Annotation: How do the citizens of modern Russia relate to their country, and do they recognize themselves as part of a nation? According to Carine Clement, the nation-building process in post-Soviet Russia is still incomplete. If we turn to the countries of Western Europe or the United States for comparison, then “nation” (with all the negative connotations around the term “nationalism”) is one of the fundamental concepts inextricably linked with democracy: a worthy citizen (representative of the nation) is obliged to participate in politics. What is the essence of patriotic sentiment in today's Russia? Is it a xenophobic essence with great-power ambitions, or is it a set of ideas aimed at consolidating an emerging nation? Is the essence one of ideological propaganda in the name of fidelity to an irremovable authority, or is it a multitude of national memories that cannot be reduced to one narrative? Does the desire of Russians for solidarity come from below, or is it fully controlled from above? To answer these questions Clement to references in-depth interviews with residents of different Russian regions and uses qualitative methods to evaluate the responses and behavior her respondents.