The article examines the main trends in understanding political identifi cation of the main groups of Russian youth in the last year and a half. Based on the analysis of the latest scholarly literature on this issue, it has been revealed that the attention of researchers continues to be attracted by the development of a methodology for analyzing various structures of youth identity, the justifi cation of new types of their typology, the possibilities of combining various identifi cation matrices for a more accurate correlation of the ideological, worldview and activity positioning of representatives of the younger generation. In scientifi c discourse, the position of supporters of a liberal interpretation of civic identity based on the justifi cation of the priority of civil rights and individual freedoms has signifi cantly weakened. The position whose supporters actually equate civic identity and national identity acquires dominant signifi cance. This is due, fi rst of all, to the offi cial goal of introducing into the mass consciousness of young people an understanding of the social signifi cance of the state and its functionality and the need to stimulate the corresponding active civic position of each individual in protecting the interests of the state and society as a whole. It is concluded that most researchers do not touch upon the specifi cs of identifying various groups of Russian youth in relation to the special military operation in Ukraine. On the one hand, this is understandable, given the complexity of the situation and the ambiguous possible consequences regarding any critical assessments on the part of researchers. On the other hand, there is a need for an objective understanding of new lines of demarcation, which, in terms of their motivational signifi cance, are often ranked at a higher level than the traditional party-ideological and worldview preferences of Russian youth. Understanding these identifi cation markers is the most important scientifi c task in theoretical and practical senses.