„Russkij Mir“ – nadnacionální integrační projekt či projev postsovětského imperialismu?

A seemingly new geopolitical term appeared in post-Soviet political discourse during the 90’s of the last century: Russkij Mir (Russian Peace). Generally formulated, this term stands for a large international community of people who share a sense of belonging to Russian culture and Russian language and share a “devotion to the values of Russian civilization”. The formation of the concept of Russkij Mir by the Russian elite and its implementation into politics can be interpreted as the result of efforts to overcome the deep crisis that hit, after the break-up of the Soviet Union, the Russian Federation and other post-Soviet states. Moreover, it can be seen as one of the results of the search for a new Russian identity under new social, political and international conditions that appeared after 1991. The aim of this study is to outline the creation of this important Russian project though a historical sketch and ethnocultural argumentation. Moreover, this study points out its current social relevance by describing examples from Russian, Belarussian and Ukrainian environments.