PRESERVING RUSSIA’S LEGAL MENTALITY AND THE CHALLENGES OF GLOBALIZATION

Abstract

The contemporary challenge of safeguarding technological sovereignty is directly linked to the nation’s mental health and the preservation of its national identity. Research into legal mentality can serve as a catalyst for the development of legal methodology, as this category broadens the horizons of legal analysis and forecasting, enriches the categorical apparatus, and reveals new facets of legal substance. The novelty of this study lies in a comprehensive analysis of legal mentality as a methodological construct that explains the resilience of the national legal system in the face of global challenges, as well as in the development of practical recommendations for its protection at the legislative level. Purposes: to conduct a comprehensive study of the role of legal mentality as a key factor in maintaining the stability of the legal system amidst globalization and digital challenges; and to substantiate the necessity of recognizing legal mentality as a fundamental category of legal science. The study utilized analysis, synthesis, deduction, and induction to develop theoretical-legal constructs, formulate definitions, and process judicial practice reviews. Specialized scientific methods (sociological, statistical, historical, and psychological) were applied to evaluate mental processes within Russian society and consider specific historical contexts. Finally, specific legal methods (comparative, cultural-legal, formal-dogmatic, and statutory interpretation) were used to compare Western and Russian cultural determinants and analyze specific provisions of the law. The study concludes that legal mentality should be recognized by legal science as a crucial category that determines the stability, continuity, and national specificity of the Russian legal system. The evolution of Russian legal mentality is categorized into three stages: its inception in the 1990s (as a response to a normative crisis), adaptation to integration processes in the 2000s, and institutionalization through the 2020 constitutional amendments and Presidential Decree No. 809 in the 2020s. The paper argues for the legislative protection of legal mentality as an element of national security, proposing measures such as media discourse monitoring, the integration of legal mentality into law school curricula, and the development of criteria for assessing the impact of foreign legal norms on the national legal system. Furthermore, the study highlights the challenges in implementing new constitutional norms on the preservation of traditional values, which requires a comprehensive approach and a profound understanding of the issue of preserving the Russian mentality by both central and regional authorities.