Nº 2 (2023)

Based on the cultural-philosophical approach, the shaping of the ideology of Lithuanian nationalism in the second half of the 19th - early 20th centuries are examined. The theoretical and methodological foundation of the study consists of the analysis of journalistic and social activities of the “father of the Lithuanian people” Jonas Basanavičius. The task is set to identify the main ethnic inconsistencies and cultural and historical contradictions in the ideological concept of the origin of the Lithuanian language and Lithuanian national self-identification theory created by J. Basanavičius. It is revealed that in his ideological and nationalist works J. Basanavičius artificially formed the Lithuanian national identity, which does not have documentary and historical confirmation. The purpose of J. Basanavičius’ work was to counteract Russian national policy, as well as to create an independent state entity - Lithuania.

The article examines the fundamental changes in the foreign economic strategy of Russia in 2022 and evolution of foreign trade relations between the EU and the Russian Federation. The study hypothesis is that the new mechanism of «sanctions’ interaction» between the EU and Russia is emerging. Moscow withstood the pressure of unprecedented restrictions, while Brussels has significantly reduced the competitiveness of its own economic and political space. This problem is particularly relevant because the EU developed a system for monitoring compliance with the adopted ten packages of sanctions, measures to stimulate the exchange of data between countries, and is finalizing the rules for interpreting and applying restrictive measures. It is identified that the EU and German initiatives had a significant negative impact on economic cooperation with Russia in 2022. The consequences of the complex pressure of the European Union on Russia and on their business are demonstrated. Particular attention is paid to the FRG, Russia’s main foreign economic partner, that plays a major role in shaping the EU sanctions policy. The forecast for the development of relations is made. The results of calculations of new proportions of EU-Russian and German-Russian trade are presented. Structural shifts in key product groups are analyzed. Significant reduction in exports from the European Union of a number of industrial and technological goods is formed. It is determined that EU imports of energy resources from Russia increased significantly in value terms at the end of the year, but the physical volumes of export have significantly decreased. The development of economic cooperation in non-sanctioned countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus in the long-term may serve as a “bridge” between the economic and political spaces of the EU and Russia. The matrix of corporate strategies of European companies in terms of presence in the Russian market was developed. It is substantiated that 40% of companies continue to work in Russia. It is concluded that “double risks” develop: for the economic relations of European and Russian companies in the EU economic space due to tightening control and for the remaining European companies in Russia, which are still under pressure from the media.

The dynamics of inequality of educational achievements and opportunities in school education in Russia and the countries of the Visegrad group are studied. The study is based on the data of the “International Program for the Assessment of Educational Achievements of Students” (PISA) for 2003-2018. The methodology for assessing the inequality of possibilities is based on a parametric approach and ex-ante determination of the equality of possibilities. Research novelty is determined by the fact that an assessment of an important component of the inequality of educational achievements - the inequality of opportunities - is carried out. The idea of dividing inequality into unfair and fair components is justified within the framework of the theory of equal opportunities developed by Western social philosophy in the second half of the XX century. The completed calculations indicate that each of the countries under consideration is unique. The most problematic are Slovakia and Hungary, which have a downward trend in the average level of educational achievements and a high level of inequality of opportunities. Poland looks the most successful with an increase in educational results and a decrease in inequality of opportunities. In the Russian Federation there is an upward trend in reading and mathematical literacy, while natural science literacy stagnates. The level of inequality of opportunities in the Russian Federation is relatively low with a slight downward trend.