and the state to circumvent sanctions. Special attention is paid to the analysis of Russia's trade relations with China and India, including the dynamics of oil and gas exports, the impact of secondary sanctions on the business of these countries, and the adaptation of financial mechanisms to continue cooperation. The problems related to the trade balance and the use of national currencies in mutual settlements are also considered. In this paper, the author analyzes Russia's interaction with key partners in the fuel and energy sector through the paradigm of neorealism in the international relations theory. The methodological basis of this work is a problem-chronological scientific approach. The author also applied other general scientific research methods, including induction and deduction, as well as logical construction based on trend extrapolation. The author concluded that Russia has successfully reoriented energy exports to the markets of China and India after a new round of sanctions pressure in 2022. Secondary US sanctions put pressure on Chinese and Indian companies, in connection with which states refuse to conduct some transactions, but this does not lead to a significant decrease in energy supplies from Russia. The development of trade relations with China and India contributes to the preservation of Russian budget revenues from the oil and gas sector. A special contribution of the author is the analysis of adaptation strategies used by Russia, China and India to circumvent sanctions restrictions. The impact of sanctions on financial mechanisms and the trade balance between these countries is also assessed. At the same time, a comprehensive analysis of current and prospective export directions of Russian energy resources in the context of sanctions pressure has been carried out.

Keywords: sales markets, energy, India, China, EU, USA, sanctions, oil, LNG, fuel and energy complex

Abstract: This article examines V. V. Putin's discourse from the point of view of its semantic content – the values voiced by the president, a view on the further development of the country, setting goals, etc. The object of the study is the inaugural speeches of the President of Russia, and the subject is the narrative aspect of these speeches. The article hypothesizes that the semantic accents in the inaugural speeches of the head of state changed in accordance with the domestic and foreign policy situation and in later speeches became more focused on foreign policy problems, as well as had a more conservative orientation. The purpose of the work is to identify changes in the narrative aspect of Vladimir Putin's inaugural speeches and evaluate them in the context of changes in the political situation in the country and the world. During the research, methods such as quantitative content analysis (performed separately for each text), comparative analysis, and graphical modeling were used. The authors concluded that over time, the presidential discourse considered on the example of inaugural speeches has undergone significant semantic changes. The share of values characteristic of conservative ideology has become higher in later speeches. At the same time, the presence of liberal democratic narratives in recent speeches has been minimal. The President's speeches have become more focused on global foreign policy issues, as well as security issues. The authors associate these changes with changes in the country's foreign and domestic policy. In the 2000s, it is necessary to build a free democratic society, as well as solve the problems of poverty and terrorism. However, after overcoming these problems, the state and the president are faced with the tasks of maintaining living standards, maintaining power and opposing Western countries. All this was reflected in V. V. Putin's rhetoric.

Keywords: history, stability, unity, goals, inaugural address, values, Russia, President, discourse, Content analysis

Abstract: The object of the study are the youth "wings" of Russian parliamentary political parties: the Young Guard of United Russia, the Leninist Communist Youth Union of the Russian Federation, the All–Russian Youth Organization of the LDPR, the Youth of a Just Russia, the subject is the practice of their political Internet communications. Central attention is paid to studying the level of media activity of the youth "wings" of the parliamentary political parties of the Russian Federation in the digital environment, as well as identifying the nature of political discourse and communication barriers and gaps between youth organizations as the basic subjects of communication interaction and Russian youth. In the context of growing digitalization, the issue of creating digital ecosystems and platforms aimed not only at strengthening party brands, but also at discussing problems and implementing ideas and proposals of Russian youth is becoming relevant. Using analytical services similarweb.ru , be1.ru , Jaga Jam and Medialogy an attempt has been made to compare the communication activities of Russian youth cells of parliamentary political parties in the digital environment according to three criteria: the importance of the official websites of the parties, activity in social networks on the example of the VKontakte social network, as well as publication activity in the media. The analysis revealed that the agenda of the youth departments seems to be deeply formalized and monotonous. News, information and event products of all youth cells do not reflect the current interests and needs of youth, are not aimed at their organic involvement in the social and political agenda, the content is imperative and agitational in nature, which enhances the asymmetry and subject-object nature of communications. The author concludes that the youth "wings" of political parties as important actors of the communicative space need regular and systematic media analysis in order to assess the general public profile, including public opinion, image, reputation and competitiveness, which will help effectively manage communications, be relevant to the youth audience, control the image in the media and adapt to the changing conditions on the political scene.

Keywords: youth political organizations, young people, political communications, communication gaps, social media, publication activity, website, media analysis, communication analysis, Internet activity

Abstract: National security issues in the Republic of Latvia are associated with political and historical discourse, when the Russian Federation, as well as the Soviet period, are defined in a negative connotation, which provides an opportunity for Latvian political forces to adopt laws and actions against the Russian-speaking population that contradict the principle of non-discrimination and the provisions of international and regional conventions for the protection of human rights and freedoms. The Latvian government explains such actions by referring to threats to national security and threats to the Latvian language, which, in Latvia's opinion, must be protected from the Russian language, as well as the criterion of knowledge of the state language is used in the context of the degree of integration of the Russian-speaking population, which, in turn, is also a sign by definition there is or is not a threat to national security. Using the formal legal method of studying the practice of the ECHR in cases of Russian-speaking residents against Latvia, there is a tightening of the Court's "policy" towards applicants, as well as the Court's use of the rhetoric of pan-European policy towards the Russian Federation, which manifests itself in making decisions. In this context, it is of interest to consider how the European Court of Human Rights, based on the European Convention on Human Rights, decides on cases of the Russian-speaking population against Latvia and what reasoning it uses. The human rights instruments that operate on the territory of the European Union are not separated from the pan-European political rhetoric, which allows the Latvian government to implement a discriminatory policy against the Russian-speaking population, citing threats to national security. This case may be relevant for the subsequent actions of human rights defenders when applying to the ECHR in the cases of Russian citizens who are currently in Latvia and are unable to undergo the necessary procedures to confirm their knowledge of the state language. And also for researchers dealing with the situation of the Russian-speaking population in the Baltic States.

Keywords: pan-European policy, human rights, national policy, discrimination, Latvian language, Russian language, non-citizens, Russian citizens, judicial system, human rights instruments

Abstract: The article is devoted to the study of the process of mediatization of Orthodoxy. Research on the process of mediatization is a relatively new topic in modern sociology, but it has already become widespread. In the theory focused on the phenomenon of mediatization, several basic theoretical and methodological approaches can be distinguished – cultural, figurative, socio-constructivist and institutional. Studies of the process of mediatization of religion are carried out by sociologists in a separate direction, a large number of studies and publications in foreign scientific discussion are devoted to it. However, in the domestic research field, the number of works devoted to the mediatization of religion is small. There are even fewer of them in relation to the study of Orthodoxy. The purpose of the article is to expand the scope of the concept of mediatization through the application of one of the theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of mediatization – institutional – to the study of state–confessional relations in Russia. The theoretical part of the study is based on the concept of the mediatization of religion by the Danish sociologist Stig Hjarvard. The empirical part was based on materials collected during the implementation of the research project "State and Religion in the Northwest: a sociological analysis", which was conducted on the basis of the RANEPA in 2020 and was aimed at developing and implementing an interdisciplinary methodology for analyzing the religious situation in the Northwestern Federal District. During the content analysis, the author was interested in the speech categories of congratulations on a religious holiday or mention of it. As a result, conclusions are drawn about the nature of the mediatization of Orthodoxy and a characteristic of mediatized Orthodoxy in the media of the authorities is given.

Keywords: social network, COVID-19, institutional approach, state-confessional relations, Northwestern Federal District, russian orthodox, media, mediatization of religion, mediatization, government