The head of the FADN spoke about the new Strategy for Ethnic Affairs

The Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs is finalizing work on the Strategy of National Policy of Russia until 2030. The updated document will include amendments to the Constitution, as well as provisions of new strategic documents and current challenges. Igor Barinov, head of the FADN, told Izvestia about this on June 20 on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).

The current document is designed for a period up to and including 2025. The draft text of the new strategy has already been prepared and sent for discussion to the federal executive authorities. It was widely discussed at various venues — in the State Duma, the Federation Council, as well as within the framework of the Presidential Council on Interethnic Relations, Dmitry Barinov said.

"In the current circumstances, this is certainly a key document from the point of view of national security. Our new strategy focuses on strengthening the unity of the multinational people of the Russian Federation while preserving ethnic, cultural and linguistic diversity. All this is aimed at preserving the state and territorial integrity of the country," he stressed.

The structure of the document has become more logical, and the changes made to the Constitution, as well as the provisions of new strategic documents, such as the strategy for countering extremism, have been integrated into its content. Now, according to him, the work is entering the final stage — the strategy will be submitted to the President of the Russian Federation for approval.

The document reflects the current challenges and threats facing the country. Among them are information and psychological effects from the outside and migration processes, which became especially acute after the outbreak of the conflict. Barinov clarified that the proposals of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs were supported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is preparing an updated concept of migration policy by the end of the year.

One of the new and urgent challenges for interethnic relations is the Special Military Operation (SVO). The opponents have focused their efforts in this area, the head of the agency said.

"We have seen how the information occasions have multiplied in the interethnic and interreligious spheres. In fact, not a single ethnic group or religious group is ignored by our opponents. First of all, national actors are experiencing this pressure," said the head of the FADN.

At the same time, the history of Russia, according to Dmitry Barinov, proves that in times of serious difficulties or challenges, people forget about differences, unite and work together to achieve the desired result. Sociological studies confirm that the level of general Russian civic identity is consistently above 90%, he said.

"Guys from all over our country, of different nationalities, of different faiths, are fighting shoulder to shoulder defending the interests of our country in the special military operation zone. And this friendship, interethnic friendship, which is formed on the line of combat deployment, in the trenches, returning home, becomes a part of everyday life," said Barinov.

There were no serious or systemic problems on ethnic grounds in the new subjects. The main risks, according to him, are related to the fact that young people who grew up after the collapse of the Soviet Union were formed in a different educational, informational and cultural environment. Russia's opponents have been working consistently and started it from a very young age, says the head of the FADN. Barinov clarified that work on the formation of civic identity in the new regions is being carried out in several directions at once. Training seminars are organized jointly with the authorities, and representatives of new territories undergo internships at the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs. Special attention is paid to educational work with young people.

Information and psychological influence from Western opponents remains one of the most serious challenges in the field of interethnic relations. In order to be able to respond quickly to such threats, a monitoring system and a situation center were created.

"The system has shown its effectiveness, and we strive to ensure that virtually 100% of possible negative information causes that it identifies are worked out by our employees — sent to the regions or to law enforcement agencies. Because it depends on the speed and accuracy of management decisions on the ground whether the conflict escalates or not," he explained.

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He added that the system is arranged on two levels: one part of it works autonomously, tracking negative information in social networks and blogs, the second is manually controlled by operators and allows them to monitor already known conflict topics and potentially sensitive situations.

In the current conditions, only unity and cohesion can ensure the security of both the largest and the smallest ethnic groups in Russia, Dmitry Barinov emphasized. He added that the world order is rapidly changing, and the security system is being destroyed, and the principle of "whoever is stronger is right" is increasingly operating in the international arena.

"Our opponents are aware that they are losing their global dominance, and they are ready to take any steps to maintain it. That is why interethnic relations in Russia are becoming one of the main targets of their attacks. But we are countering this — together with the regions, with our colleagues," he concluded.