Rector of SPbU honoured with the President’s Certificate of Merit
The award was bestowed to Nikolay Kropachev for his contributions to activities of the Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations under the President of the Russian Federation.
Directive of the President of the Russian Federation No. 76-RP dated March 3, 2025 "On awards"
The Rector of St Petersburg University has been a member of the Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations under the President of the Russian Federation since 2021. He is also a member of the Bureau of the Presidium of the World Russian People’s Council.
As part of the implementation of decisions of the Council for Coordination with Religious Organisations under the President of the Russian Federation and its working bodies and as part of the implementation of the instructions of Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation, member of the SPbU Board of Trustees, Dmitry Chernyshenko, St Petersburg University coordinates inter-university expert and analytical work aimed at developing proposals to bring the legislation of the Russian Federation in line with the value and ideological provisions of the Executive Order No. 809 dated November 9, 2022 "On approval of the fundamentals of state policy for preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values." The University also acts as the head organisation of the Consortium of educational, scientific and other institutions.
At one of the recent meetings of the Public Council under the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, SPbU Rector made an appeal to the administration of the Ministry of Justice to urgently initiate changes in the legislation of the Russian Federation and harmonise federal laws and other regulatory legal acts with the value and ideological provisions of the Executive Order No. 809. Specific proposals for amendments (additions) have already been prepared by specialists from the University and other members of the Consortium.
Compiling a normative explanatory dictionary of the state language on behalf of the Government of the Russian Federation is a separate area of work of Nikolay Kropachev and experts from SPbU. The dictionary will include descriptions of key Russian traditional spiritual and moral values. Consolidation of relevant terms should contribute to ensuring the unity of legislative activities and law enforcement practice in the future.
At the behest of SPbU Rector, a series of activities aimed at implementing the Executive Order No. 809 dated November 9, 2022 "On approval of the fundamentals of state policy for preservation and strengthening of traditional Russian spiritual and moral values" has been and continues to be carried out at St Petersburg University. SPbU regularly holds seminars, round tables, and conferences dedicated to issues of historical memory, the upbringing of a harmoniously developed, patriotic, and socially responsible individual, as well as to interethnic and interfaith relations. For example, "Traditional Religions of Russia Within the Spiritual Paradigm of National Security" brought together representatives of various religious associations who shared their experiences in protecting spiritual and moral values. The results of the work of the Consortium of educational, scientific, and other institutions, supervised by St Petersburg University, were reviewed by experts at the All-Russian Scientific and Practical Conference "Traditional Values in Russian Law," while approaches to updating legislation were discussed at the round table "Traditional Spiritual and Moral Values: The Legal Dimension."
At a plenary meeting of the XXVI World Russian People’s Council, SPbU Rector raised an issue of protecting the interests of the Russian Federation on the international arena. He noted that it is necessary to create new platforms to discuss matters of law, economics, geopolitical challenges, bioethics, medicine and culture from traditional spiritual and moral values perspective within a value-based worldview. He proposed establishing an international forum in St Petersburg under the auspices of, among others, the World Russian People’s Council. Nikolay Kropachev also spoke about using the Russian language as a state language, emphasising that the legal community today faces the task of protecting the native language from the infiltration of discourses and concepts that undermine our culture and system of spiritual and moral values.
Nikolay Kropachev is the holder of the Order of Saint Blessed Grand Prince Alexander Nevsky III degree, one of the highest awards of the Russian Orthodox Church bestowed for the restoration of the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul at St Petersburg University. The Rector also awarded with the Medal of the Holy Apostle Peter the First-Called.
In the year of the 300th anniversary of St Petersburg University, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul reopened in the Twelve Collegia building after restoration. The church was consecrated by His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus’, who was awarded the title of Honorary Doctor of the University by the Academic Council of SPbU, in the presence of the Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the SPbU Board of Trustees Dmitry Medvedev. The Rite of the Great Consecration of the church was performed by Metropolitan Varsonofy of St Petersburg and Ladoga in February 2025.