This publication is the second part of an article devoted to the problems of strategic planning in the sphere of protecting Russia’s national interests in the World Ocean. Specific proposals are formulated for forming a balanced architecture of strategic planning documents in the sphere of Russia’s maritime policy and maritime activities, which can also be used to improve strategic planning in general.

The author reveals the features of President D. Trump’s military strategy, shows that it is developing in line with the Weinberger–Powell doctrine and the offshore balancing strategy of Mearsheimer and Walt, and also explains the current aspects of the new US National Security Strategy and National Defense Strategy.

The article examines Russia’s discursive power in the Balkans through the non­military dimensions of security provision in Serbia and Republika Srpska. Particular attention is paid to energy cooperation, humanitarian and value­based narratives, digital and information sovereignty, as well as political coordination. The article argues that Russia’s influence in the region is sustained primarily through symbolic legitimacy, media narratives, and identity­based solidarity rather than through direct military presence.

In the context of hybrid confrontation, actors in international relations are increasingly using tactics of economic provocation, yet the conceptual content of this term remains vague. The aim of this article is to develop a scientific definition and a multidimensional typology of economic provocation (by objectives, actors, and methods), which is illustrated using the example of the cryptocurrency crisis of October 2025.

The article is devoted to the problem of developing new theoretical approaches to the development of relations between the Russian Federation and African countries. The need for a new theory of Russian­African relations is determined by the changing vector of Russia’s foreign policy in the African region.

The author examines the phenomenon of the colonization of consciousness as a key instrument of modern neocolonialism, analyzes its evolution from classical forms to contemporary methods of cognitive control, as well as the mechanisms of ideological influence through language, education, and media. Special attention is paid to the American strategy of the colonization of consciousness and its impact on the formation of dependent consciousness. Using the examples of Hollywood expansion and the loss of identity by Italian and French cinema, it is demonstrated that the colonization of consciousness as an instrument is also used against allies.

The article aims to overcome universalism in the interpretation of the content and development vectors of the foundational institution of public service. The political institution of public service is presented by the author through the historical and cultural lens of Russia, developing within the flow of the general socio­political process.

The author examines the phenomenon of ’divided nations’ as a factor in international relations using the example of post­war Germany. He analyzes the transformation of the German question from occupation to division and reunification. Attention is paid to the unique status of West Berlin as a special political entity that became the epicenter of the Cold War and an indicator of relations between East and West.

The article examines the issues of protecting the foundations of statehood and its sovereignty in the context of financing terrorism and other illegal activities, in accordance with national legislation and taking into account the positions of the Constitutional Court of Russia.

Due to the priority admission of applicants with admission benefits, a shortage of state­funded spots in Russian universities is observed. It is proposed to either move the benefit recipients to the fee­paying sector at the expense of the state or provide preferential state loans for tuition in the fee­paying sector to those applicants who achieved the minimum passing score on the Unified State Exam (EGE) and/or successfully passed the university entrance exams, but did not secure a state­funded (free) spot due to the admission of benefit recipients.