Spiritual and Moral Values as an Element of National Security

Aim. To identify the main ways of forming and spreading the spiritual and moral values of Russian citizens, and to develop proposals for improving the legal and regulatory framework for their protection. Strengthening moral guidelines plays a crucial role in ensuring the national security of every country. Despite the existence of such legislative initiatives, their practical effectiveness continues to be a subject of debate. In the context of globalization and the rapid development of the Internet, foreign ideas and lifestyles are infiltrating Russian society, posing a threat to national identity and cultural traditions. The key problems are the ambiguity of terminology and the variability of implementation at the regional level. Despite the efforts made to promote cultural education and patriotic upbringing in schools and universities, the lack of a systematic approach and monitoring of effectiveness weakens the impact of these measures. In today's world, where international relations are complicated by political and economic crises, social stability based on strong moral principles is particularly relevant.

Methodology. The methodological basis of the study was formed by the historical-legal, formal-legal, system-structural and comparative-legal methods. The historical-legal method allowed to trace the evolution of the concept "national security"; the formal-legal method – to analyse the content of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 809 and the Federal Law on Security (Article 2); the system-structural method – to determine the place of traditional values in the system of national security; the comparative-legal method – to identify the features of the Russian model.

Results. As a result, it can be stated that the officially recognised set of spiritual and ethical values of Russia, which guarantee the protection of national interests, includes the following non-material categories: human life and dignity of the individual, civil rights and freedoms, love for the motherland, active citizenship, devotion to the state, personal responsibility for the future of the country. Specific measures have been proposed to improve legislation.

Research implication. The author summarised the material on the influence of spiritual and moral values on citizenship, which notes that strengthening control and centralization of initiatives can contribute to stricter compliance with the legislative framework and deepening the positive effect of their application. The practical significance lies in the development of specific proposals for amending the Federal Law "On Security", creating a methodology for assessing the effectiveness of measures to strengthen traditional values, and improving the educational component of state policy.

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