Russia Unveils National Policy Strategy Until 2036, Intensifying Russification in Occupied Ukrainian Territories

Kremlin Adopts Long-Term National Policy Strategy

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the 'State National Policy Strategy of the Russian Federation until 2036' on November 25, 2025, a comprehensive document outlining the Kremlin's long-term vision for national unity and inter-ethnic relations. This new strategy supersedes a previous policy that covered the period from 2012 to 2025.

The strategy's core objectives include strengthening the historic unity and integrity of the Russian Federation, harmonizing inter-ethnic relations, and preserving the ethno-cultural identity of Russia's diverse peoples. It also aims to ensure the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens and coordinate the activities of federal and local government bodies with civil society institutions.

Goals for a Unified Russian Civic Identity

The document sets several specific benchmarks to be achieved by 2036, emphasizing the formation of a unified Russian civic identity. Key targets include:

• A level of 'shared Russian civic identity' among at least 95 percent of citizens.
• At least 85 percent of citizens expressing positive views of other ethnicities.
• A minimum of 90 percent of citizens reporting no discrimination based on nationality or language.
• At least 80 percent of citizens satisfied with the fulfillment of their 'ethnocultural needs'.

The strategy also seeks to promote a 'common cultural (civilizational) code' rooted in Russian culture and language, while actively combating what it terms 'Russophobia,' neo-Nazism, racism, and xenophobia.

Intensified Russification in Occupied Ukrainian Territories

A significant aspect of the new strategy is its explicit focus on the occupied Ukrainian territories. The document designates Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson as regions subject to an intensive ethnic and civic assimilation program. This initiative aims to accelerate the Russification of the population and aggressively displace Ukrainian identity through large-scale propaganda programs and 're-education' efforts.

The strategy mandates that 2.56 million residents from these regions participate in 'all-Russian events' as part of a broader effort to integrate them into Russia's administrative, cultural, and ideological sphere. The Kremlin's narrative within the strategy refers to the annexation of Crimea and the occupation of other Ukrainian oblasts as the 'reunification of historical territories.'

Human rights organizations interpret the strategy's call to intensify efforts against 'neo-Nazism,' 'anti-Russian propaganda,' and 'false historical narratives' as a codification of existing practices. These practices include forced passportization, the elimination of Ukrainian curricula, and the suppression of Ukrainian-language public life, all contributing to the systematic dismantling of Ukrainian identity in these areas. Ukrainian intelligence views this strategy as a long-term plan for the permanent annexation and full political, cultural, and linguistic integration of these territories.