Efim Iosifovich Pivovar
The World of Russian emigres in the late XX – early XXI centuries

© E. I. Pivovar, 2021

© “Aletheia” Publishing House (St. Petersburg), 2021

In loving memory of my mother Anna Pivovar, whose path in life was intertwined with the fates of our compatriots abroad, both near and far, in the late 20th-early 21st centuries.

Russian world abroad at the turn of the century (late 20th and early 21st century)

Foreword

The modern Russian community abroad is an intrinsic part of the shaping multipolar world with its institutional structures in almost all civilization centers of the new world order, i. e. in the European Union, Eurasia, the USA, Asia Pacific, Canada, Latin America, etc. Therefore, the Russian world is deeply involved in the unfolding process of globalization in all areas, i. e. technology, humanities, the information revolution, industrial development, governance, and business.[1]

At the same time, theory and practice of Russian public policy on the cooperation with the Russian world is also improving and developing. On October 31, 2018, addressing the delegates of the 6th World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad, President of Russia Mr Vladimir Putin said:

Over 700 people from many countries are attending this Congress. At the same time, all of you together represent the tight-knit community of Russian compatriots and the huge united Russian world, which was never based exclusively on ethnic, national or religious principles. It has brought together and united all those who are connected to Russia spiritually, who feel a spiritual link to our homeland, and who consider themselves to be Russian speakers and the carriers of Russian culture and history.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your involvement in the life of Russia, for your invariable support and for your solidarity. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you for your involvement in the life of Russia, for your invariable support and for your solidarity. We are grateful for your contribution to the promotion and advancement of our rich historical and cultural heritage and everything else that constitutes our national Russian identity.[2]

A new system of relations between the Russian society, the State, and Russian speaking communities in the near and far abroad developing in the context of ever more complex geopolitical and economic environment resuits in a need for rethinking the nature of the Russian world as a comprehensive phenomenon of the contemporary history and modernity.

The Russian community abroad has played an important part in my life as a historian and university professor. Sometimes, it seems that the study of this problem has already been comprehensive, conclusions have been drawn, but then again there are new facts, documents, topics and new theoretical aspects of the problem.[3] Historically, the textbook Russian community abroad of the 1920-1930s is closely associated with the destinies of the later waves of Russian and global migration; it has become a part of the common space of the Russian world in the beginning of the 21st century, as well as of my own “professionally intense” historical time that resulted in books, lectures, academic courses and scientific reports.[4] To a great extent, the very phenomenon of the Russian world, still transforming and developing, contributes to that and calls for constant rethinking of its historical nature and modern context.

Naturally, the historical process of reuniting two cultural branches and two temporal streams of the Russian history resulted in the Russian world concept, emerging and shaping in the national humanitarian science and mass media, uniting the past, present and future of Russian diasporas, establishing the state doctrine of the Russian world as social, cultural and economic continuation of Russia on the global level. The Russian emigres of the 20th century “returned to Russia as poems” and in many other ways; they simply have become part of the national humanitarian knowledge. But this very return was both a consequence and a driver of the socio-political and mental transformation of the Russian society in the 1990s – early 2000s. Even today, its influence and presence in the intellectual sphere continues to play its role and to facilitate the development of Russian science and higher education. The cultural-historical phenomenon of the Russian community abroad is not a sensation anymore; this topic simply cannot be fully covered, just like the works of Alexander Pushkin or the history of people’s bravery and heroism in the years of the Great Patriotic War.

At the same time, the culture of the Russian world is not some established backward-looking set of ideas and images; it is an ever-changing reality promoting the basic civilizational values, i. e. new works of art and literature, scientific research, etc. In this context, it seems relevant and important to create a single database on the Russian community abroad. A multi-volume fundamental encyclopedia Russian community abroad in the 18th – early 21st centuries can make a significant contribution to such a project. Certainly, such a publication should be prepared by joint efforts of many scientific teams from the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading national universities, the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russian Abroad, the State Archives of the Russian Federation and other national centres of the Russian emigration studies in cooperation with foreign scientists and Russian compatriots in countries of the far and near abroad.

The Russian world is often perceived in the near abroad as an area of its own that has nothing to do with the so-called textbook Russian community abroad. Indeed, the differences between the two Russian worlds in terms of historical context and social image are quite significant.[5] However, it is obvious that on-going globalization processes and parallel geopolitical and socio-economic transformation of the post-Soviet space result in the emergence of new realities throughout the Russian world, changing the conditions for its internal development, as well as for the interaction with Russia and countries of residence; but it also develops its role in the global socio-political and information space.

Russian compatriots abroad have brought to their homeland their experience of global intellectual and cultural dialogue, which has now become even more complex and multifaceted; it includes the interaction between many generations, social and professional groups and far-reaching information flows. In the 20th century, Russian literature, philosophy, and art abroad were one of the essential components within the spiritual and cultural space of many cultures in different regions of the world, having become part of the global intellectual elite. Economic emigres of the late 1980s-1990s changed the qualitative features of Russian-speaking communities in the European Union and the United States for a while. Yet it is now clear that Russia abroad has not lost its importance as a global intellectual and creative resource, while acquiring new positive qualities and opportunities.

Unlike the Russian emigres in the 19th and, especially, the 20th century, today’s Russian compatriots abroad are not cut off from their homeland and, if they so desire, maintain strong ties with the Russian Federation as a metropolitan state with the homeland as a mental and cultural space that also extends to people from post-Soviet countries. Russian compatriots are able to tap into the values of the Russian culture in its entirety, including the legacy of the Russian community abroad of the past century both thanks to the opportunities of a global civilization with its international travel and information technologies and support for Russian language and culture offered by Russia across the world. At the same time, an increasing number of Russian-speaking compatriots want to receive higher education, work in high-tech areas, study in depth the language and culture of their host countries thus increasing their flexibility while maintaining their ties to the Russian culture as an identity element. It is highly likely that the subsequent transformation of the Russian world will take place along with further improvement of its qualitative characteristics.

The active representatives of the modern Russia abroad have maintained their focus on intellectual and spiritual values, which is demonstrated by the activities of the World Congress of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad and numerous public organizations established within Russian-speaking communities in different countries across the world and by various cultural initiatives implemented on a global scale, from the Days of Russian Culture (a traditional holiday of Russian emigration from the mid-1920s) to the Russky Mir Professor program. Institutions of the Russian world abroad accumulate considerable intellectual resources based on the synthesis of Russian cultural values and latest information, social concepts, and technologies that enrich both Russian and world culture.

Since in the 21st century the role of supranational factors in the international arena is gradually growing, communities and organizations of the Russian world are becoming part of an informal but increasingly influential representation of Russia in the global socio-political and information space. The institutional structures of Russian compatriots act as an integral part of the modern global society, in particular, forming the global civilizational and intellectual space, introducing basic Russian cultural values into the international information field and expanding the global presence of the Russian language as the basic cultural code of the Russian world. Speaking at the VI Assembly of the Russian World on November 3, 2012, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev noted that “the diaspora uniting millions of compatriots gives Russia a competitive advantage and enormous potential,” emphasizing the importance of expanding the presence of the Russian language in the world in the context of globalization. “The Russian world shall become a global space if the amount of information in the Russian language is not inferior in quantity and quality to the amount of information in other languages. It is very difficult, but feasible.”[6]

In the future, structures of the Russian world can be united in a system of network associations operating under the conditions of on-going globalization in a global complex of organizations existing in the intellectual and information space. The Russian-speaking Academic Science Association has already taken certain steps in this direction, creating a website Dialogue with Russian-speaking scientists working abroad in order to expand intellectual cooperation between Russia and the Russian world by promoting dialogue between the Russian scientific community and Russian-speaking scientists abroad.[7]

At the beginning of the 21st century, Russian diasporas in the near and far abroad as promoters of Russian culture have assumed a new, but no less important mission, i. e. to engage in a dialogue between Russia and the international community on the most pressing issues of international politics and economics. People belonging to the Russian world mostly support the fundamental values of our time: pluralism of political and civilization systems; recognition of their legitimacy, importance and stability; unwillingness to incite “color revolutions,” or to use global financial, economic, rating and information tools for exerting pressure on others’ foreign policy, etc.

The ongoing changes in the balance of power on the planet, i. e. the economic and political strengthening of the BRICS countries, have also significantly influenced Russian diasporas’ status: the governments and peoples of China, Brazil, and South Africa see the Russian-speaking community as an ally in the modernization of the country and society.[8] At the same time, in the Baltic States, Poland, and Ukraine, Russian compatriots are portrayed negatively as an opposition force, provoking a corresponding attitude towards them manifesting in prohibition of historical and cultural events, hostile media coverage, etc. (For instance, Poland did not allow a group of Russian motorcyclists called “Night Wolves” to travel through its territory as part of “Victory Day” campaign; Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 memorials are being pulled down in Poland and the Baltic States; centers of Russian-language education and culture have been practically banned in Ukraine).

At the same time, Russian compatriots in developing countries (Brazil, China, South Africa, etc.) as a creative factor of a new society have made a significant contribution to the modernization of the economy, development of innovation technologies and humanitarian knowledge.

Representatives of the Russian world greatly contribute to the Eurasian integration: the Russian-speaking community acts as a moderator of centripetal processes in the CIS. The foundation of the Customs Union, as well as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the EAEC and the EAEU, were warmly supported by the Russian diasporas; it has significantly influenced the attitude of the governments of the countries of residence by pushing them towards closer and more constructive integration with Russia, in terms of creating a common Eurasian social, economic, and political space.[9]

Representatives of the Russian world consistently advocate development of mutual understanding between cultures, intellectual dialogue in the global political and economic space. At the same time, modern institutions of the Russian world are becoming more and more independent subjects of the international law, along with bodies of recipient states and world legal supranational structures, such as the UN, the OSCE, etc. The International Council of Russian Compatriots (ICRC), International Association of Youth Organizations of Russian Compatriots (IAYORS), the European Russian Alliance, etc. are examples of such institutions.

Therefore, in the 21st century, the Russian world has become a sustainable organizational, historical, cultural, and mental system which ensures its stable existence in the context of globalization and a shaping multipolar world. Modern geopolitical space defines objective reasons for future successful development of the Russian world in the 21st century: the creation of a multicultural civilization provides great opportunities for preserving national identities within the global intellectual and information space. At the same time, Russia that historically has been a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional country represents a model of a complex and global civilization allowing interaction and synthesis of cultures without losing their identity. In the 21st century, the comprehensive national consciousness of representatives of the Russian world implies a continued self-identification with the national culture and historical time of the Russian civilization: Russian-speaking communities in various countries of the world seek to encourage Russian compatriots to maintain the sense of belonging to the social and spiritual culture of their historical homeland, Russia.

As the role of international supranational organizations will increase in the context of globalization, so will that of institutional structures of the Russian world as an integral part of the global intellectual system. This offers a wide range of opportunities for intellectual and technological modernization of the Russian world, which in the future by all appearances will significantly differ from what it is now, in terms of organization, scientific and information activities, however it will preserve its cultural and mental self-identification with the historical Russian civilization. Without a doubt, new forms of realization and new areas of focus for the Russian world will emerge, and its qualitative characteristics will improve.

Thus, the Russian world in the 21st century is capable of creating new forms and perhaps specific institutional structures of beneficial and adequate transnational interaction that can “fit” Russian historical culture into the global intellectual space and the world system of new geopolitical alliances and associations. In the 21st century, the Russian world institutions will contribute to the greater promotion of Russia’s interests in the new global political and economic system, shaping those structural, informational, and cultural “islands” for the Russian business, culture, science, and society as a whole to rely on.

The present publication presents the author’s reflections on the modern situation in the Russian world and its interaction with Russia and the world civilization in the face of complex geopolitical transformations of the late 20th-early 21st centuries. Among other things, it seems important to study the role of the Russian community abroad in today’s world, to follow up its role in domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation over time. In my opinion, evolution of the social and cultural image of Russian-speaking diasporas in the CIS, the Baltic states, and European Union and development of a dialogue with their historical homeland, states and societies in the countries of residence, etc. is another topic of high scientific interest.

At the same time, my intention is to give a personal touch to this work, to reveal the role of the history and culture of the Russian community abroad in my research and academic activities.

The book is intended for scholars of history and other humanities, government officials responsible for interaction with compatriots residing abroad, and the scientific and cultural community of the Russian world itself, as well as all readers interested in the subject of Russian community abroad in the late 20th – early 21st centuries.

Chapter 1
The world of Russian compatriots and national historical consciousness

January 2014 witnessed an important development in the life of the Russian historical community and personally for me as the Head of the Russian State University for the Humanities. Together with other participants of the working group on the preparation of a new cultural-historical standard on history for secondary schools, I took part in a meeting in the Kremlin with the Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Chairman of the Russian Historical Society Sergey Naryshkin, members of the Russian government, heads of historical institutes at the Russian Academy of Sciences, leading university professors of history, history teachers, media, etc. contributed to this discussion. All those present were unanimous in assessing the task facing the historical community as difficult and responsible. In practice, the Concept of a new history standard took considerable effort and generated a lot of controversy that in the end did the Concept a lot of good. ‘Competing history schools are the driver behind new historical knowledge,’ Sergey Naryshkin said.[10]

The Kremlin meeting definitely stimulated further work, both because the President thanked the participants for their work and civic position, and above all else because the meeting confirmed at the highest state level some very important principles for history academic courses, i. e. objectivity and impartiality, education aimed at bringing up educated citizens who can think for themselves. Vladimir Putin, in particular, stressed the following:

Unified approaches to history academic courses do not mean public, official, and ideological consensus at all. On the contrary, we mean the common logic of teaching history, understanding the inseparability and interconnection of all stages of the development of our state and our statehood, the fact that the most dramatic and controversial events constitute an integral part of our past. Despite all the differences in assessments and opinions, we should treat them with respect, because this is the life of our people, this is the life of our ancestors, and our national history is the basis for our national identity, cultural, and historical code.[11]

Back then we also discussed some questions related to certain key dates in the Russian history and their approaching anniversaries. They also needed some balanced approaches to complex historical events and phenomena like the 100th anniversary of World War I, the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the 100th anniversary of the February and October Revolutions. Projects of the Russian History Society, like scientific conferences, exhibitions, new publications concerning the anniversaries of WWI and the Great Victory, the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution received wide media coverage both in Russia and in the Russian community abroad. As far as I can judge, the success of all these projects depended on the fact that they promoted a comprehensive range of ideas and images rather than some commonplace official narrative. This created conditions for a positive intellectual dialogue and laid the foundation of the true patriotism, i. e. understanding of all the complexity and unique features of our national history. In many ways, that is why the response of foreign compatriots, representatives of different countries and generations, was so sincere and massive with exhibitions, meetings, and veteran commemoration events taking place all over the Russian community abroad, from New York to Beijing.

Greater focus on history, history science, and education in the Russian society is quite a natural reaction to Russia affirming its status as a world power. Real patriotism in the best sense of the word is inextricably linked to the knowledge and understanding of the history of one’s Fatherland. I firmly believe that patriotic education is education through knowledge about one’s country, its history, and culture of its peoples, and at the same time, about other peoples and civilizations. Such education is designed to develop a broadly educated and cultured individual, including a habit of tolerant perception of ideas and opinions and different historical experience. It is possible to understand events of the pre-revolutionary and Soviet history in different ways, but it is impossible to deny the hard work and the great feat of the peoples of our country, i. e. the feat of overcoming the trials faced by Russian in the 20th century. Those who did this were not some abstract entities but real people, someone’s parents and grandparents. The action “Immortal Regiment,” which triumphantly took place throughout the country and in the Russian community abroad in 2015–2016 and has already become our national tradition, has clearly showed it by addressing the historical memory of thousands of real families. Many students and teachers from Russian universities took part in the “Immortal Regiment” campaign, including the Russian State University for the Humanities, Lomonosov Moscow State University, etc. It is also possible that for some of the younger participants, learning about family history has become the first step towards the profession of a historian.

This principle, education through knowledge, is the foundation of the activities of Russian higher education institutions, including RSUH, the firstborn humanitarian university in the modern Russia. It is based on, in my opinion, the main elements of culture and true patriotism, i. e. national history, Russian literature, the wealth of world languages, cultures, and scientific theories. In this context, a scientific and cultural dialogue with the Russian world abroad has become an intrinsic part of the university life, including projects and events designed to restore the true historical past of Russia. For example, on March 4, 2011, RSUH and the Russkiy Mir Foundation held a scientific conference The Great Reforms of 1861 commemorating the 150th anniversary of the emancipations of serfs in Russia. The University was significantly interested in discussing the modern vision of the issue in the context of shaping the history education concept, including the development of questions for the Unified State Exam on history. Before that, under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russkiy Mir Foundation, there was a conference held in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour on Great Reforms of Emperor Alexander II as a success story of modernization with the participation of scientists and public leaders from the near and far abroad. It should be noted that the Russian emigre community, especially university and law corporations, laid significant emphasis on the era of the 1860s reforms and saw it as an era of law and civil liberties in the country. Therefore, the intellectual circles in the Russian community abroad paying attention to the history of the Great Reforms in modern Russia was another sign of the unity of historical memory, civilizational community of Russia and the Russian world abroad.

The intellectual heritage of the Russian community abroad has been one of the key elements of the society’s consolidation in creating a new historical consciousness in Russia. It was a consequence of global processes at the turn of the century. The current geopolitical situation has led to the emergence of new trends in the development of world intellectual, information, and cultural processes. The concept of a multipolar world, which is becoming increasingly influential, involves the diversity of civilizations and flourishing national cultures that interact and enrich each other on a constructive basis. Russia’s commitment to these principles of international life was formulated back in 2000 in the “The foreign policy concept of the Russian federation”, which proclaimed Russia’s aspiration “to achieve a multi-polar system of international relations that really reflects the diversity of the modem world with its great variety of interests.”[12] At the same time, attention to one’s own culture, awareness of one’s unique historical experience and promotion of such values in global media has become one of the prerequisites for strengthening the international influence of a country.

The President of Russia Vladimir Putin in his Address to the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in 2018 noted the growing impact of global processes on the economy and culture of all subjects of international politics and the important role of our country in ensuring a positive vector of global development:

This is a turning period for the entire world and those who are willing and able to change, those who are taking action and moving forward will take the lead. Russia and its people have expressed this will at every defining moment in our history.

As Mr Putin stressed, Russia was consistently developing its foreign policy:

… Our policies will never be based on claims to exceptionalism. We protect our interests and respect the interests of other countries. We observe international law and believe in the inviolable central role of the UN. These are the principles and approaches that allow us to build strong, friendly and equal relations with the absolute majority of countries.[13]

Highly intensive global cultural dialogue and informational exchange is also taking place between metropolises and the diaspora across the world amplifying their mutual attraction and interest in each other. Ideas of historical, cultural, and civilizational unity, communicated from the metropolis to the diaspora in the media and on the Internet, art, scientific publications exert significant influence on the public opinion of compatriots in communities abroad by actively engaging them in the international diplomatic and cultural dialogue.

Russia in the early 21st century lays special emphasis on the shaping historical consciousness based on traditional and social values, in particular as a factor of consolidation of the Russian society. It addresses challenges of modernization transit in the context of dramatically increasing global financial, economic, and political competition. In this context, the engagement between Russia and the world of Russian compatriots abroad provides ample opportunities and at the same time contradictions and challenges. They arise from the complex structure and heterogeneity of the Russian community abroad with three main segments: Russian-speaking diasporas of the post-Soviet states (the near abroad); several waves of Russian military, political, and economic emigration in the 1920-1980s and their ancestors (the far abroad). There are also migrants of the 20–21st century from Russia and other territories of the former USSR living in different countries and regions across the world. Formally, the last group is part of the Far Abroad community, but it has some significant social and moral differences from the “old” emigration.

The cooperation with compatriots abroad in the last quarter of a century (from the 1980-1990s) was the most fruitful and intense in terms of shaping the national historical consciousness of the Russians. This experience can be seen as a qualitatively important and unique in the Russian history, when a diaspora that existed in almost complete isolation from the metropolis for several decades has given its historical Motherland a huge cultural heritage filling some considerable gaps in the social, political, intellectual, spiritual, and artistic development of the country.

In the 20th century, Russia went through a tragedy of ideological and informational split with its compatriots abroad. It was based inter alia on fundamentally different vision of the national history and cultural traditions. In the USSR, this resulted in a decisive elimination of many names, events, and facts from the scientific and educational environment that did not ht into the official doctrine of “the history of the USSR in the pre-Soviet period” as well as in totally negative views on the Russian emigration and hushing up its contribution to the global culture. On the contrary, the Russian community abroad developed a cult of the pre-Revolutionary period and underestimated the achievements of the Soviet era in many areas, including economy, science, and culture. Nevertheless, from the very start, the Russian emigre community had an idea for renewing the common historical path and reuniting the divided flows of the “river of time” that embraced the history of Russia in its entirety. The events of the Great Patriotic War have shifted significantly the community’s perception of the post-revolutionary emigration. For many people, patriotism, and love for their homeland lost its retrospectivity and vagueness no longer concerning the old or the imaginary new Russia, but an actual country with its advantages and disadvantages. The Soviet authorities also became more tolerant to the representatives of the post-revolutionary emigration, but the development of the opposition movement among the Soviet intelligentsia, which increasingly took the form of political and religious emigration; the ideological support of the opposition from abroad during the Cold War era became a major new watershed dividing the Soviet Union and Russian community abroad. According to the official Soviet doctrine, their relations could not even be close to the system of “metropolis – diaspora”. The Russia abroad in the 20th century was almost completely excluded from the overall picture of the national history and culture.

In the 1990s-2000s, an intensive multidimensional dialogue between the state, the society of the Russian Federation and the world of foreign compatriots outside the former USSR ensured the restoration of the unity of cultural and historical tradition and the de-ideologization of their images. Gradually, information gaps were filled, and mental contradictions were largely smoothed out, which was facilitated by extensive contacts between Russians and communities of Russian emigrants and their descendants on a personal and public level. Hundreds of scientific publications, articles, numerous publishing and museum projects, ample information on the media convincingly testify to the fact that the legacy of the Russian emigration of the 1920 – mid-1980s has become an organic part of the Russian science and culture. Thus, many values and meanings (from deep inborn knowledge of traditions of the pre-revolutionary era to creative achievements of outstanding Russian intelligentsia in the late 20th century) became a starting point for shaping modern scientific knowledge, education, art, various public initiatives.

The current modernization of the Russian Federation and the search for possible directions of its further historical development are largely related to the adoption of traditional cultural values of the Russia abroad, based on centuries-old cultural foundations. At the same time, a new vision of Russia and Russian history, including a keener and more objective view of the Soviet era and the social and cultural life in the USSR, has emerged in the Russian community abroad.

In the 1990s, the emergence of Russian-speaking communities and their socially and politically difficult life in the young states of the former Soviet republics created a completely new model of relations between the metropolis and the diaspora in the Russian history. This time Russia acted as a focal point for Russian compatriots living in “new foreign countries,” and later, after overcoming its own social and economic problems and regaining international influence, Russia became a champion of their civil rights and cultural and linguistic identity. Migration flows from the CIS and the Baltic States to Russia in the 1990s included a significant number of Russian-speaking migrants who left the territories of the young post-Soviet states due to social and political instability and changing legal status of the Russian language. The adoption of the languages of the title peoples as State languages has become a major challenge for administrative staff, teachers, and higher education teachers, especially the older generation. In addition, the Russian-speaking population was subjected to moral pressure, and, in a number of countries, to direct threats from radical nationalists with the tacit support of some local elites. The result of this process was the exodus of a mass of diploma holders and qualified workers to Russia and the West resulting in smaller number and lower quality of Russian-speaking communities in the near abroad.[14] Later, the young generation of foreign compatriots in the post-Soviet space for the most part chose the integration into the societies of their countries, but many also sought to preserve family traditions, the Russian language. They educated their children in the spirit of the Russian culture, thus being involved in the social life of their diasporas and Russian cultural policy centers abroad. At the same time, the most socially active representatives of Russian compatriots in the CIS countries (entrepreneurs, students, artists) joined the Russian-speaking communities in Western Europe, the USA, Canada, Israel, and Australia. In the 2000s, the majority of institutional structures of the Russian community abroad outside the post-Soviet space were small Russian societies and clubs in large cities, regions or states in different countries based on the principle of association of fellow-countrymen or knowledge of the Russian language. As a rule, they were united in associations within the country. The founder and most active participants were mainly first or second-generation emigrants or citizens of the Russian Federation (as well as of other post-Soviet states) permanently residing abroad. Such associations were most common in those regions of the world where the number of Russian compatriots had increased significantly in recent years, for example in Italy, Spain, Greece, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Germany, Norway, China, etc. By this time, the 20th century emigrants and their descendants had been strongly assimilated and dissociated with the exception of communities of Russian compatriots in France and the USA. They were the largest centers of Russian emigration, which preserved the system of traditional diaspora structures (military historical societies, Russian schools and youth organizations, church parishes, publishing houses, bookstores, etc.). A key aspect of the institutional development of the modern Russian community abroad was the emergence of various communities on-line. The majority originated from international social media, feedback from readers of e-magazines in Russian, advertising needs of businesses that used the Russian-language Golden Pages and other similar information sources, etc.

The public policy of the Russian Federation on the promotion of the cultural dialogue with the Russian community abroad promotes regular World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad and the Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots, as well as the activities of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, Russian diplomatic institutions and representative offices of the Federal Agency for CIS Affairs, compatriots living abroad, and international humanitarian cooperation (Rossotrudnichestvo). The result of these projects was the Russian Centers of Science and Culture operating in the Russian community abroad under the auspices of Russian public and private organizations. They have helped the society of foreign compatriots to bond over their interest in the culture, language, modern life, and traditions of their historical homeland. At the same time, a considerable information space (including the Russian-language foreign press, literature, and the Internet) was filled with a lot of historical documents, memoirs, studies, popular scientific texts, which more and more fully revealed the complex, contradictory nature of historical ways of Russia and Russians in the 20th century. Russian state institutions and public organizations working in the held of cooperation with foreign compatriots have created information portals that allow to develop cooperation and cultural dialogue on a global level.

The key to understanding the essence of modern dialogue between the Russian Federation and communities of foreign compatriots is the ideology of the “Russian World.” The unity of the Russian community abroad and modern Russians is being created, i. e. it is based on a mutual recognition of the common historical past and tolerance toward it. In Moscow, a participant of the 5th World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad presented the idea of the Russian world as a civilized historical and cultural community:

The Russian world is a planetary space with millions of people creating a Russian identity. And the Russian world does not need any proof of its existence! Here we have Russia with a unique and inimitable inflorescence of cultures of many ethnicities. There we have millions of our compatriots for whom the world without Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov, Chaliapin and Hkhvorostovsky, Tupolev and Sikorsky, Rodnina and Kharlamov would be imperfect. The Russian world is a kind of noosphere, so to say, which includes both East and West. Rudyard Kipling once said ‘East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” but in Russia, as in the Lobachevskian Geometry, those that cannot meet nevertheless do meet.[15]

An active promoter of the Russian world concept in the international information space is the Russkiy Mir Foundation and its centres overseas. It is noteworthy that the annual Assemblies of the Russian World are held on November 3, on the eve of the Day of National Unity. The Foundation, whose main task is to support and promote the Russian language worldwide, also implements the principle of moving to the future in line with a continuous historical tradition, focusing on new generations of the international community of the Russian world in all its diversity and uniqueness. Vyacheslav Nikonov, Executive Director of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, speaking at the opening of the Third Assembly of the Russian World in the MSU Intellectual Centre in 2009, said,

The Russian world is not a memory of the past, but a dream of the future of people belonging to a great culture, who are acutely responsive to injustice, who care about notions of honour, service, who are constantly striving for freedom.[16]

The concept of the unified cultural and spiritual space of the Russian world is extremely important for the further development of the domestic and foreign policy of the Russian Federation on compatriots abroad. It has been formulated for quite a long period of time. Obviously, the ideological and cultural gap that existed for decades cannot be bridged overnight. In the 1990s, when the Soviet historiography in Russia was being revised, including the period of the revolution and the Russian civil war, of the topic of the ideological confrontation between the USSR and Russian emigration remained highly politicized among the intelligentsia both at home and abroad. The dialogue with the Russian community living far abroad began to reach a qualitatively new, constructive level, when the Russian intellectual environment, education, and enlightenment systems and mass media established modern approaches to the Russian history which sought to create an objective picture of the historical process through a civilized and tolerant scientific discourse.

The visit of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in November 2000 to Sainte-Genevieve-des-Bois Russian Cemetery near Paris was a symbolic step in this direction. The Russian President laid wreaths at the graves of Vika Obolenskaya, a prominent member of the French Resistance movement, and the great Russian writer Ivan Bunin. Standing at the graves of the White movement participants, Vladimir Putin expressed the sentiment that was later widely reported in the press: “We are children of the same mother, Russia, and it’s time for us to unite.” In 2003, during a meeting with representatives of the Russian emigration, again in France, at the Hotel de Ville in Paris, President of Russia Vladimir Putin reiterated that the memory of the tragic events endured by our country should become the basis for joint fruitful work of the Russian nationals and compatriots abroad for the benefit of the future Russia. The same idea was put forward in the opening speech of Vladimir Putin before the participants of the 4th World Congress of Compatriots in Moscow on October 26, 2012:

You share a common concern for Russia’s future and its people, a commitment to be useful to your historical homeland, to promote its socioeconomic development and strengthen its international authority and prestige.[17]

In fact, the same call was addressed to the citizens of Russia and their compatriots living abroad, the appeal for a consensus and unification on the basis of a common goal which is the peace and prosperity of the Motherland, regardless of political views, religious beliefs, professional interests, etc. It is on the same basis that a modern course of the development of relations between Russia and the Russian community abroad at the state and social level is being shaped. This course is aimed at cooperation in the present and the future.

At a meeting with historians in Tyumen, Chairman of the Russian Historical Society Sergey Naryshkin also discussed the topic of historical understanding of the events of the revolution of 1917 and the ensuing civil war.

I believe that the centennial celebrations in 2017 should result in a deep reflection on the lessons learned and become a tribute to the memory of our ancestors regardless of their political beliefs. There should be no belated settling of accounts and division into who was right and who was wrong,’ said Naryshkin. ‘The revolution’s contemporaries have long been gone: both the heroes and the perpetrators on both sides. A century is enough to see those events not as a reason to split the society, but as a historical event, “a fact of biography”.’[18]

The participants of the V World Congress of Compatriots said they were seeking an informed, objective assessment of the events of the past. They also discussed a project aimed at building a National Reconciliation monument to the centenary of the October Revolution. Prince Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky, who offered this idea, stressed in his speech that there could be no unity without tolerance and reconciliation.[19]

A number of important thoughts on the vision of national history were expressed in the community of Russian compatriots at the VI Assembly of the Russian World, held on November 3, 2012 in Moscow under the motto Russian language and Russian history. The Director of the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences Yuri Petrov, summing up the discussion on the Year of Russian History, stressed that the diversity of views in the scientific community is undoubtedly necessary for the development of scientific knowledge, but the pluralism of opinions does not cancel the task of developing coordinated positions on key issues in the Russian history:

Unlike the elites, in science, not only diversity is not prohibited, but even welcomed. All this is good,’ said Yuri Petrov. ‘But I believe we need a new national history, and the Institute of Russian History has suggested such an initiative. We have spearheaded this project which should unite all experts on Russian history including Russian nationals, members of the Russian world, and the best foreign professionals.[20]

The world of Russian compatriots abroad is undoubtedly socially and politically heterogeneous when it comes to the historical retrospective and modern events in Russia and abroad. This heterogeneity often affects the internal life of Russian-speaking communities, leads to controversy and disputes, instability in the composition of coordination councils and other representative bodies in a given country, etc. At the same time, almost all institutional structures of Russia Abroad (Russian Centers, schools, clubs, etc.) directly engage with Rossotrudnichestvo and institutions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, representative offices of the Russkiy Mir Foundation, or with public organizations close to Russia in spirit and nature of their activities.

Currently, of the development of the public life in Russia shows an increase in activity and number of people participating in cultural and historical associations addressing the consolidation of the Russian society, including the continuity of traditions within the Russian culture in all their diversity and complexity. This trend also creates new opportunities for widening the dialogue with the world of Russian compatriots living abroad. At present, the historical retrospective and modern life of the Russian foreign countries are reflected in the activities of the leading public associations of national figures of science, culture, and enlightenment, i. e. the Russian Historical Society (RHS), the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS), the Russian Society of Historians and Archivists (ROIA), the Russian Society Znanie and the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (IPPO). Their close ties with the Russian community abroad are based on a common determination to restore and preserve historical memory and cultural traditions covering all chronological and territorial flows of the Russian “time river.” Most of these societies have their prototypes in well-known pre-revolutionary scientific and cultural organizations with high reputation in the scientific world. Thus, the Imperial Russian Historical Society (IRHS), founded in 1866 in St. Petersburg, united not only famous historians, but also high military and civil officials who contributed to the study of the Russian history and archaeology. In 1909–1917, the IRHS was chaired by Grand Duke Nikolai Mikhailovich, who was executed by the Bolsheviks in Petrograd in 1919. Other members of the IRHS dissolved after the revolution were also repressed. Thus, for the Russian scientific emigration, the Imperial Russian Historical Society was not only part of the corporate tradition, but was also surrounded by an aura of memories of the tragic days when the empire collapsed.

There have been three attempts by the Russian community abroad to revive the Russian Historical Society. It was spearheaded by an outstanding historian Yevgeny Shmurlo (1853–1934), a representative of the St. Petersburg Sergei Platonov’s historical school, author of scientific works and documentary publications on the history of Russia during the era of Peter the Great, the Russian-Italian relations and the contacts between Russia and the Vatican in the 17th century, etc. By 1917, Yevgeny Shmurlo was a member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in the category of historical and political sciences, the Russian Geographical and Archaeological societies, the Historical Society at the St. Petersburg University and several provincial academic archive commissions. In emigration, Shmurlo was among the leaders of the Russian historical science abroad, participating in the work of the Academic Council and Academic Commission of the Russian Foreign Historical Archive, the philological department of the Russian Academic Board and the Russian Academic Group in Czechoslovakia. In 1925–1932, he headed the Russian Historical Society in Prague, which operated under the auspices of the Union of Russian Academic Organizations Abroad. His successor for two years was Aleksandr Kizevetter (1866–1933), a graduate of the Moscow University, student of Vasiliy Klyuchevsky and Pavel Vinogradov, one of the leading specialists in the history of the 18th century Russia. He was also a politician, a member of the Central Committee of the Constitutional Democratic Party and a member of the second State Duma. In Prague, in the 1920s and 1930s, Kizevetter gave lectures at Charles University and at emigrant institutions, i. e. the Russian Law Department and the People’s University. The emigrant RHS also included Petr Struve, Venedikt Miakotin, Antoniy Florovsky, Georgiy Florovsky, and other representatives of the Russian humanitarian science who lived in Czechoslovakia in the interbellum. It was

an association of intellectuals, the elite of Russian historical science, who in difficult circumstances of emigration remained faithful to the cause of all their lives: historical science. The main focus of their activities within the framework of the RHS was the preparation of collections of scientific works, i. e. “Notes of the Russian Historical Society in Prague”. In 1940, the activities of the RHS were banned by the German occupation authorities, and its chairman Antoniy Florovsky was arrested.

In 1937, a group of Russian scientists in San Francisco came up with an idea of recreating the Russian Historical Society in America, and a year later an edition of “Notes” was issued. The RHS in San Francisco was a predecessor of the famous Museum of Russian Culture, which was founded in 1948 and played an extremely important role in collecting the historical and cultural heritage of the Russian emigration in the United States. In the early 1990s, another attempt was made by a small group of enthusiasts in the United States to revive the Russian Historical Society. Under its auspices two additional volumes of the “Russian Biographical Dictionary” were published to be discontinued in 1917. On National Unity Day, November 4, 2004, the Russian Historical Society Abroad announced the resumption of its activities at home; Petr Aleksandrov-Derkachenko was elected as Chairman. (Currently, the Russian Historical Society Abroad has an office in Moscow and is a member of the Russian Historical Society).

The Imperial Russian Military Historical Society (IRMHS), founded in 1907, united military historians, including representatives of officers and generals, archivists, publishers, museologists. Cavalry General Dmitriy Scalon was elected Chairman of the Council of IRHMS. In 1912, he was replaced by Lieutenant General Nikolai Mikhnevich. Both served as Chief of General Staff, which ensured a high level of official and personal interaction of the IRMHS Council with the army, administrative and scientific institutions. The Society saw its task in studying and promoting the military history of Russia, including publication of scientific works, memoirs, epistolary sources and other documentary materials of military history; the search and archaeological research of places of battles; immortalizing the memory of Russian soldiers; the creation and arrangement of military history museums, collection of uniforms, weapons, awards, banners, and other paraphernalia. Periodicals published by IRMHS, i. e. the Journal of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society, Works of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society and Notes of the department of military archaeology and archeography, were popular among military intellectuals and a wide range of readers interested in military history. The active work of the Society was curtailed with the beginning of World War I, when most of its members went to the front, and in 1917 it officially ceased to exist. A number of its members, while in exile, continued their military-historical works, which became part of the scientific heritage of the Russian world, and in 1990-2000s entered the national scientific information space.

It should be noted that in pre-revolutionary Russia there were other military scientific societies engaged in historical research. Thus, in 1898, in St. Petersburg, a group of officers established the Society of Military Knowledge Zealots, headed by military historian Colonel Aleksandr Myshlayevsky. Later, the Society’s branches were established in Riga, Vilna, Minsk, Suvalki, Chuguyev, Khabarovsk, Tiflis, Libav, Samarkand, Ashgabat and Warsaw. The Society of Military Knowledge Zealots in its classes and publications dealt mainly with issues of military theory in connection with the military conflicts of the time, namely the Anglo-Boer War, the Boxing Uprising in China, the Russian-Japanese War, etc., but there were also reports on military historical topics.

In the 1920s and 1930s, in most centres of Russian emigration in Europe, the U. S. and China, there were officer societies and unions the participants of which studied various problems of military history and prepared documentary publications and memoirs. The scope of their interests mainly included understanding of the events and results of the First World War of 1914–1918 and the Civil War of 1917–1922 in Russia with the majority of emigrant officers and generals being veterans of these conflicts. The military press of the Russian community abroad, for example La Sentinelle magazine, bulletin of the Gallipoli Society, etc., covered the outcomes of their scientific and creative activities. Later, in 1950-1970s in Paris, there was the Society of Russian Military Antiquities Enthusiasts, which published 50 issues of the Military Historical Bulletin. Thus, the traditions of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society and other military scientific associations of the tsarist Russia became an important part of the corporate culture of the Russian military emigration, its scientific and publishing heritage, and found their continuation in the activities of modern Russian historical and cultural organizations like the RMHS and the Russian Historical Society.

Numerous members of the pre-revolutionary Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society also found themselves in exile after 1917. In particular, the grandfather of Nikita Lobanov-Rostovsky, the Deputy Chairman of the International Council of Russian Compatriots (ICRC), was Treasurer of the Society before the revolution. At the same time, the Palestinian society continued to exist as a research orientalist structure within the system of the USSR Academy of Sciences. (In 1992, it was returned the former name and functions of the manager of pilgrimage trips of Russians to the Holy Land).

Accordingly, the management and the members of these organizations hold dear both their own, corporate historical tradition, and the very idea of preserving historical memory, including the objective interpretation of documentary evidence of the past, recovering the memory of forgotten names and dates, the protection of national history from accidental distortion and intentional falsification.

The acknowledgment of the Russia Abroad by the public as an integral part of Russian history and an important component of cultural and scientific life in modern Russia has become one of the tasks of the Russian Historical Society is a. In the summer of 2012, ITAR-TASS circulated a statement by the State Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin about the upcoming revival of the RHS:

Creating, or rather recreating, the Russian Historical a decision long overdue. We must do everything to ensure that events under its auspices are not diurnal, but a basis for sustainable traditions. The same was once attempted by our predecessors from the Imperial Russian Historical Society.

Sergey Naryshkin also stressed that the emigrant period in the history of RHS deserves special attention and respect, because “even in those difficult circumstances, members of the Society did a lot to preserve our historical memory.” This message was posted on the Russkiy Mir portal and in the Russian-speaking foreign media.[21]

On June 20, 2012, the Reception House of the Government of the Russian Federation held the first meeting of the Russian Historical Society, with T1 leading Russian educational, scientific and cultural institutions, research funds, and mass media as its founders. The meeting was attended by heads of federal executive bodies, members of the Council of Federation, members of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, representatives of public organizations and the scientific and expert community. The Speaker of the State Duma Sergey Naryshkin, elected Chairman of the RHS, noted that an important task for the Historical Society will be ‘strengthening ties with compatriots abroad. Among other things, to preserve the memory of those who found themselves abroad in the aftermath of the revolution and civil war. And also – to return relics and documents directly related to landmark historical events back to our country.’[22] In his speech, Sergey Naryshkin also emphasized the importance of updating the experience of the past decades and its relevance in the process of modern development of Russia and the Russian world.

The main activity of the RHS as the largest and most reputable association of intellectual elites is to support the most significant educational and scientific projects, including those concerned with the development of international cultural dialogue within the Russian world. Since its creation, the RHS and, personally, its Chairman Sergey Naryshkin, have taken an active part in developing cultural dialogue with the world of Russian compatriots abroad, such as holding international conferences and round tables, preparing for historical, documentary, and art exhibitions related to the topic of Russian emigration in 19th-20th centuries and today’s Russian community abroad.

With the support of the RHS, international-level projects involving representatives of the Russian community abroad are being implemented in various cities of Russia, for instance the Franco-Russian workshop “France-Russia, 1914–1918: from alliance to cooperation” held in 2014 in Yaroslavl. On October 20, 2015, a self-titled collection of the workshop outcomes was presented in the residence of the Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Paris.

Scientific and information work of the RHS involves publication of new books on historical subjects, including studies in the held of history of the Russian community abroad, as well as reprints of masterpieces of science and social thought of the Russian emigration of 19th and 20th centuries. So, for example, the RHS website regularly posts information about the books by Kuchkovo Pole Publishing released under its auspices.

The fact that a topic related to the Russian community abroad has so much importance for the RHS is due not only to the conceptual framework for its work, but also to the presence of organizations and establishments directly connected with the world of Russian compatriots living abroad that are among its founders, such as Russkiy Mir Foundation, the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society, the Russian Historical Society Abroad etc. The list of legal entities that are members of the RHS includes the Institute of Russian History of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Lomonosov Moscow State University and Russian State University for the Humanities which have centres for studies on Russian history and culture of Russian community abroad. The members of the Russian Historical Society are Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad, the Russian Book Union and a number of other organizations engaged in dissemination of Russian books and other cultural and educational activities abroad. Besides, there are plans under way to establish the RHS structures in the Near and Far Abroad. In June 2015, during a meeting of Russian and Belarusian historians at Yanka Kupala State University of Grodno, a proposal was made to set up a representative office of the Russian Historical Society at the University of Grodno. The idea was supported by the Chairman of the RHS Sergey Naryshkin, State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota and the entire scientific and historical community. The activities of the RHS branch in Belarus that are to be managed by the Faculty of History, Communication and Tourism of Yanka Kupala State University and the Russian State University for the Humanities will certainly play a positive role in expanding the involvement of Russian compatriots living in Belarus in historical and cultural events and in spreading historical knowledge.

The Decree of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin No.1710 of December 29, 2012 established the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS). It inherited the most important functions and activities of the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society that existed before the Russian Revolution. According to the RMHS Charter, its objectives are “to consolidate the forces of State and society in studying Russia’s military and historical past, to promote the study of Russian military history, to counter attempts to distort it, to ensure the popularization of achievements in military and historical science, to foster patriotism, to improve the status of military service and to preserve the objects of military and historical cultural heritage.” The Minister of Culture of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky was elected Chairman of the RMHS at the Founding Congress held on March 14, 2013 in the Museum of the Great Patriotic War on Poklonnaya Hill. Among the members of the Council of the RMHS are the Minister of Defense Sergey Shoigu, the Minister of the Interior Vladimir Kolokoltsev, heads of several other ministries and departments, as well as representatives of large businesses known for their charity in the held of culture and art: Renova Group CEO Viktor Vekselberg, JSFC Sistema major shareholder Vladimir Yevtushenkov, Chairman of the Management Board of JSC Transneft Nikolay Tokarev, St Andrew the First-Called Foundation Chairman Vladimir Yakunin et al.

In his address to the participants of the RMHS Founding Congress, President Vladimir Putin said, inter alia:

It is very nice that today, the work of similar organizations is being revived. As you know, we already have active Orthodox Palestinian Society, Russian Geographical Society, Russian Historical Society, and now we have Russian Military Historical Society as well. Many of you worked actively in these areas even before this Society was revived, and up to this day. Now, I will have the pleasure of fulfilling my honourable duty as head of state in presenting many of you with state decorations, certificates of merit for your practical labours in all these areas, which are highly important for our state. I am referring to your care for our military in search parties and archives, holding large-scale patriotic events – the awards recognize your efforts, your active civic patriotic positions.[23]

At the beginning of the 20th century, the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society and the Imperial Russian Historical Society have taken an active part in museum, memorial, and publication work undertaken in Russia on the occasion of the centenary of the Patriotic War of 1812. Nowadays, a large-scale program of scientific and cultural events dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the Patriotic War of 1812 has united the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military Historical Society, the Russian Society of Historical Archivists and a number of historical and memorial organizations both in Russia and abroad. Thus, today the idea of a single “chain of times” connecting different eras of the Russian history is indeed reflected in the activities of the RHS, RMHS, and RSHA, including in terms of their predecessors’ historical experience in the fields of science and education.

The organizational structure of the Russian Military-Historical Society comprises the Russian Cossack Mission in the USA, which coordinates the interaction between the RMHS with the World Cossack Association (WCA) and various corporate, museum and memorial organizations of the Cossack emigration, such as the Kuban Cossacks Corporation (New Jersey), the Cossack People’s Union (California). This includes joint commemorative events related to the history of Russian Cossacks and the return of Cossack relics and archives to their homeland. The Cossack People’s Union is officially a partner of the RMHS. In October 2015, Alexander Pevnev, the Ataman of the Kuban Cossacks in the USA, and Valery Annenkov, the RMHS Commissioner for Cossack Affairs in the USA, arrived in Novocherkassk to participate in the Fifth World Cossack Congress and brought with them the Icon of the New Martyrs of Russia, which was to be given to one of the churches in a village of Kaletvin province of the Rostov region as a gift from the emigrant Cossacks. The RMHS Commissioner for Cossack Affairs in the United States also managed to reach an agreement with the World Cossack Association regarding the transfer to Russia of a set of Cossack periodicals that were published in 1920s-1950s in Prague, Paris, and New York and have been maintained in WCA’s archives. As reported on the RMHS website, the head of the World Cossack Association Vasily Lyashko expressed his hope that ‘the transfer of Cossack magazines from the U. S. to Russia is one of the steps within the framework of the collaboration between the RMHS and the WCA on the basis of the previously adopted Treaty on joint activities of the RMHS and the WCA.’[24]

The Russian Cossack Mission in the USA is not only a participant, but also an organizer of the most important events of the Cossack community abroad. On January 7, 2016, for instance, a conference dedicated to one of the most significant events in Russian military history (the manifesto of Alexander I on the expulsion of Napoleon’s troops from Russia in 1812) was held in the premises of the Cossack museum and club “New Kuban” (New Jersey, USA) by the RMHS office in the USA. The conference timed to coincide with the Orthodox Christmas was attended by military historians and representatives of Cossack and other Russian American organizations. The ties with the Russian community living abroad are strengthened through the partnership between the RMHS, the Scouts Federation Galitskaya Rus and the Center for Development of Relations between the Autonomous Province of Bolzano and Russia n. a. Nadezhda Borodina.

Today, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society is also a center for creative interaction between a wide range of scientific, cultural and educational personalities of Russia and the Russian world. In 1990, the International Conference on “Russia and Palestine: cultural and religious ties, past present and future” was held in Moscow, while a group of employees of the Russian Palestine Society of the USSR Academy of Sciences visited the Holy Land for the first time in quite a long time. These events marked the beginning of the revival of Orthodox pilgrimage that became one of key topics in the process of general ideological and socio-cultural transformation of the Russian society, and also in the context of a dialogue with Russian emigrants, who showed keen interest in events of church life in Russia and resumed visits to the Holy Land. The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (the IOPS) restored its historical name in 1992, having gained a wide popularity and public credibility, which subsequently contributed to the expansion of its multiple organizational, scientific and cultural ties with the Russian world, as well as with Russia-based organizations and agencies promoting cooperation with Russians living abroad. This process was promoted through Israeli authorities’ support to the activities of the IOPS as a whole and of its branches established in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in 2005. In 2008, the government of Israel made an official decision to transfer ownership of Sergey’s Courtyard, which housed the Jerusalem branch of the IOPS, to the Russian Federation. These events coincided with the final stage of canonical reunification between the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, which gave additional impetus for the Russian emigration to get closer to Russian religious and cultural institutions abroad, including the IOPS structures.

The Jerusalem branch of the IOPS is essential for establishing and developing scientific interaction between Russian scientists (historians, orientalists, biblical scholars) and their Israeli counterparts, including those representing the Russian-speaking community in Israel. Representatives of the IOPS branch in Jerusalem collaborate with specialists from the University of Jerusalem and the Ben Zvi Institute conducting research on the history and culture of the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but also with those from the School of Tourism in Haifa and several other educational institutions where IOPS staff give lectures to professors and academic personnel.

Since 2014, the IOPS branch in Jerusalem has been continuously cooperating with the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, including through courses on “The Russian Trail in Jerusalem” for Israeli tour guides. The Sergius Readings named to honour the memory of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich and dedicated to the history of the Holy Land, as well as the history of the IOPS itself are one of the forms of cultural and educational work of the IOPS Jerusalem branch. These lectures are a modern version of the Palestinian readings for pilgrims that the IOPS has been conducting before the Russian Revolution. Pilgrims, representatives of the Orthodox Church, scientists and artists from Israel, Russia, and the CIS countries take part in them, and as a result we can consider the Sergius Readings in Jerusalem as another platform for intellectual dialogue within the global system of the Russian world. For example, the Sergius Readings in February 2014 were attended by the participants of the 7th session of the Chief Editors Club of the CIS, Baltic States, and Georgia.[25]

The activities of the IOPS are carried out in line with Russia’s general foreign policy aimed at strengthening peace in the Middle East and expanding economic and cultural cooperation with the states of the region. Strengthening ties with Russian-speaking communities and programs promoting Russian language and culture abroad make a significant contribution to this end. The IOPS is directly involved in the preparation and implementation of such programs. Thus, the Russian Centre for Science and Culture (RCSC) was inaugurated in June 2012 in Bethlehem in the presence of the Russian President Vladimir Putin. One of its premises was allocated to the office of the IOPS Bethlehem branch. The Center foundation and development project was implemented thanks to the collaboration between Rossotrudnichestvo, institutions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation and the Palestinian Society through the sponsorship of Rosneft.

On July 3, 2012, the Voice of Russia broadcasted a conversation of Konstantin Kosachev, Head of Rossotrudnichestvo and Russian President’s Special Envoy for relations with CIS member-states, and Sergey Stepashin, Chairman of the IOPS and the Russian Book Union. This meeting was held on the occasion of the opening of the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Palestine and was devoted to the role of Russian books in shaping the international image of Russia, as well as to cultural opportunities as a tool for exercising geopolitical influence. ‘Our center in Bethlehem,” said Konstantin Kosachev, ‘is a freestanding building in the historic center of Bethlehem with an area of more than 3 thousand meters. It is a two-storey building with large exhibition spaces, a concert hall, a choreography class and a music class. Of course, there are three classes for Russian lessons. There is everything that must be in a Russian cultural and scientific center.’ The head of Rossotrudnichestvo also emphasized that the RCSC in Palestine is a very timely and relevant institution, since about 3 thousand Russian citizens and several tens of thousands of Russian compatriots, including about 15 thousand graduates of Soviet and Russian universities live in this region. ‘This center will definitely attract not dozens, but hundreds, maybe even thousands of people every day,’ said Konstantin Kosachev. ‘In my opinion, no less important is the fact that this center emerged (I believe this is the first experience of the kind) as a unique model of public-private partnership,’[26] he added. Russian compatriots are particularly attracted by one of the units of the RCSC, namely by the library of Russian classical and modern books designed to store 3.5 thousand volumes, most of which had been brought to Bethlehem for the opening of the Center. The Russian Book Union, Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library, Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad and Rossotrudnichestvo acted as philanthropists who gave books to the newly established RCSC.

In March 2013, a memorable capsule was laid in the foundation of the first secondary school in Palestine with the study of Russian as the main foreign language. The ceremony was attended by the President of the IOPS, Sergey Stepashin. The IOPS carries out similar work in cooperation with agencies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia, cultural organizations of Russian compatriots abroad, Orthodox episcopates and parishes in Egypt, Lebanon and other Christian countries of Early Christianity that traditionally attract the interest of pilgrims and tourists from Russia and the Russian world. The IOPS is also actively involved in the international social movement for protecting Christian population and international cultural heritage in Syria and other countries of the Middle East against attacks by Islamist terrorist groups, The participants emphasize that the opening of a Russian school in Palestine is important not only as a sign of respect for the traditions (before the Russian Revolution the IOPS managed 100 schools for Palestinian children there), but also as a factor for increasing Russia’s international standing.

On December 2, 2013, the Centre of Russian Culture in Tallinn hosted the opening ceremony of the Imperial Palestinian Orthodox Society’s branch in Estonia. A delegation from the Moscow branch of the association took part in the event. The opening of the IOPS office in the Estonian capital on December, 5 was also timed to coincide with the commemoration day of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexy II (Ridiger), who for many years was the Chairman of the IOPS Honorary Members Committee. This event was enthusiastically welcomed by Russian-speaking Estonian intellectuals, who perceived a newly established Estonian branch of the IOPS as another important dimension of cultural cooperation with Russia and the Russian world, and also as a contribution to the revival of spiritual traditions within the local Russian community. (In 1920s-1930s Estonia was an important centre of life for Russian Orthodox compatriots living abroad, while later on, Pühtitsa Convent remained one of the few active monasteries in the USSR). The IOPS contributed to the restoration of several Orthodox churches, the expansion of cultural, educational, and publishing activities targeting the Russian-speaking population, the increase in the number of tourists and pilgrims, which is also of great economic importance for Russian-speaking Estonians. In connection with the opening of the Estonian branch of the IOPS headed by the entrepreneur Alexander Volokhonsky, a photo exhibition on the history of Russian Palestine, prepared by George the Victorious Charitable Foundation in Estonia, was held. In April 2014, this exhibition moved to Narva Museum, where it also aroused great interest among Russian compatriots.

In Russia, the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society supports research, publishing, museum, and exhibition projects, including those related to the history and culture of the Russia abroad. The cooperation between the IOPS and Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad, which supports its organizational activities, exhibitions, presentations of the IOPS publications, etc. is quite characteristic. On 3 June 2014, Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad hosted a meeting of the Third Conference of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. (Since 2008, the Conference is the supreme governing body of the IOPS). In the lobby of the House of Russia Abroad a photo exhibition was held by the full member of the IOPS Vladimir Shelgunov with art photos of landscapes and memorable places of the Holy Land. The exhibition also had a IOPS souvenir shop. An address of the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov, honorary member of the Imperial Orthodox Palestinian Society, was read out at the opening of the Conference, stating, inter alia, the following:

IOPS’s activities, as the oldest community organization of our country, make a significant contribution to the strengthening of cultural and humanitarian ties between the peoples of Russia and the Middle East… The Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to provide the Society all kinds of support in the implementation of its plans, which are envisaged to contribute to the reinforcement of Russia’s ties with the Holy Land, the establishment of the objective image of our country in the Middle East, and the promotion of an inter-sectarian and inter-inter-civilizationaldialogue.[27]

In April 2015, the Alexander Solzhenitsyn House of Russia Abroad held an exhibition “Russians in Lebanon” to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Lebanon. The exhibition was organized by the House of Russia Abroad, the Russian Center for Science and Culture in Beirut and the Lebanese Cultural Orthodox Imperial Society, with the support of the Embassy of the Russian Federation in the Lebanese Republic, the Embassy of the Lebanese Republic in the Russian Federation and the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. The exhibition presented unique artifacts from Lebanese and Russian archives, museums, libraries, and private collections related to Russian travelers visiting Lebanon, as well as the lives and activities of Russian diplomats, sailors, scientists, and entrepreneurs in Lebanon in the 19th and 20th centuries, including the life of the Russian community of Beirut, which primarily consisted of the first wave of Russian emigrants and their descendants. A separate section of the exhibition was devoted to the cultural and educational activities of the IOPS in Lebanon, including the Madaris Moscobiyeh (Moscow schools), which are still remembered with gratitude by the Lebanese intellectuals (many graduates of these schools now belong to the intellectual elite of the country). The concept of the exhibition and selection of exhibits was developed by representatives of the community of Russian compatriots in Lebanon, headed by Tatiana Baher (Kuvasheva), who had dedicated many years to the study of historical and cultural heritage of Russians in Lebanon. Speaking at the opening of the exhibition, the Director of the House of Russia Abroad Viktor Moskvin emphasized the role of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in the preparation and implementation of this project.

The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society acts as an additional link between the diasporas of the Russian world in Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, France and other countries where Russian diasporas have preserved Orthodox pilgrimage traditions. For example, in October 2015, Sergei Stepashin visited the Russian House (Russian Centre of Science and Culture) in Belgrade to discuss the prospects for joint cultural and educational activities between IOPS and the Russian Centre of Science and Culture in Serbia. The Palestine Society enjoys well-deserved authority among the intellectual elite of the Russian community abroad, enabling its members to contribute to the further successful cooperation within the global Russian world, in particular, relying on the leading international organizations of the Russian community abroad.

The IOPS periodicals (Orthodox Palestinian Collection and The Messenger of Jerusalem), research projects, international conferences held under the auspices of the Palestinian society are of great interest to many Russian compatriots abroad, both for theological scholars and artists who belong to the intellectual elite and for a wider Russian-speaking community.

In November 2015, the Chair of IOPS Sergei Stepashin held a meeting with an eminent representative of Russia abroad, Count Pyotr Sheremetev, Honorary President and Member of the Board of the International Council of Russian Compatriots and Rector of the Sergei Rachmaninoff Russian Conservatory of Paris. In 1960-1970s, Pyotr Sheremetev became renowned as an architect who designed a number of buildings in France and in the capitals of Arab countries. As a representative of the Russian emigrant community, Pyotr Sheremetev made significant efforts to preserve monuments of culture and art: in particular, he contributed to the decision of Paris authorities to allocate 1.2 million francs for the restoration of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the center of the Orthodox community in the Russian Paris. In 1979, he visited the USSR for the first time, and in 2002 he was granted Russian citizenship by Decree of the President of Russia Vladimir Putin. As one of the leaders of the International Council of Russian Compatriots, Pyotr Sheremetev took part in the International Congresses of Russian Compatriots and various events dedicated to memorable dates and outstanding figures of Russian history. The topics discussed during the meeting included the patriotic education of the youth in Russia and abroad, as well as the prospects of opening an office of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society in Paris.

Many events held by IOPS coincide with the memorable dates of Russian history, which are traditionally of particular importance for the Russian communities in distant foreign countries, such as the 400th anniversary of the House of Romanov (2013) and so forth. The IOPS representatives take part in various memorial historical and cultural events together with the Russian Historical Society, the Russian Military Historical Society and Russian compatriots abroad. The opening of a monument to Oleg Konstantinovich Romanov in Tsarskoye Selo in September 2015 was one of such events with the participation of the heads of the IOPS, the Russian Military Historical Society, and a number of other public associations in Russia and Russia abroad, members of the House of Romanov, and others.

Today RHS, RMHS, and IOPS bring together representatives of supreme governing and administrative bodies of Russia, as well as prominent scholars, artists, and cultural figures, who actively contribute to their management, agenda development and specific activities. This highlights the importance of their activities for the society and expands their organizational capacity. At the same time, these associations are in constant interaction with a wide range of Russian intellectuals, the army, the youth, the Orthodox clergy, etc., acting as organizers and participants of scientific conferences and public forums, various historical and memorial events, cultural and educational lectures, concerts. In doing so, they actively cooperate with each other on the aforementioned activities and long-term projects, as well as through individual and collective membership. As for the dialogue with the Russian world, it is also developing through the cooperation of the RHS, RMHS and IOPS with like-minded organizations sharing similar interests and having permanent strong ties with foreign compatriots.

Thus, at present one of the central themes of the dialogue between the state and public structures of the Russian Federation and Russia abroad is the emergence of a national historical consciousness in Russia. The importance of this aspect for the cooperation with Russia abroad has been repeatedly emphasized at various international events. Thus, for example, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov, speaking at the IV World Congress of Compatriots, said:

At the stage of the steep change in international relations and the formation of a polycentric world order the task of preserving of the historical memory of the Russian world and its transmission to younger generations is especially important. We appreciate the initiative of the country organizations of compatriots on the conducting of the events dedicated to the memorable dates in Russian history, such as the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 celebrated this year. The work to counter attempts to falsify history, revise the results of World War II, desecration of the memory of the winners of fascism, glorification of the Nazis and their accomplices remains fully valid.

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Примечания

1

Contribution of Russian compatriots to sciences and culture in foreign countries: collection of writings (2013) Moscow.

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2

Address by the President of the Russian Federation Mr Vladimir Putin to the 6th World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad. (2018, October 3). Retrieved from http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/59003

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3

Pivovar, E. (2000). The Russian Abroad in the 19th and early 20th century: certain results from the research. Historical notes, No. 3 (121), 237–253; Pivovar, E. (2004) The study of and the academic course on the history of the Russian community abroad in higher education institutions in the 1990s: experience, challenges, future. In Historical science and education at the turn of the century. Moscow;

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Pivovar, E. (2011). The Russian community abroad in global intellectual environment in the 20th and early 21st centuries. In Advantage of a historian: commemorating the 90th anniversary of the birth of Yuri Polyakov, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (pp. 40–63). ROSSPAN.;

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Post-Soviet space. Policies, economy, culture. (2009). Eurasia: information and analytics bulletin No. 1; Post-Soviet space. The Eurasian idea in the 21st century: new development vector. (2009). Special issue commemorating the 15th anniversary of the Eurasian idea in the CIS; etc.

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Speech by Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev at the VI Assembly of the Russian World in Moscow (2012, November 3). The official website of the Russian Government. Retrieved from http://government.ru/news/6346/

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Dialogue with Russian-speaking scientists working abroad. Retrieved from http://dialog.extech.ru/index.php?mlevel=1

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Sadovnichiy, V., Yakovleva, Y., Akaeva, A. (Eds.) (2014). Prospects and Strategic Priorities for the Rise of the BRICS. (Scientific report for the VII BRICS Summit).

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Pivovar, E. (2016) Eurasian Integration Project in the Former Soviet Union: Prerequisites, Formation, Development. Aleteya.

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Transcript of the meeting of Vladimir Putin, President of Russia with the authors of the new history textbook concept. Moscow, the Kremlin. (2014, January 16). Retrieved from http: www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/200071

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11

Ibid.

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12

Concept of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation. Moscow 2000, June 28 (2004). In A. D. Bogaturov’s (Ed.) Systemic History of International Relations in four volumes 1918–2003, V.4. Documents (pp. 538–539), Moscow.

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Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly (2018, March 1) Retrieved from http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/56957

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O. Zharenova, N. Kechil, E. E. Pahomov (2002) Intellectual migration of Russians: Near and far abroad. Moscow

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Speech by Alexei Lobanov, Director of “Svetoch,” the Orthodox Charitable Society for the Development of Education and Culture in Kazakhstan, ex-chairman of the World Coordination Council at the V World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad (2015, November 5) Retrieved from http://vksrs.com/publications/vystuplenie-alekseya-lobanova-na-v-vsemirnom-kongresse-sootechestvennikov

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Nikonov, V. N. (2010). Not a memory of the past, but a dream of the future. In V. N. Nikonov (ed.) Meanings and values of the Russian world. Collection of articles and materials of the round tables organized by the Russkiy Mir Foundation (4-14). Moscow: Russkiy Mir Foundation.

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17

Speech by Vladimir Putin before participants of the World Congress of Compatriots (October 26, 2012). Retrieved from the official website of the President of Russia http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/16719

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18

Speech by Sergey Naryshkin at a meeting with historians in Tyumen… Retrieved from the official site of Russian Historical Society http://rushistory.org/vystupleniya-s-e-naryshkina/v-tyumeni-sostoyalas-vstrecha-s-e-naryshkina-s-istorikami-urala.html

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19

The 5th World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad demonstrated the unity of the Russian world. Retrieved from the web-site of the World Congress of Compatriots Living Abroad http://vksrs.com/publications/v-vsemirnyy-kongress-sootechestvennikov-prodemonstriroval-edinstvo-russkogo-mira/

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The 6th Assembly of the Russian World (November 3, 2012,). Discussion “Year of Russian History”: Transcript. (P. 21).

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21

Russkiy Mir Foundation Becomes Cofounder Of Newly Re-Established Russian Historical Society. Retrieved from Russian World foundation website https://www.russkiymir.ru/en/news/128451/

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22

Speech by Sergey Naryshkin, Chairman of the Russian Historical Society at the founding meeting of the Russian Historical Society (June 20, 2012). State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Retrieved from http://duma. gov. ru/news/7018/

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23

Meeting of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin with Founding Congress of the Russian Military Historical Society participants (March 14, 2013). Retrieved from the official website of President of Russia http://www.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/17677

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24

RMHS website. Retrieved from: http://histrf.ru/rvio/soobshestvo/post-2441

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25

Pavel Platonov, Chairman of the Jerusalem branch of the IOPS: “Thanks to IPPO’s activities, Russia’s international standing is enhanced.” Retrieved from The Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. The Jerusalem branch website. http://jerusalem-ippo.org/smi/in/io/20_09

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26

Opening of the Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Palestine. Retrieved from Portal “Russia and compatriots” http://www.russkie.org/index.php? – module=fullitem &id=26252

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27

Address of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov to the participants of the Third Conference of the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society (June 3, 2014). Retrieved from the Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society. The Jerusalem branch website http://ippocyprus.ru/archives/1146

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