THE LEGAL FUTURE OF RUSSIA. Part 1. Overview of the main positions

The first part of the article examines two main approaches to understanding the patterns and trends in the legal development of Russia presented in modern legal doctrine. The first approach assumes the further development of the country in accordance with the Western legal tradition, but taking into account the peculiarities of legal consciousness and culture of the Russian people (V. S. Nersesyants, S. S. Alekseev, A. P. Semitko, V. D. Zorkin, etc.). The second approach is based on the recognition of Russia’s own civilizational and legal identity (V. N. Sinyukov, M. N. Marchenko, A. N. Kokotov, V. V. Sorokin, etc.). The second part of the article presents the author’s position on possible scenarios of Russia’s legal development, and analyses the factors contributing to and hindering its legal progress.