People's diplomacy as a way to mutual understanding during armed confl icts. To the 100th anniversary of people's diplomacy

Following the reunification of Crimea with Russia in March 2014 and subsequently the start of a special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022, which became a forced step by the Russian Federation to protect its territorial integrity, preserve sovereignty and border security, the countries of the Collective West, possessing modern and powerful information resources, have tried with all their might to shape Russia into an image of an aggressor, rather than a state that defends its own security and opposes the revival of neo-fascism and nationalism.With the start of the special military operation, Western media began to portray Russia as a country that poses a threat to the so-called "civilized world" and seeks to unleash a nuclear war. In Western European countries, everything connected with Russia began to be banned and rejected, even to the point of abolishing Russian culture and art; historical truth was abolished and concepts were replaced. There is an urgent need to continue work on shaping an objective perception of the Russian Federation abroad, overcoming political, humanitarian, and informational international isolation, and countering the distortion of objective information about our country. Public and people’s diplomacy have come to play an important, integral, and key role in building contacts, strengthening trust, and mutual understanding between peoples, despite the political climate and short-sightedness of the leaders of many unfriendly Western countries.