The editorial board continues to give its readers an introduction to a set of materials that in these times are exceptionally significant: a collective monograph that examines the construct of “Ukrainism”. The authors of the monograph assert that the construct of “Ukrainism” is a political, ideological, religious, and ultimately, a dark metaphysical project that the West is systematically developing in order to bring about Russia’s demise. This project has been underway in Ukraine for a long time; but over the past few years, it has become especially blatant, and its scale has grown to unprecedented proportions. Crimes against Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population are being committed that are no less brutal than those committed under Hitler. This monograph addresses such questions as: “How did this become possible?”, “What forces were involved in this process?”, and “What ideas has Ukrainian Nazism been cultivating over decades and centuries?” In this issue, you will find the end of the preface by S. E. Kurginyan, previously published in the first volume of the monograph Ukrainism: The Relevant International Game.

The article analyzes little-known documents stored in domestic and international archival institutions and highlights the specifics of interstate Russian-Ukrainian communications in 1918–1919. The author traces the evolution of relations between the Great Don Host and the Ukrainian State, and later the Ukrainian People's Republic, identifying the characteristic stages and their substantive content. Attention is paid to the parameters for resolving border issues by the parties, as well as the difficulties in implementing several provisions of the interstate treaty. It is concluded that unfavorable foreign policy circumstances forced the parties to seek a compromise regarding integration into the future federal Russia. However, deprived of external support, these quasi-state entities lost their statehood, and new political actors came to power in the Don region and Ukraine.

The article examines the problem of “contradiction” in the text of Prince (knyaz) Vladimir Monomakh’s “Instruction”. The researcher encounters a foreign consciousness that is closed off “to us,” yet at the same time is as “open” as possible to contemporaries, due to the fact that the key meanings are linked by a communicative connection between the writer and the Old Russian reader. The problem of the contradictory nature of the “Instruction,” which has long attracted the attention of researchers, lies in the discrepancy between Monomakh’s ethical principles and their “practical implementation”. The author’s statements require “expanding” the text to a context in which a certain general “rule” may become clear. Based on an analysis of the author’s direct statements, the teleological foundation of the work is established. To understand the cultural background of the “Instruction”, the reconstruction of conventional models is carried out.

The article examines the establishment of national parks on the lands of the indigenous population and their struggle to regain their rights. The author analyses the prerequisites for the formation of the legal regime of the USA and Canada in relation to the indigenous population and national parks. He notes that the indigenous population not only lost the right to lands that became national parks, but also the opportunity to use their natural resources until the second half of the 20th century. The author concludes that the actions of the indigenous population have led to the creation of a new model of national park management, which highlights the involvement of Indian tribes in the conservation of biodiversity and natural landscapes of protected natural areas.

In the sports life of the Vologda region, the focus has always been on promoting and popularizing winter sports. The Great Patriotic war of 1941–1945 served as a catalyst for their development. The use of light and mobile ski battalions during combat operations led to a prioritization of skiing and military training for athletes. By may 1945, a network of interconnected sports institutions had been formed in the region, ski bases with the necessary equipment had been built in all areas, and competitions were actively held with the assignment of grades and passing the ready for work and defense (GTO). The research is based on documents from the Vologda oblast State archive that had not previously been introduced into scientific circulation.

The year 2025 marks the 185th anniversary of the birth and 100th anniversary of the death of Olga Novikova (1840–1925), a striking figure who is almost forgotten today. Encyclopedias call her a writer and publicist, but her role was more significant: she became a bridge between Russia and Great Britain in the late 19th century, actively defending the ideas of the czarist autocracy abroad. Novikova acted not as a “secret agent”, but as a sincere propagandist, challenging stereotypes: a woman in “male” politics, she influenced minds without any official status. Her fight against the myth that “Russia = threat” seems surprisingly modern, since even then, at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, she anticipated the methods of “soft power” – working with the media, promoting culture and strengthening international ties.

In modern conditions, more than ever, the importance of physical culture to maintain the health of the nation in order to maintain it. Therefore, the history of the formation of physical culture and sports in our country, especially from the point of view of its teaching in secondary and higher education, is becoming unusually relevant. The report deals with the evolution of the discipline “physical education” in the education system of pre-revolutionary Russia, the USSR and the Russian Federation based on the experience of Moscow State University. In addition, attention is paid to the issue of methods of teaching physical education and the role of the teacher in the educational process.