Authoritarian Consolidation In Russia: Diversionary Strategy Of Public Opinion Formation

The article seeks to explore the authoritarian consolidation in the Russian Federation by looking how the diversion of the public attention from the domestic issues and refocusing it on the armed conflicts in the near abroad resulted in the formation and dispersion of consistent state ideology, production of 'informed‘ propaganda, and establishment of shared goals and values of the state and the society. It is concluded that all these factors led to the strengthening of authoritarian regime in Russia, making it robust to external influences.