For more than two generations, historians have been asking themselves whether Moscow participated in the organizational and ideological revival of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) in 1951-53. Some authors believe that the Indonesian communists defined the new party strategy and tactics independently from either Moscow or Beijing. Scholars have been eager to know whether Moscow participated directly in the promulgation of the new PKI line. Newly released documents show that Stalin played an active and personal role in the process of discussing and refining a new program for the PKI. The main ideas Stalin expressed during his discussions with the Indonesian Communists were incorporated into the new PKI program adopted in 1954, as well as in articles and speeches of PKI General Secretary Dipa Nusantara Aidit.

USSR and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia didn’t have any diplomatic relations till 1940 from the moment of their creation after the First World War. Belgrade has to change its anticommunist policy only after the fall of France and in 1940 the diplomatic relations were established. Comparing of Russian and Yugoslav diplomats’ biographies and diplomatic activities is an adequate way to understand a role of subjective factor and mutual stereotypes in the further contacts between Moscow and Belgrade.

The article deals with the reasons, why the First World War didn’t leave stable heroic symbols in the historical memory of the Russians and occupied only marginal place. The influence of ideological and political background on the interpretation of the past, the role of the power elite in shaping the aims of the retrospective propaganda. The picture of the military events of 1914 – 1918 in Russian and foreign fiction literature has been given on the comparative basis.

The article deals with the planning activities of the “Armistice Commission” set up under the auspices of the Soviet Commissariat of the Foreign Affairs in September 1943. Headed by Marshal Voroshilov it played a crucial role in working-out the terms of unconditional surrender of Germany which aimed at the creation of a demilitarized, de-nazified democratic German state.

Divisions over recognition of Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s independence put in focus policies towards ethnic minorities, structuring and legitimization of power in newly-formed multi-ethnic states. In most cases state-building requires the homogenization of population, i.e. “nationalizing” policies of both exclusion and inclusion. The relevant European experience has been conceptualized by political scientists examining the key parameters of “nationalizing” policies used in respect of ethnic minorities as well as the influence of centre-periphery polarity and different ways of political control maintenance on the process of state- and nation-building. Applying these approaches to the post-Soviet realities the authors offer a theoretical framework for analyzing grounds, forms and consequences of the politicization of ethnicity and evaluation of possible stability/instability, including secessions, bringing a realistic perspective to bear on what is happening and what can be done.

Profound concern of international community about serious violations of basic principles and admitted rules leads to wide spread practice of establishing and functioning of international courts of criminal justice. The article touches upon the history of legal basis of international criminal justice, modern models of establishing and functioning of international criminal courts, and signs, that consolidate them into modern system of international criminal justice.

The money supply growth is one of the main factors responsible for inflation in Russian Federation. The article examines the money supply in Russia in the past few years: the evolution, structure and other characteristics of monetary aggregates and how the growth of monetary aggregates effects the price level in Russia.