The Russian language in the technology of «soft power» in the countries of Transcaucasia

The article examines the functioning of the Russian language in two Transcaucasian republics of the CIS — Azerbaijan and Armenia. Despite the high proportion of the titular ethnic group in both republics, they still remain multinational. Therefore, the Russian language in them has continued to play the role of the language of interethnic communication since Soviet times. The post-Soviet period made certain adjustments to the language policy in these republics, especially in terms of the legal framework, which was clearly reflected in the constitution of both countries and in the adopted new laws on language. Russian Russian remains in demand and enjoys the support of the population of the republics, despite the gradual removal of even mention of the Russian language in the basic laws.