CIS countries in Russian Federation’s foreign policy and Russians' assessments

The main regional priority in Russia’s foreign policy is CIS countries. The special role of our country in this region is conditioned, fi rst of all, by deep dependence in diff erent spheres, by close cultures, common language, and traditions of common statehood. Russia traditionally considers the post-Soviet space as the zone of its national interests, acting as regional guarantor of peace and security. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, despite the provisions declared in the Russian Federation’s foreign policy on Russia’s special position in relation to CIS countries and attempts to preserve the zone of infl uence in this territory, the role of our country gradually began to decline. After 2022, despite the successes in carrying out a number of integration economic projects and creating regional security system, the negative trends in the fi eld of interaction between the countries became most clearly manifested. Friendly and unfriendly countries were clearly identifi ed in the post-Soviet space. The focus of the research interest is the analysis of CIS countries as the main regional priority in the Russian Federation’s foreign policy on the basis of doctrinal documents and assessments of Russians. On the basis of the study of conceptual strategic documents, the analysis of priority directions of the Russian Federation’s foreign policy course in the zone of CIS countries is carried out, the attitude of Russians and youth to the foreign policy in the post-Soviet space is revealed on materials of author’s and all-Russian researches.