The article deals with events that unfold in Ukraine. The author analyzes the media responses to riots that have occurred in Kyiv this winter. Logic of radicalization us seen everywhere. Events at Maidan and at Grushevsky street are well controlled by the opposition (with all qualifications and deliberate aberrations) and radicals act quite consciously and persistently: they had been well prepared. To be sure, events of this winter are the pilot balloon that has to check stability and endurance of Russia. In fact, all these efforts were made not in vain. They are focused on Russia. There is the only way out: calmness, anti-extremism and law-abidance.

The development of atom weaponry undertaken by the USA in secret from the USSR at the final stage of the World War II led the former anti-Nazi allies along the path of mutual hatred and brought them to the Cold War and nuclear arms race that put the world in the historical nuclear stalemate that was fraught with the real danger of annihilation of life all over the Earth.

The article deals with the burning issues of terrorism and Islamic extremism which are the main threat for the whole humanity today. This danger causes the growing alarm in the world society and that’s why needs thorough analyses of their reasons. That’s why in the article the author thoroughly investigates the growth of terrorist threats, their reasons and why the terrorism and Islamic extremism are especially dangerous. In this context considered the problems connected with the adopting of the decisions by the different international organizations on common struggle with terrorism. Using system and holistic analyses the author who was the ambassador at large and the director of the Middle East department in the USSR Foreign Ministry researchts the possible ways and methods of struggle with terrorism.

A conference organized by S. Kurginyan was dedicated to the fate of the single state examination in the RF. Members of higher education institutions faculty and scientists who work at these institutions took part in discussion of the urgent topic. The Russian education problem lies in the fact that initiatives of the power in the sphere of education have long ago come in contradiction with moods of the overwhelming part of population. In fact, nearly 70% of population is strongly against the SSE. The SSE system contributes to the degradation of education as a whole. It was important for participants of the conference to understand the essence of the SSE, how it is carried on and to what asymmetric results the SSE provides across the RF territory. The author considers the SSE within the general context of education reforms.

Destruction of monuments is one of the most vivid characteristics of revolutionary events. Raging crowds enthusiastically overturn bronze figures of hateful rulers and their servants and destroy other visible hostile symbols. During radical political transformations not only the power is seized in the center of a state and all over a country and not just control over armed forces and important facilities is established. A victory in symbolic dimension has an enormous significance because such victory exerts tremendous impact on people’s minds and hearts, mobilizes masses. A city belongs to a person whose monument stands at the central square of a city.

The article is devoted to the questions of compliance of the act of the Emperor Nicholas II dated the 2nd March 1917 about abdication and the act of the Grand duke Mikhail Aleksandrovich dated the 3rd March 1917 about refusal from the Throne to the norms of State law of the Russian Empire. The analysis of the theory and practice of rules of a succession in Russia since the time of Ivan IV to Nicholas II is presented. A particular attention is paid to the rules of succession established by Peter I and Paul I. A question of status of the Russian Emperor according to the Fundamental laws of the Russian Empire is partially investigated. A detailed analysis of the acts of Nicholas II and Mikhail regarding their compliance to the imperial legislation is given; an attempt to show a role of these documents in discredit of ideology of the Russian monarchy is done.

In article an estimation of U.S. press of Soviet announcement of Stalingrad battle is analyzed. Studied opinions of the press the U.S. about beginning the battle. Specificity of these opinions is revealed. Sources of formation of opinions and estimations are considered, for the first time in historiography. A comparison of press concerning the progress and character of Soviet defense and Nazi offensive.