Regarding the conceptual foundations of the state ethnic policy in the Russian Federation

The article deals with the topical issue of choosing conceptual approaches to the implementation of the state ethnic policy of the Russian Federation. Using the methods of political and legal analysis, as well as the historical and comparative method, the tasks of classifying theoretical and methodological directions concerning the prospects of determining transformation vectors of the state ethnic policy of the Russian Federation have been solved. Based on the study of the ideas of some Russian scientists, the problem of the Russian policy documents, namely the imperfect conceptual and categorical definition of the main subjects of ethnic policy - ethnic groups and nations, is outlined. A comparative analysis of the State Ethnic Policy Concept of the Russian Federation (1996) and the Strategy of State Ethnic Policy of the Russian Federation for the period until 2025 (2018) has made it possible to establish which of the conceptual approaches in this sphere has been relevant for different periods of Russian history. Two main of them are the unification and multinational approaches, and their key characteristics are presented. It is noted that the modern policy in the national sphere demonstrates a tendency towards the development of the third approach, involving the formation of a complex entity - a civic nation - on the basis of the multi-ethnic population of Russia, according to the principle of integration of peoples while retaining the differentiating features of their national identity.