"Soft power" as a tool to block falsification of Russian history abroad

The article considers the factors under the influence of which the history of Russia is distorted and the tools to counter the falsification of historical events are marked. The development of information and communication technologies has contributed to the emergence of new tools of geopolitical struggle. Falsification of history is one of these tools, the ultimate goal of which is to change the historical consciousness of the Russian youth, to undermine the foundations of national statehood. The author analyzes the issues related to the falsification of the history of Russia and the assessment of its victory in the Second World War. The author shows how deliberately the importance of historical events such as the battle of Stalingrad is underestimated. The falsification of the results of the Second World War causes a huge impact to the "historical fund" of Russia and its international authority. “Soft power” is an effective tool capable of torpedoing historical falsifications. “Soft power” involves the use of a set of measures aimed at creating a positive image of Russia abroad, at spreading the values that are rooted in Russia itself and form the basis of its international status. Today such public institutions as Rossotrudnichestvo, Russia Today TV channel, Gorchakov Fund, etc. participate in the formation of a positive image of Russia. However a single center for coordination of their activities has not yet been created. In 2009 at the state level it was decided to create a Commission to counter attempts to falsify history to the detriment of Russia's interests, but for a number of reasons, the Commission's activity was stopped. The article concludes that much attention in promoting the image of Russia should be paid to work with non-governmental organizations, representatives of academia and business communities who are able to create favorable conditions for cooperation and adapt public appeals. A great success in the implementation of Russia's “soft power” abroad would be the use of foreign languages to provide a deep understanding of Russian history to a foreign audience.