Distance higher education: a boon for the country or a threat to its national security

The article is devoted to the problems of distance education at a university during a pandemic. Its purpose is to consider all the positive and negative aspects of this phenomenon and determine the own attitude towards it. Guided by the main provisions of the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, it is to establish the connection and the degree of influence of distance higher education on the state of national security of the country. The relevance of the topic in the context of a pandemic is obvious, since a heated discussion arose in society and the educational environment. The article allows to focus on a problem of great theoretical and practical importance. The uniqueness of the article lies in the fact that the problem raised in it is considered at the intersection of the sciences of pedagogy and political science. The author used both traditional and modern research methods used in the analysis of both pedagogical practice at the university and topical issues of national security. The article is addressed to the teaching staff of universities, would be useful to teachers, as well as to everyone who is engaged in the preparation of future specialists. It contains recommendations for theorists and practitioners involved in pedagogical activities, politicians of federal and regional importance for making decisions on the transition of state educational institutions to distance learning, while taking into account not only the risks of the spread of a pandemic in the country and the world, but also possible threats that may arise for the national security of the country in connection with the transition of universities to the distance.