At first glance, Russia produces the impression of a “classical” failed state. But, in actual fact, for the whole extent of its history it demonstrated capacity for “creative evolution” – capacity altogether uncharacteristic of failed states. Russia’s outstanding “cultural productivity” was partly conditioned by the presence of a unique “compensatory” political mechanism that counterbalanced the chronic weakness of Russian state institutions; this mechanism may be admittedly termed “inner state”. Its destruction in late 1980s brought about continuous stagnation in society’s and the state’s development. In the beginning of the 2000s, an attempt was undertaken in Russia to restore the said “inner state” and to impart a new impulse to Russia’s development, which attempt, however, failed, for it did not base itself upon a real and durable ideological foundation. It is struggle within Russian elites for the formation of a distinct system of principles and values – system, around which public consensus is to form – that will inevitably become the next stage of Russia’s political development.