Modal verbs in keynote speeches of presidents of Russia (based on presidential address to the federal assembly)

The following article deals with the results of the research of modal adverbs which are considered to be means of expressing modality. Peculiarities of their meanings and functioning, trends of their usage in the keynote speeches of Russian presidents Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev (in the period of 2000 to 2018) are studied. During our research we used the method of content analysis which allowed us producing statistics of the usage of modal adverbs. It also allowed following the tendencies of their usage by presidents in different periods of their terms. Data obtained from the analysis of keynote speeches in 2016 and 2018 were of particular interest. The findings show the connection between the usage of modal adverbs and current political and economic situation in the world.