Pressing issues of defense policies pursued by Russia and the USA are discussed. Contingency of a fundamentally new approach to nuclear security problems have emerged in the moment when START-1 run of validity is expiring. Any discussion is useful if the both parties have equal interest in it. Dialogue of Russia and the US is not only possible but it is urgent. Particularly in the context when these powers continue to present each other as potential enemies. The new strategy of mutual security which has been recently proclaimed as an innovation project is to be greeted. Thereat Russia cannot reduce its nuclear capability down to a dangerous minimum. This edge must not be transgressed. One has to make advances to the partner’s initiatives with open eyes and clear understanding that under no circumstances any detriment to Russia’s own security and strategic interests cannot be made. Now, after the US initiatives related to ABM defense deployment in the West one should remember about internal contradictions that affect behavior of the «old Europe» elites and those of Eastern Europe. The issue of strategic expansion of NATO and prospects of this alliance remains to be of current concern. What does NATO want to be?

Responses of Czechoslovak emigration, the civil wing of the Czech anti-Fascist Resistance and of the Slovak society to «the Western march» of the Red Army, to annexation of Western Ukraine and Western Byelorussia by the USSR (Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic) and the Soviet-Finnish war. The study is based mainly on archive materials, published documents, memoirs and on results of the author’s own examination of the issue.

In the history of Russia the military factor was exceptionally important virtually in all branches: in economics, in domestic and foreign policies, in social organization as well as in Russians' self-perception. During last three centuries Russia had to sustain a difficult race in the sphere of military technologies in order to retain its great power status and the opportunity to follow its own way. The author analyzes the domestic socio-cultural realities' impact on the process.

New documentary material introduced in scientific turn in recent 20 years, recovery of the theoretic legacy of the Russian Social-Democrars' leaders, expansion of the range of research problems and directions, transformation of key definitions that characterize ideological development of Menshevism for the first time allowed revealing to the full extent the essence of the strong criticism P.B.Akselrod, A.N.Potresov, I.G.Zereteli et al. raised against position the RSDP new leadership under by Yu.O.Matrov occupied toward Bolshevism after October, 1917. According to N.V.Volsky, only after loss of the party the Russian Social-Democrats repudiated what Dan and his followers tried to present as the so called «Martov's line» and retained «some positive profession of the higher human values and brought them into foundation of their programmatic notions».

The article deals with analysis of ideological and religious aspects of Metropolitan Ilarion’s «The Word on the Law and Grace». It is demonstrated that the work’s core meaning were historical philosophical contemplations of the thinker. His attention is focused on the progress of the universal history while the Russian history is considered as an integral part of the world history which is rich in its own achievements. According to Ilarion, the Russian people passes through two phases of development much as all other peoples do: the pre-Christian phase (infantile period of imperfection) and the Christian phase (which is Grace-filled and opens the way to salvation). The Russian Metropolitan expresses his profound patriotic idea of the young Russian people’s predestination for its junction opens prospects for performance of great exploits. From standpoint of equality in faith Ilarion condemns old Christian peoples' claims to superiority. At the same time Ilarion does not deprived of pride for glorious pre-Christian past of Rus. The baptized Rus became the true inheritor of this glory. Against this background Ilarions condemns claims to national and religious uniqueness. Overall Ilarion’s doctrine is appraised as the doctrine of state independence and of historical optimism.

The cult of Michael the Archangel is one the central elements of Medieval Russian religiosity. The first of archangels played an important role both in strictly orthodox ecclesiastical teaching and syncretic popular beliefs / magical practices. He was regarded as a vanquisher of the Devil in the first days of Creation, the Satan’s most powerful enemy in this world, principal protector of humans against the ruses and attacks of demons, demon-slayer and angel-exorcist. Common to the Christian East and West, this set of beliefs and corresponding practices wasn’t, however, uniform in various parts of the Christian world and depended on the cultural context of every region. The present article proposes to trace the history of Michael the Archangel as demon-slayer and protector against the Devil in Medieval Russian culture. It will also analyze the rapports between the cult of Michael and the cults of other saints — demon fighters and the possible ties between the syncretic demonology of so called «zmeeviki» and the demonological motifs in hagiography.

The author analyzes certain theoretical conceptions that were advanced by Herbert Wells and are included in his three-volume autobiography recently published in Russia. The particular attention is devoted to Wells' opinions on the future of humankind and to his forecasts that came true or failed. Wells' ‘sketch of the future' is seen through the present day prism. The concluding section of the article is devoted to Wells' thoughts about Russia and his portrait sketches of Lenin, Stalin, Gorky.