The evolution of the concept of nation in Russia in the light of the State Nationalities Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation for the years 2026-2036

Abstract

The article analyzes the evolution of the concept of nation in the historical and contemporary Russian political context, paying particular attention to the transition from ethnic Russianness to civic Russian identity. Beginning with the establishment of a new definition of nation during the Great French Revolution, through the nationalisms of the 19th and 20th centuries, to the failed attempt to create a Soviet nation, the text highlights the distinctive relationship between state unity and multi-ethnicity that characterizes a large country such as contemporary Russia. Special emphasis is placed on the new state’s State Nationalities Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation for the years 2026-2036, which represents a clear shift toward strengthening a uniform, all-Russian “state-wide civic identity”.