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This article presents a novel examination of a pivotal aspect of the creation of the Fundamental State Laws enacted on April 23, 1906, specifically addressing the question of the Emperor’s judicial powers. It is noted that previous iterations of the Fundamental State Laws (1832) did not delineate these powers, despite the acknowledgment of the judicial supremacy of monarchs in constitutional monarchies, particularly their right to grant pardons. The article analyzes different definitions of the Tsar’s judicial powers as outlined in three drafts of new Fundamental Laws prepared for Nicholas II in late 1905. Among these drafts, the proposal by P. A. Kharitonov emerged as the leading version. In both the draft from the State Chancellery and that of Professor O. O. Eikhelman, the judicial powers of the autocrat were framed similarly to those characteristic of constitutional monarchies at the beginning of the 20th century. In March 1906, the State Chancellery’s draft was reviewed by the Council of Ministers, chaired by Count S. Yu. Witte. With his support, conservative amendments were introduced to the draft — abolishing the nonremovability of judges established by the Judicial Statutes of 1864, preserving the Tsar’s direct involvement in administering justice, and affirming his right to dispense justice. It is demonstrated that during a Special Meeting in April 1906, liberal officials opposed these amendments, while Nicholas II sided with their critics. In the final version of the Fundamental Laws, the judicial powers of the Tsar largely conformed to European constitutionalism of the early 20th century.

This study investigates the methods and means of representing the semantics of plurality in the Kabardian-Circassian language. Affixal, lexical, and phraseological resources for expressing specific, indefinite, approximate, total, collective, and representative plurality within the Adyghe linguistic consciousness have been identified, systematized, and characterized. It is noted that among all the mentioned types of plurality, the semantics of representative plurality is the most extensively studied in the Kabardian-Circassian language. The research demonstrates that quantifiers with universal semantics in Kabardian-Circassian can express both discrete and non-discrete pluralities. The scientific novelty of this research lies in the fact that it is the first attempt in Adyghe linguistics to systematically categorize various ways of representing the semantics of plurality across all levels of the linguistic system. It has been established that the representation of imprecise pluralities exhibits considerable diversity. For instance, it is shown that in fixed expressions and the phraseological layer of the language, numeratives lose their specific quantitative meaning and serve as representatives of indefinite plurality. The investigation of phraseological units reveals that in the Adyghe worldview, the semantics of plurality is often realized through the functional involvement of entomosemisms. The findings can be applied to the study of issues related to linguistic expression of quantity semantics.

This article presents a description of a specific emerging group of Russian connectors structured as “A + generalization marker,” including phrases such as ‘a voobshche’ [and generally, ‘a v osnovnom’ [and mainly], ‘a v ostalnom’ [and in the rest], ‘a v printsipe’ [and in principle], and ‘a v tselom’ [and overall]. It is demonstrated that the formation of these units is significantly influenced by the semantics of the comparative conjunction ‘a’. The combination “A + generalizer” is characterized by the thematic position within the utterance, which correlates with the established role of the conjunction ‘a’ as a “thematizer” noted by linguists. Additionally, the lexically fixed unit ‘a tak’ (and so) is associated with this group, possessing broader combinatorial possibilities. Two types of contexts for the use of the “A + generalization marker” connectors are identified: 1) pairwise comparison at a superficial level; 2) cancellation of the preceding text without pairwise comparison. In the left context, these connectors are preceded by descriptions of individual details, while the right context presents a general statement that excludes the particulars mentioned in the left context. Paradoxically, significant portions of text are often dedicated to these details, which are later deemed unimportant. This, presumably, allows for the presentation of the situation in accordance with the communicative postulate of completeness.

This study examines the historical development and establishment of the school education system in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The relevance of this research is underscored by the shifting priorities of the Russian Federation in its foreign policy—actively seeking partners in the Middle East, where the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has traditionally played a significant role. It is noted that both nations are making efforts to align their educational systems, including the preparation of governmental resolutions for mutual recognition of educational credentials. The role of the Saudi leadership in promoting educational engagement among various segments of Saudi society is characterized, particularly initiatives aimed at ensuring equal access for women, low-income populations, and individuals with disabilities. The paper also addresses the influence of religious authorities on educational development and the dismantling of stereotypes, especially concerning female education, as well as the preservation of Saudi identity when children are educated abroad in Saudi schools. Through an analysis of the interaction between the educational systems of the Russian Federation and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the author highlights the recent achievements of Saudi students on an international scale.

This article explores the role of compound words in the German translation of a literary text. The analysis is based on Vladimir Nabokov’s novel “King, Queen, Knave,” comparing the original Russian text, the author’s English version, and the German translation from English. The relevance of this study stems from the growing interest in Nabokov’s legacy as a bilingual writer, particularly concerning translation and the comparative analysis of his works across languages. The novelty of this research lies in identifying frequency patterns of structural-semantic correspondences between German compounds and their counterparts in the respective literary texts. The findings reveal three primary types of structural-semantic correspondences: 1) a direct equivalent of a single word in both English and Russian (30%); 2) an equivalent of an English compound and a Russian phrase (34%); and 3) an equivalent of phrases in both English and Russian (32%). Furthermore, the comparison between the German and English texts highlights a unique feature of the German translation — namely, the addition of components that clarify the meaning of words. As a result, complex words in the German text emerge, with defining components that specify their meanings compared to the lexical units in the English version.

This article presents a comprehensive analysis of the phraseological units ‘staryy volk’ [old wolf], ‘travlenyy volk’ [tricked wolf], ‘morskoy volk’ [sea wolf], ‘volkom vyt'’ [to howl like a wolf], and ‘khot' volkom voy’ [you might as well howl like a wolf], which reflect a significant image of the wolf in Russian culture. The aim of this study is to identify the interconnections among their systemiclinguistic, linguocultural, and functional characteristics. The relevance of the research is underscored by the necessity for a thorough description and explanation of the trends in the realization of the linguistic phraseological inventory in speech. The study is based on data from the Russian National Corpus. It is demonstrated that these phraseological units characterize individuals based on their personality traits and behaviors, express varying degrees of negative emotions, and exhibit diverse stylistic nuances and grammatical structures. The functioning of these idioms is influenced by their composition (the expression featuring the zoonym ‘travlenyy volk’ [tricked wolf] is rarely encountered and primarily appears in literary texts), their figurative components (the expression ‘morskoy volk’ [sea wolf] is the most frequent, losing its association with predation and reflecting a stereotypical image of a sailor), lexical meanings (in literary texts, nominal phraseological units often serve a predicative function when characterizing individuals), and stylistic properties (the expressiveness and colloquial nature of the unit ‘khot' volkom voy’ [you might as well howl like a wolf] predominantly determine its use in literary texts within character dialogue).

This article explores the origins of the project for the Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Chelyabinsk. It discusses how its initiation and development coincided with the 1980s, a period in the USSR marked by a growing interest in preserving monuments of scientific and technological history. The novelty of this research lies in the lack of existing studies on this topic, as well as the incorporation of unique archival materials that are being introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time. The author identifies the prerequisites for the creation of the project and the reasons for its implementation specifically in Chelyabinsk. The article establishes the authorship of the project, outlines its scientific concept, and examines its alignment with the conceptual foundations of science and technology museums of that era. The author also clarifies the exact name of the museum based on regulatory and project documentation. The article reconstructs the decisionmaking process and content of governmental resolutions regarding the establishment of the museum, as well as the challenges faced during its implementation. The author concludes that the project to create the Museum of the History of Science and Technology in Chelyabinsk was reflective of a broader zeitgeist, where the efforts of the scientific community and the general public were focused on preserving monuments of industrial heritage. The substantive elements of the project also indicate a desire to museify remaining artifacts of the industrial past in the Urals.

The research is conducted within the field of axiological linguistics and is aimed at studying language as an instrument of ultra-liberal value transformation processes that engulf the modern English-speaking world. The materials employed are text fragments of American advertising, socio-political campaigns and court proceedings available on the Internet. It is highlighted that these processes which are axiologically creative are accompanied by manipulative changes in both the formal and content aspects of language. As basic linguistic tools of transformation of cultural values, the author analyses 1) euphemisation aimed at normalisation and routinisation of traditionally prohibited social practices; 2) resemantisation of a linguistic sign through a) implantation of new components reflecting ultra-liberal values into the core meaning, b) displacement of semes that do not agree with radical ideology. The author concludes that the process of exclusion and prohibition of traditional meanings of a linguistic sign has an aggressive, evaluative and polarising character, and produces a set of ‘silenced taboo views’ and ultraliberal oxymorons.

This study explores the representation of cities in Little Russia as depicted in I. M. Dolgorukov’s travelogue “Famous Drums Beyond the Mountains, or My Journey Somewhere in 1810” through a semiotic and imagological lens. The relevance of this research is underscored by the growing interest in Ukrainian identity within contemporary literary studies, particularly concerning its spatial dimensions, which remain underexplored. Consequently, this study offers a novel analysis of the urban imagery of Little Russia, focusing on descriptions of Kharkiv, Poltava, and Kyiv. Notable trends of estrangement and travesty emerge in the portrayal of these cities, alongside recurring motifs of alienation within the Little Russian landscape and a nostalgic yearning for belonging. A significant aspect of the narrative is the history of the Dolgorukov family, intricately linked to the topos of Little Russia, particularly Kyiv, where the author’s grandmother and uncle passed away. The city’s depiction is marked by themes of allure, orderliness, grandeur, wealth, antiquity, glory, and sacredness, some of which are subject to travesty. The spaces of Kharkiv and Poltava are presented as ambivalent provincial toposes characterized by both ordered and entropic qualities. The orderliness of Kharkiv is associated with descriptions of educational loci, while the positive motifs of Poltava relate to the realm of historical memory.

This article addresses the implications of the mediatization of communicative memory and explores the underlying causes of the crisis of critical thinking in the digital age. It focuses on the transformations within the public sphere influenced by new media. A review of discussions surrounding “new sincerity” and “new sensitivity”, as well as the roles of nostalgia in new media, is presented. The interconnections among these phenomena and their common foundations are demonstrated. The study argues that representations of the past in new media increasingly rely not on biographical or historical experiences but on replicable and “privatized” second-order simulacra created by users. Special attention is given to the issue of nostalgia, which emerges as a symptom of the subjugation of cultural and communicative memory to the logic of mediatization, characterized by extreme fragmentation of images, their emotional-affective sharpness, and the replacement of complex structures of historical reality with situational impressions. The article posits that theoretical critiques of mediatization and its effects on the public sphere are insufficient without identifying practical alternatives — namely, the most reflexive projects in both old and new media: auteur cinema, social media blogs by public historians, historical documentary dramas produced by the BBC, independent video games, and more.

This article aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the role of British monarch George III in the events surrounding the American Revolution. The novelty of this research lies in its exploration of the English king’s actions, which have yet to be thoroughly examined in terms of assessing the counterrevolutionary response of the metropolis to the challenges posed by the colonists, as well as the objective factors influencing his critical decisions during the American War of Independence. The author investigates the nuances of the king’s political maturation, the concept of the patriot king as articulated by Viscount Bolingbroke, and the evolution of perceptions regarding the monarchy and George III within colonial society. The motivations behind the sovereign’s specific choices during the American crisis are analyzed through the lens of domestic politics and the characteristics of imperial governance. This article departs from the traditional portrayal of the British monarch as a tyrant, as established by the Declaration of Independence, which is examined in light of its allegations against the king’s tyranny. The conclusion drawn is that, in matters of imperial relations, George III was primarily guided by parliamentary interests and only after the outbreak of war, due to his character and sense of duty, did he become one of the most steadfast and obstinate proponents of suppressing the colonial rebellion through force.

This study investigates the role of one of the most powerful regions of the USSR — the Ural — in assisting the restoration and development of the Byelorussian SSR during the final years of World War II and the early postwar period. The research draws on materials from Russian and Belarusian archives. It demonstrates that during this time, the BSSR undertook significant efforts to rehabilitate its economy. The restoration of industry, transportation, agriculture, and other sectors is highlighted. The study emphasizes that substantial support was provided by the republics of the Soviet Union in this endeavor. The novelty of this research lies in the introduction of previously unexamined archival materials from Russian and Belarusian sources, which reveal that Ural enterprises supplied metals, machinery, equipment, timber, raw materials, and other necessities for industrial production. Furthermore, Belarusian specialists received training at Ural enterprises and educational institutions. The authors conclude that the Ural region played a crucial role not only in the reconstruction of the war-torn economy of the republic but also in its subsequent development through the establishment of heavy industry, machine engineering, energy production, and road construction. The mechanisms by which directive bodies from the Ural regions and the Grodno region implemented these decisions are also explored.

This article focuses on the engineering of media texts characterized by a high level of public engagement, wherein the dialogic potential of media communications is fully realized. The empirical basis of the study comprises online media texts from leading news outlets, analyzed for their comment volume, sourced from Brand Analytics, a prominent media analysis and monitoring company. The sample was enriched weekly from the database, resulting in a total of 60 media texts and 28,742 comments. The findings reveal that three media players with varying audience sizes — lenta.ru, ria.ru, and vc.ru — exhibit the greatest dialogic potential. The first two outlets are conceptually aligned in terms of themes, genre characteristics, and structural text engineering. In contrast, vc.ru explores distinct themes that set it apart from its competitors, introducing a novel approach to content presentation. The intentions of these publications can be described as identical, aiming to portray an objective and impartial stance in their reporting. Notably, emphasis is placed on demonstrating openness and sincerity, which contribute to the qualities of reliability and verifiability in these media texts. The study illustrates that the techniques employed to achieve this intention operate within both intra- and extralinguistic dimensions, as well as in the IT capabilities and technological aspects of media platforms. It is established that the genre nature of media texts with high engagement indices predominantly aligns with the news (or informational) genre group.

This article explores the reception of poetry from antiquity, the Middle Ages, and the Renaissance within the journal “Russian Messenger,” examining the editorial policies that shaped its content. The study is based on a complete set of issues from “Russian Messenger” published between 1856 and 1906. Analyzing poetic translations, adaptations, and interpretations provides insight into the ideological framework of one of the leading journals of the late 19th century. The relevance of this article is underscored by the recent surge in interest from both the humanities and the broader public towards “Russian Messenger” as a proponent of traditional views on governance, alongside the insufficient exploration of Russian poetic translation in the latter half of the 19th century. It has been established that the editorial focus on classical literature is reflected in the publication of both translations and works inspired by ancient texts, with a roughly equal volume of such materials appearing in the journal. The primary form of medieval poetry reception consists of adaptations, reinterpretations, and works based on medieval themes. Notably, there is a particular interest among the authors of “Russian Messenger” in the Spanish romancero, which can be interpreted as evidence of a phase of Romantic Hispanism within the Russian cultural tradition during the late 19th century. Key figures through whom the journal’s authors engage with foreign literature from the Middle Ages and Renaissance include Dante and Shakespeare.

This study explores the communicative-pragmatic properties of addressing as a syntactic phenomenon manifested within virtual pedagogical discourse. The relevance ofthis topic is underscored by its integration into the scientific paradigm of discourse linguistics. The core idea of the research lies in establishing a correlational dependency among the components of the following triad: (1) the functional and goal-oriented setting of speech utterances, (2) speech strategies aimed at achieving functional communicative intentions, and (3) the material embodiment of text featuring addressing, determined by the overarching cognitive strategy of pedagogical discourse and the electronic substrate form. The empirical material consists of school chats conducted on messaging platforms such as Sferum, WhatsApp, and Telegram. This material reveals invariant characteristics inherent to addressing: its material embodiment as a word or phrase and typical functions associated with addressing. Additionally, the study identifies variable properties of addressing, determined on one hand by the institutional nature of pedagogical discourse (lexical means of addressing characteristic of Russian institutional linguoculture), and on the other hand by the electronic substrate form (the use of nicknames as forms of address, and the integration of addressing within electronic polycode texts that include, alongside verbal elements, media files and emojis).

This article explores the representations of the enemy image (Japan and the Japanese) through visual propaganda in the Russian Empire during the Russo-Japanese War. Drawing on a wide array of visual sources, it identifies the contexts in which the enemy image was constructed and its key components. The analysis includes mass media from the period as well as visual materials such as posters, postcards, lithographs, drawings, and caricatures, revealing distinct features of enemy representation, its intended direction, and target audience. A comparative study of Russian and Japanese visual propaganda is conducted to uncover the reasons for their differences. The effectiveness of Russian visual propaganda is analyzed along with its primary consequences. The author concludes that the visual propaganda of the Russo-Japanese War largely reiterated images and meanings that had been ingrained in public consciousness and state ideology prior to the conflict — portraying the Japanese as “savages,” “barbarians,” “Asians,” and “monkeys,” alongside the “Yellow Peril” paradigm and the belief that Japan acted under the influence of hostile powers against Russia. Ultimately, it is argued that this propaganda, aimed at the “common people” and emphasizing the utter insignificance of the enemy, became so detached from reality that, after approximately 9-10 months of war, it resulted in a counterproductive effect—shifting the enemy image from the Japanese to the Russian autocratic regime and its representatives.

This article aims to reconstruct the linguistic profile of a military official — Colonel Peter de Sala — through an analysis of the linguistic features found in 18th-century Transbaikal administrative documents. For the first time, this study introduces a linguistic corpus derived from regional archival documents of an administrative nature, including four orders and one decree, into scholarly discourse. The findings presented herein contribute to addressing the pressing academic issue of describing the language of Transbaikal administrative documents and reconstructing the regional speech norms during the era of Russian pioneers and settlers. Furthermore, the results are significant for examining the characteristics of business writing style in regional documentation and in the context of reconstructing historical linguistic profiles within contemporary linguistic personology. The modeling of historical linguistic identity is conducted according to Y. N. Karaulov’s concept of linguistic personality, which encompasses three levels: motivational, linguo-cognitive, and verbal-semantic. The article also presents an original methodology for analyzing the language of regional administrative documents, enabling the recreation of the linguistic profile of an 18th-century historical figure — a military official — who demonstrated the requisite level of written communication skills essential for effective business interactions.

This study examines the role of print media in promoting diverse perspectives on the foreign policy of the Russian Empire during World War I. It provides a comprehensive review of articles from both Russian and foreign press that analyzed the reasons and consequences surrounding the resignation of Foreign Minister S. D. Sazonov. The analysis is grounded in materials drawn from eleven domestic and six international publications, supplemented by archival documents. The article highlights the media’s capacity to create a unique public discourse that facilitated the promotion of ideas that had long remained outside public discussion. The authors argue that the events of July 1916 marked a turning point not only in terms of Russia’s cooperation with various countries but also in shaping the country’s domestic political trajectory. The debate surrounding Sazonov’s resignation revealed that not only the supreme authority but also influential state figures served as essential guarantors of established governmental agreements, and neglecting this understanding undermined the previous public discourse while fostering a new one. Analyzing the shifts in the country’s political development indicates that these changes were linked to attempts to address recently emerging trends in foreign policy, with the chosen course contributing significantly to the forthcoming revolutionary upheavals.

The political processes in Russia during the 1990s significantly enhanced the role of governors and republican presidents in decision-making at both federal and subnational levels. This article explores the factors underlying the establishment and evolution of the presidential office through the case study of Kabardino-Balkaria. An analysis of sources reveals a dynamic hierarchy of factors, including relationships with the federal center, consensus among local elites, and the degree of electoral legitimacy. The creation of the presidency emerged as a rational choice for the ruling group, whose members sought an arbiter figure to resolve inter-elite disputes and legitimize the existing regime. In Kabardino-Balkaria, a late Soviet governance system was reproduced, possessing sufficient potential for further personalization of political management. Within the formal system of separation of powers, the president wielded numerous mechanisms to influence the legislative assembly and delegated responsibility for implementing the political agenda to the republic’s government.

This article explores the social functions of the contemporary Chechen language and assesses its vitality within the current linguistic landscape of the Chechen Republic. It presents the results of a comprehensive study on the co-functioning of the Chechen and the Russian across key communicative domains in the lives of Chechen people. The paper synthesizes and systematizes data collected during field research conducted in the Chechen Republic from 2022 to 2023, alongside various statistical and factual information sourced from publicly available resources. A thorough analysis of the gathered data provides a detailed picture of the functional distribution of languages in the Chechen Republic, characterizing the specifics of bilingualism in the region and the ethno-linguistic identity of contemporary Chechens. It highlights that the Chechen language, like other languages in the Russian Federation, faces challenges related to urbanization and digitalization, which contribute to linguistic centralization and a gradual imbalance favoring dominant languages. The study finds that the Chechen language currently exhibits a relatively stable level of vitality, particularly in familial and ethnocultural contexts, bolstered by its high symbolic value and a persistent need for identity expression among Chechen speakers.

This article examines the judicial and investigative cases concerning insults to the Majesty, as reviewed by the Tambov Provincial Gendarmerie in 1881. A comprehensive quantitative analysis of the episodes contained within these cases is conducted, focusing on the assassination of Alexander II as a catalyst for such offenses. The study considers the social backgrounds of the defendants and the geographical context of the insults. A classification of the identified instances is provided based on the presence or absence of denunciation (informing) in the cases, as well as the causal relationships leading to the offenses. All episodes are divided into those that are perceived as fictitious and those without denunciation; the latter are further categorized into three groups: 1) those confirming the desacralization of the image of a specific monarch, 2) those indicating the onset of a dilution of monarchism through the desacralization of Alexander II’s image, and 3) those evidencing the desacralization of monarchy itself. The quantitative and qualitative analysis of these cases suggests that by 1881, a devaluation of the monarchical principle was already present in the worldview of Russian society. However, given the number of relevant judicial and investigative episodes, as well as instances unrecorded by local gendarmerie authorities, a definitive conclusion cannot be drawn. The author posits that the assassination of Alexander II should be viewed not only as an indicator of rising anti-monarchical sentiments but also as a trigger for the emergence of this trend.

This article explores some of the most enigmatic aspects of Raymond Queneau’s novel “My Friend Pierrot” (1942), focusing on the unnamed crime that shapes the narrative structure as a detective story; the essence of the “Golden Age,” which serves as an object of nostalgia for the characters; the reason why Pierrot emerges as the protagonist; and the significance of the novel’s title. It is established that the “crime” refers to the arson of the Uni-Park — a metaphorical parallel to the Occupation of France from 1940 to 1944—while the “Golden Age” encompasses both the Belle Époque that preceded the First and Second World Wars and Queneau’s historical-philosophical concept of a “Golden Age.” The reason Pierrot becomes the main character lies in his archetypal and symbolic resonance within French culture and art during the Belle Époque: a favored figure among modernists, he epitomizes the artist of the New Era and embodies the French creative elite. The title of the novel alludes to a well-known French folk song that transformed into a lullaby in the 20th century: “my friend Pierrot,” where the lyrical protagonist requests a pen and candle in the name of God’s love — symbols of hope and inspiration during the Occupation. The authors also identify characteristics of Harlequin grotesque within the novel, representing a blend of sorrow and joy, high and low, creation and destruction.

This article explores the conversion of epic literature into media texts, focusing on the Armenian epic as a case study. It identifies the factors influencing the substantive, formal, and value-based transformations of the original text through the lens of the animated film "The Daredevils of Sassoun." This choice is motivated by the fact that the film is one of only two feature-length animated productions from Armenia and stands as one of the most renowned and cherished works of the Armenian people. The Armenian epic has also found expression in visual, monumental, and musical arts, having been adapted by Armenian writers. Through a comparative analysis of various versions of the epic and its screen adaptation, the authors conclude that the animated version constitutes an autonomous work that, in several respects, falls short of its folkloric counterparts. On one hand, the synthesis of economic and technological factors negatively impacts the screen representation of the original text, rendering the media text more static and banal. On the other hand, ideological aspects combined with academic approaches complicate the content of the media text. The animated adaptation of the epic, as a polycode text, integrates historical and mythological concepts within its frames, uniting archaic, pagan, and Christian worldviews.

This article explores the features of territorial identity as reflected in the urban toponyms of northern cities in the Ural Federal District. The aim of the study is to assess the current state of the urban onomastic corpus in terms of conveying local authenticity and to outline prospects for its development. The linguistic material consists of urbanonyms from Khanty-Mansiysk, Urai, Salekhard, and Novy Urengoy, which are introduced into academic discourse for the first time. The research employs onomasiological analysis (identifying nomination motives and nominative themes), classification, and linguistic-cultural commentary. Groups of toponyms are described that verbalize nominative themes related to the foundational concepts of territorial identity — TERRITORY and CULTURE. Among the names associated with the concept of TERRITORY, those reflecting regional natural-geographical and natural-historical features are identified. Within the toponyms linked to the concept of CULTURE, names associated with social history and socio-cultural realities are established. It is noted that the embodiment of the concept CULTURE extensively verbalizes geological and industrial themes of nomination, alongside a consistent trend towards nominative commemoration. Based on identified semantic gaps, an informational reserve for creating new urban toponyms is determined. The potential for utilizing underexplored themes in science, art, sports, and the spiritual culture of indigenous peoples of the North for urban onomastic nomination is highlighted.

This article focuses on the analysis of the motif and imagery complex of the night sky in the poetry, autobiographical prose, and letters of Nikolai Gumilev created during World War I. The aim of the study is to establish genetic connections among texts of various natures, examining how the war influenced the poet’s worldview and the aesthetic-philosophical principles of his work. The materials under investigation include the poem “Sacred Nights Drift and Fade...”, the fourth part of “Notes of a Cavalryman,” as well as frontline letters addressed by the poet to Anna Akhmatova and L. M. Reisner. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that these works were not included by Gumilev in his lifetime publications, thus rarely coming to the attention of scholars and remaining insufficiently studied from a comparative-genetic perspective. It is proposed that these texts share a common biographical foundation, as they reproduce a similar situation of observing the night sky during a military lull. The study concludes that the examined complex possesses an ambivalent semantics within Gumilev’s artistic system, drawing upon both Acmeist and Symbolist interpretations, indicating an evolution in the poet’s views as he distances himself from his previously proclaimed aesthetic-philosophical principles during the war.

This article examines the elections to the Constituent Assembly of 1917 in the Terek region. The study of this process provides valuable historical insights that can inform contemporary electoral practices, thus representing a significant scholarly issue. The objective of the research is to elucidate the specific characteristics of the electoral process within a national region. The sources include materials extracted from archival collections and regulatory documents. It is demonstrated that between February and October 1917, the Terek region experienced intense political competition, with each political faction proposing its own methods for ensuring regional stability. The local elite, having formed the “Union of United Highlanders of the North Caucasus and Dagestan,” envisioned the region as part of a democratic federal Russian republic and did not oppose the policies of the Provisional Government. Leaders of the “Union” advocated for universal suffrage and equitable representation of the region’s peoples in the Constituent Assembly. The conclusion drawn is that the elections to the Constituent Assembly had a profoundly positive impact on the development of political culture in Russia as a whole, and specifically in the Terek region.

This article examines the role of women as elected officials in local government bodies, school boards, and poor law guardians in late 19th-century Britain. The research is grounded in local government reports, contemporary periodicals, and memoirs of the time. It challenges the prevailing historiographical perspective that the 1890s represented a period of stagnation for the women's movement. Evidence reveals a significant increase in the number of women elected to various levels of governance during this decade. The outcomes of their involvement included marked improvements in living conditions within communities, a substantial humanization of the Poor Law of 1834, and subsequent national initiatives for free school meals and the abolition of the tuition fees. The study concludes that policymakers viewed women’s participation in local governance as an extension of the charitable work by upper and middle-class women, based on the belief that caring for the poor, health care, and education were continuations of the women’s roles as wives and mothers. Thus, policymakers aimed to reinforce traditional gender roles. It is noted that service in elected positions served as a preliminary step for some future suffragists to engage in political activities, with party affiliation having a limited impact on women’s social work.

This comparative study examines the role of conceptual metaphorization as a means of shaping the image of Iraq in regional and federal media in Germany from 2019 to 2024. The analysis focuses on the frequency of metaphors, the magnitude and dominant features of the nominative field of metaphors, semantic and part-of-speech properties of metaphor representatives, and the salient characteristics of the country as components of its image, along with paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships. It identifies both stable and variable patterns of metaphorization across the two groups of media. The study highlights recurring metaphors such as “Iraq as a Living Being,” “Iraq as an Incomplete Whole,” “Iraq as a Place of Uncontrolled Power,” “Iraq as a Warrior,” “Iraq as a Theater,” “Iraq as a Toy,” and “Iraq as a Refuge.” The findings conclude the effectiveness of conceptual metaphor as a tool for stereotyping; similarities in the composition of metaphors despite differences in their frequency and density across various German media; a predominance of complex, structural, and ontological metaphors; and the presence of compatible and coherent metaphors. Notably, there is an interdependence between the frequency and density of the nominative field of metaphors, with higher density observed in federal media; stability in terms of the part-of-speech affiliation of representatives and dominance of noun representatives; predominant overlap in the dominant features of nominative fields across different media groups; and the existence of metaphors with varying degrees of conventionality.

This article addresses the artistic embodiment of the category of the Other in the works of American journalist and writer Tom Wolfe. The study focuses on Wolfe’s early journalistic essays, compiled in collections published in the early 1960s, as well as his later novel “I Am Charlotte Simmons” (2004). These texts are separated by nearly the entire second half of the 20th century — a period marked by the emergence, flourishing, and decline of postmodernism. The aim of this work is to trace the diachronic evolution of the author’s understanding of the category of the Other, as represented in his early and late texts. The desire for otherness among young people in the first post-war decades signified a fundamental rejection of norms, rules, and laws in the name of rejecting all forms of totalitarianism, which led to the catastrophic destruction of humanity during World War II. As a journalist, Wolfe objectively and empathetically depicts the diverse lifestyles of a new generation. He illustrates the consequences of these emerging trends in his university novel written forty years later. The article demonstrates that this work presents the otherness of various status groups within the university community through a multi-layered conflict. However, these groups remain isolated and hostile towards one another. The abandonment of rational consciousness has led to the primitivization of individuality and the disintegration of education. The novel serves as a vivid illustration of the negative outcomes of postmodernism.

This article explores the history of the Chinese Eastern Railway, which spans over 120 years and has significantly influenced the development of Northeast China. The focus of this study is on materials from Soviet press outlets in the 1920s that address Soviet-Chinese relations surrounding the railway. It is noted that following the October Revolution of 1917, the railway became a central point of interaction between Russia and China. The Soviet leadership aimed to establish friendly and equal relations with China while simultaneously seeking to bring the railway’s exclusion zone under Bolshevik control. The objective of this article is to trace how events related to the Chinese Eastern Railway were reported during the transitional period of the 1920s by one of the most authoritative domestic publications — ‘Izvestia’, which has been published since March 1917 and became the official organ of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR after the October Revolution. Through analysis, the article reveals the significant role of ‘Izvestia’ in shaping public perceptions of Soviet-Chinese relations during this period and in conveying Soviet Russia’s Far Eastern policy as a whole.

This article explores the historical development of the planning and incentive system for inventiveness and rationalization in the Soviet Union from 1954 to 1990. Through an analysis of published sources and archival materials, it concludes that during the studied period, quantitative metrics dominated the evaluation of inventiveness and rationalization effectiveness, expressed in absolute figures. Notably, the methodologies for calculating these metrics underwent several changes, complicating comparative assessments and the study of phenomena and processes over extended time frames. The development of mass inventiveness enabled the USSR to achieve a leading position globally in terms of the number of registered invention applications, with the cumulative economic impact of implemented rationalization proposals and inventions showing consistent growth throughout the period examined. However, it is noted that relative indicators reflecting the qualitative state of inventiveness and rationalization revealed low rates of sectoral development. The study concludes that qualitative measures of effectiveness did not play a decisive role in the planning, evaluation, and encouragement of inventiveness and rationalization in the USSR.

This study explores the mechanisms of manipulative influence within German-language economic discourse. The empirical material consists of articles from the Köln Institute for Economic Research, detailing external trade cooperation between Germany and China during the years 2020 to 2023. It has been found that metaphors, borrowings, idiomatic expressions, expressive language, and emotives — comprising combinations of evaluative connotations — exert a covert manipulative effect on communication participants. At the grammatical level, the use of adverbs in the superlative degree and modal verbs in the preterite subjunctive form enables the construction of narratives that downplay the significance of China’s successes as an economic competitor. The analysis reveals that manipulation within economic discourse is intentionally obscured, possessing an implicit nature. It has been determined that portraying the Chinese economy in an unequivocally negative light is impractical; however, there are noticeable trends towards diminishing the significance of its successes, negatively evaluating business activity, and exaggerating the perceived threats posed by China to its business partners. The novelty and relevance of this research lie in addressing the techniques of manipulative influence in shaping the linguistic worldview within economic discourse — a perspective that has not yet been explored, as such texts are often considered objective documents grounded in scientific statistical data.

The translation of A.A. Shtukin’s poem “The Song of the Bride”, which is part of the collection of ancient Chinese hymns and songs “Shijing”, is being considered. The relevance of the study is determined by the interest of Chinese researchers in the quality of translations of Chinese poetry into European languages, particularly Russian. There is noted interest from both Chinese and Russian researchers in the translation of the book “Shijing”, as it varies depending on the perception of foreign cultures. The features of A.A. Shtukin’s translation of the poem “The Song of the Bride” are highlighted in terms of the images he created and the linguistic specifics. It is pointed out that Shtukin’s translation of the poems from “Shijing” is recognized as one of the best. The analysis of the translation revealed the following characteristics: the preservation of the original work’s color through botanical metaphors, sound, and structural organization of the text. Some shortcomings in conveying the atmosphere of ancient Chinese lyricism from the perspective of native Chinese speakers who also speak Russian were also identified; the translation differs from the original in that it insufficiently conveys the atmosphere of ancient Chinese lyricism, which can be easily explained by the differences in worldviews among speakers of different languages.

This article examines the role of the visual aspect of the text in the recontextualization of elements from the socialist realist canon. The study focuses on Mikhail Elizarov’s novels “Librarian” and “Cartoons.” It is established that, firstly, Elizarov consciously constructs his works according to the principles of literary cinematicity, with visuality serving as a prominent component. Secondly, visuality facilitates the integration of elements from the Soviet project into the narrative, expressed through spaces and objects. Furthermore, it allows for their recontextualization by embedding them within new contexts. Thirdly, the reactivation of spaces and objects is aided by the figure of the protagonist, who is presented through the technique of traveling. Fourthly, the narrative development of the novels bears similarities to socialist realist plots concerning re-education. Additionally, through the image of the protagonist, the relevance of the opposition between “eye” and “gaze” is emphasized, which in turn contributes to the actualization of ideas related to control and behavior modeling. The gaze of the Other, experienced by the characters, draws them into narrative structures akin to those found in socialist realism, compelling them to adopt specific roles — the role of a character burdened with socialist realist motives. Finally, it is noted that the protagonist’s distinctive position enhances reader identification and alters the very status of the Book.

This article addresses the influence of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy on the works of Maxim Gorky. The study aims to explore how Kant’s philosophical ideas shaped Gorky’s worldview and contributed to the development of his prose. The primary material for this research is Gorky’s unfinished work “The Peasant,” written between 1899 and the early 1900s. It is demonstrated that the text serves as a unique “epistolary dialogue” between Gorky and Kant, in which the writer engages in a polemic with the philosopher regarding human nature, social organization, justice, and morality. The article posits that Gorky’s harsh critiques of Kant, expressed in letters and within the aforementioned text, stem from his general aversion to the deliberate complexity and analytical nature of Kant’s language, as well as the philosopher’s excessively rationalist approach to interpreting the incomprehensible and understanding humanity’s place and purpose in the world, along with the laws of existence. It is argued that Gorky did not share Kant’s absolute rationalism but instead advocated for a harmony between reason and emotion in human beings. Furthermore, it is shown that Gorky resonated with the moral and ethical principles of Kantian philosophy. Thus, this study offers a fresh perspective on the religious-philosophical and anthropological aspects of Gorky’s oeuvre.

The article examines the process of solving the problem of managing the foreign policy of the Russian Empire when creating the Fundamental State Laws on April 23, 1906. It emphasizes the importance of retaining control over international relations by the monarch and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, effectively removing it from the influence of the State Duma. The perspectives of the authors of three drafts of the Fundamental Laws — P.A. Kharitonov, A.P. Salomon, and Count A.F. Heyden — are presented. While Kharitonov and Salomon permitted the involvement of the State Duma in the conclusion of international treaties, Heyden excluded such participation. In January-February 1906, Kharitonov’s draft was revised by senior officials of the State Chancellery under the leadership of Baron Yu.A. Ikskul von Hildenbandt and Count D.M. Solsky. It is shown that in the Chancellery’s draft, both the emperor and the State Duma remained involved in the conclusion of international treaties. This draft was discussed in March 1906 in Count S. Yu. Witte’s cabinet, and in the Council of Ministers’ version, despite an expert review by Professor F. F. Martens, popular representation was stripped of its right to participate in international treaty-making. The necessity for this was also justified by a draft of the Fundamental Laws prepared by Professor O.O. Eichelman. Attention is given to the Special Conference chaired by Nicholas II in April 1906, which consolidated the monarch’s monopoly over foreign policy within the Fundamental Laws. Nevertheless, the author argues that these same Fundamental Laws indirectly ensured the influence of the State Duma in this area, as without its review and approval, the budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and all related legislative proposals could not be submitted for the emperor’s endorsement.

This study explores the semantics of the temporal mitigation indicator, specifically the adjective ‘sudden,’ as a form of litotes in English-language fantasy prose from the 20th to 21st centuries. The aim of this research is to identify English phrases containing the adjective ‘sudden’ that serve as litotes in the representation of time, which are frequently employed in the specified texts. The methods utilized include semantic analysis, contextual analysis, and comparative analysis. The findings reveal a list of phrases actively used by various authors within the realm of 20th and 21st-century English-language fantasy prose that reflect a high degree of temporal mitigation within this genre. An analysis of selected fantasy texts indicates the presence of collocations featuring ‘sudden’ that are not documented in collocation dictionaries. A ranked list of these phrases, along with their respective authors, has been compiled. The examination of collocations expressing temporal mitigation shows that some are utilized by multiple authors, such as “the sudden darkness,” “sudden anxiety,” and “a sudden thought.” This suggests their stability, indicating that they could enhance existing collocation dictionaries of the English language. The practical significance of this study lies in its potential application in teaching courses on lexicology and lexicography of the English language at the university level.

This article examines the literary connections between Anna Seghers’ “The Dead Stay Young” and Fedor Dostoevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov.” It is established that Dostoevsky’s works provoke both positive and negative characters in Seghers’ narrative to engage in profound reflections, thereby reshaping their worldview. Similarities are identified between the characters Ernst von Liven and Ivan Karamazov, including their education, disdain for humanity, demonic traits, and the promotion of the idea of moral permissiveness. The evolution of Ivan’s story unfolds within the context of his family’s history, while Liven’s narrative is set against the backdrop of the rise of Nazism in early 20th-century Germany. Whereas the Russian character is marked by constant reflection on fundamental existential questions, the German protagonist exhibits a demeanor of self-satisfaction and a pursuit of personal gain. Ivan is capable of internal moral judgment, while Liven is devoid of remorse. The character from the Russian classic is ambivalent, whereas Seghers’ character is unequivocally negative. Seghers aligns with Dostoevsky’s idea that individuals must face consequences for their wrongdoings. She engages with Dostoevsky’s traditions concerning moral issues, which are reflected on both character and thematic levels in her novel, while simultaneously maintaining her unique artistic approach as a critic of Nazi ideology and its adherents.

This study aims to identify the predominant cognitive mechanisms underlying graffiti. The analysis is based on photographs of over 2000 instances of urban graphic defacement (i.e., graffiti) documented in major cities across Russia, including Yekaterinburg, Moscow, Saint Petersburg, and Nizhny Novgorod. Utilizing content analysis and expert evaluation methods, the research delineates three key cognitive mechanisms that contribute to the semantic unity of graffiti. The first mechanism, compression, manifests in graphic defacements through linguistic play or the transmission of discursive texts. The second mechanism, defocusing, is linguistically actualized through the technique of absurdity (everyday anchors of illogicality) and the activation of the emotion of surprise. It is noted that surprise elicits various reactions from the audience — such as loss of control, bewilderment, and uncertainty — which subsequently leads to prolonged retention in memory of the meanings embedded in the respective graffiti against a backdrop of vivid and atypical psycho-emotional states. The third mechanism, focusing, is linguistically embodied in philosophical texts.

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the modernization processes in the crop production sector of the Ulyanovsk region during the Eighth Five-Year Plan. The research draws on unpublished documents sourced from the State Archive of the Ulyanovsk Region and the State Archive of Contemporary History of the Ulyanovsk Region, a significant portion of which is introduced into scholarly discourse for the first time, alongside statistical materials and periodicals. The study examines the efforts of party organs and farm leadership aimed at intensifying the development of crop production. It addresses the authorities’ personnel policies regarding the expansion of vocational and technical education institutions, the organization of training courses for specialists in mass professions, and the enhancement of their qualifications to meet agricultural needs. The dynamics of crop production development from 1966 to 1970 are analyzed, evaluating the achievements of regional farms in producing key agricultural products. The author concludes that, despite facing problematic farms and a slight reduction in areas allocated for grain crops, the authorities in the Ulyanovsk region managed not only to meet but also to exceed the planned targets for yield, total harvest, and state procurement volumes of primary crop products during this period.

This article explores the formation and evolution of the system of international relations, asserting that the principles established by the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, which marked the conclusion of the Thirty Years’ War, fundamentally transformed inter-state relations and laid the groundwork for the entire framework of international relations. The author conducts a comprehensive analysis of the core principles of the Westphalian system, identifying criteria and universal indicators of traditional state-centric international relations within this model. The study emphasizes the significance of examining the transformative processes within international relations, tracing subsequent variations from a state-centric to an institutionally-political framework. Each reconfiguration of the Westphalian system is described with attention to its temporal and spatial characteristics. The driving forces behind the genesis and functioning of all models of traditional inter-state relations are delineated. Furthermore, the research investigates the primary causes behind the disintegration of the Westphalian system, highlighting critical international political conditions that facilitate restructuring and the emergence of new systems. The author concludes that the system of international relations is transitioning into a qualitatively distinct phase, diverging from the traditional state-centric paradigm.

This article examines the activities of the schools established at the Uktus Factory, initiated by the proactive policies of V.N. Tatischev during his tenure as the head of the factories (1734–1739), aimed at engaging children from all factory residents in formal education. The study establishes enrollment figures for the schools over three-year intervals, details collective recruitment efforts, and presents the total number of students taught literacy and basic mathematics, alongside an analysis of the social and age demographics of the pupils. It demonstrates that during the establishment of a network of factory schools in 1735–1736, the movement of skilled workers to other factories due to production needs rarely interrupted children’s education, often resulting in a turnover of students at Uktus. The article characterizes the teacher, exiled Nikita Afanasyev, highlighting his proactive approach to enhancing the organization of literacy instruction. It identifies key dates regarding the commencement of arithmetic education at the Uktus Literary School in Yekaterinburg, the founding of the arithmetic school at the Uktus Factory, and the appointment of top students from the Yekaterinburg school to teach Uktus children under the supervision of teachers Fyodor Sannikov and Afanasy Kichigin. The reasons for the closure of the schools at the Uktus Factory in autumn 1742 and the sharp decline in student enrollment from 1743 onwards are also analyzed.

This article examines the role and significance of the “Hungarian factor” in the central and eastern European political landscape of France during the period from April to August 1920. The novelty of this research lies in its analysis not only of the bilateral Franco-Hungarian interactions but also of how Paris’s perceptions of Hungary’s place in Europe were intertwined with other vectors of the Third Republic’s foreign policy. The study utilizes published French diplomatic documents, the diary of General Edmond Buat, Chief of Staff of the French Army, and select reports from General Artus de la Panouse, the French military attaché in the United Kingdom. The author concludes that the “Hungarian factor” influenced the central and eastern European policy of the Third Republic in a contradictory manner. It is demonstrated that France’s view of Hungary as a defeated nation served Paris’s objectives of affirming its status as a victorious power, consolidating a belt of friendly states in Central-Eastern Europe, and expanding its financial and economic presence. At the same time, it is emphasized that Hungary was not perceived as a direct threat to the interests of the Third Republic; rather, in the context of the Red Army’s advance westward, it could potentially be integrated into an anti-Soviet coalition.

This article examines the activities of provincial and regional statistical committees as centers for the establishment of provincial museums in pre-revolutionary Russia. It highlights that, despite a considerable number of studies dedicated to the emergence of museum practices and the contributions of individual statistical committees to the creation and development of museums, this topic has yet to undergo systematic investigation. The formation of museum collections and the emergence of a network of museums affiliated with statistical committees are traced, beginning with the first museums established by the Vladimir and Arkhangelsk committees and concluding with the unsuccessful attempts to open museums by the Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, and Transbaikal statistical committees. Common features in the development of provincial museums and the specific organizational characteristics of those associated with statistical committees are identified. The article emphasizes the classification of statistical committees as state-type institutions and clarifies the specialized focus of museum activities. Particular attention is paid to the reasons for the reorganization and separation of museums from statistical committees in the late 19th to early 20th centuries. Based on the examined sources, it is established that many museums previously under the auspices of statistical committees transitioned to scientific societies, archival commissions, and specially created committees.

This study explores the functional impact of Christian cathedrals in Western Europe on medieval public consciousness. Utilizing a systemic analysis method and a values-based approach, cathedrals are examined as structural elements within the framework of religious communication, serving as key instruments for shaping public consciousness during the Middle Ages. Through these edifices, the core tenets of Christianity were disseminated to the masses. Special attention is given to the art of stone calendars, which are considered a significant factor in the formation of a Christian worldview during this period. The study identifies the value-laden, symbolic, and functional characteristics of medieval cathedrals as tools of religious communication. It outlines the overarching principles of architectural organization in Catholic churches in relation to their roles in influencing public consciousness. The influence of Romanesque cathedrals on the trajectory of public consciousness in medieval Western Europe is also examined. The author concludes that Christian cathedrals, as instruments of influence on medieval public conscious-ness, possessed a pronounced managerial and motivational effect, fulfilling a wide range of sociocultural functions that contributed to the stabilization and spiritual-moral development of medieval Western European society.

This article explores sources of communicative difficulties such as inter-variant polysemy and inter-variant homonymy, focusing on lexemes from the Spanish thesaurus FOOD that denote liquid food products. The relevance of this study is grounded in the necessity for a comprehensive analysis of alimentary semantics within the national variants of the Spanish language in the context of cultural dialogue. The novelty of the research lies in identifying challenges in intercultural communication through semantic, etymological, and linguocultural analyses of the meanings of the examined lexemes and their stable combinations across different Spanish-speaking countries. Particular attention is given to the influence of extralinguistic factors on communicative difficulties within a multi-national language. The findings suggest that the development of semantics for inter-variant homonyms primarily depends on historical factors, and understanding the differences in meanings of core components within semantic fields related to food in various national variants of Spanish can help alleviate communicative barriers and prevent misunderstandings. Future research perspectives include pragmasemantic structuring of the inter-variant alimentary thesaurus in the target language and applying the results to language teaching.

This article focuses on certain word formation processes observed within the lexical-semantic group “Food” in Arkhangelsk dialects. The study presents dialectal material collected during numerous dialectological expeditions and preserved in the archive of the Department of Russian Language and Speech Culture at the Northern (Arctic) Federal University. The research demonstrates that in the vocabulary of Arkhangelsk dialects related to food, the substantivation of adjectives is not widely prevalent and is primarily represented in the thematic group “Baking.” However, the examples of substantivation discussed are characterized by the completion of the process, with the resulting substantives firmly established in the dialects. Additionally, numerous instances of derivational synonymy are found within the lexical-semantic group “Food.” The article examines two such examples: synonymic series of nouns denoting small dried fish and a dish made from cottage cheese with flour. It is revealed that Arkhangelsk dialects reflect characteristic phenomena of Russian dialects, such as developed suffixation, gender and number parallelism, and the formation of nouns with collective meanings. These processes contribute to a rich derivational synonymy that is absent in the standard Russian.

This article explores the connection between two literary works: Alexander Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin” and Vikram Seth’s verse novel “The Golden Gate,” written more than 150 years after Pushkin’s text and referred to by critics as the “Eugene Onegin of San Francisco.” The aim of this study is a comparative analysis of the two novels, high-lighting Pushkin’s influence on the Anglophone text by the Indian author. Through the analysis, it is concluded that there are numerous borrowings present in Seth’s novel, including the Onegin stanza, the formula for introducing the main character, and various allusions and direct references to Pushkin’s text. The research material also encompasses the English translation of “Eugene Onegin” by Charles Johnston, which influenced Seth. The novelty of this research lies in the consideration of “The Golden Gate” as a form of double translation: both interlingual and intercultural. It is demonstrated that Seth’s work emerged as a result of the English translation of Pushkin’s verse novel, which served as a pretext that he reinterpreted within the context of twentieth-century American culture. This double translation unites two authors, two cultures, and two epochs.

This article explores the distinctive features of the economic and cultural interactions between the USSR and Sweden from 1924 to 1937. The research is grounded in a comprehensive array of sources, including official documents, publications from the periodical press, and personal accounts. The methodological framework is informed by the imagology of international relations, which focuses on the study of mental geography, transnational imagery, perception stereotypes, and myths, as well as the comparison of the "Self" and the "Other" to understand the role of "Others" in shaping national self-conceptions. The author investigates how shifts in Swedish perceptions of Soviet Russia influenced the development of bilateral relations and assesses the contributions of A.M. Kollontai, the Soviet ambassador to Sweden since 1930, to Soviet-Swedish interactions. The article illustrates how Swedish political figures, pursuing their own interests, viewed elements of Soviet society as potential models for reforming their own countries, shaped by their internal agendas of political and socio-economic change.

This study examines the formation and development of transregional relations between the federal states of Germany (Bundesländer) and Eastern countries and regions. It presents the findings of a normative-legal analysis of the foundations of international and foreign policy activities of German federal states, based on national legislation. The focus is on the institutional framework for cross-border interactions between individual administrative units of the Federal Republic of Germany and their foreign partners. The research explores partnerships with both neighboring Middle Eastern territories and more distant Eastern regions. The findings indicate that the international and foreign economic activities of the German states are extensive, aligning with the opportunities outlined in Germany’s constitutional documents, and are significantly broader and more diverse compared to similar activities in the regions of France and Italy. It has been identified that German states engage in a system of “horizontal partnerships” primarily with provinces of the People’s Republic of China. Additionally, it is reported that a principle of “network cooperation” is applied to most other Eastern countries, encompassing not only economic but also scientific, cultural, and humanitarian ties. The study demonstrates that among the examined EU countries at the regional level, German federal states lead in establishing the most successful and effective partnerships with regions in Eastern countries.