The article explores the reorientation and transformation of Russia’s international scientific cooperation across its eastern and western strategic axes. This study is relevant due to the practical emphasis on international scientific cooperation as a necessary condition for the advancement of modern science. The objective of the research is to evaluate the restructuring of Russia’s international scientific ties over the past 30 years at the macroregional level. The methodology employed is based on spatial scientometrics, which enables the geographical analysis of science using extensive bibliometric data. The study focuses on the Baltic and Indian regions and covers the period from 1990 to 2024. The data source is Scopus international database. The results obtained allow for conclusions regarding the position of the macroregions globally, in terms of the growth of scientific knowledge, the contribution of individual countries to the macroregional dynamics of publication activity, and the degree of Russia’s integration into the scientific spaces of the Baltic and Indian regions. It is demonstrated that the Baltic region holds a stable global position in terms of the number of academic publications, exhibiting a slight but steady annual increase alongside high scientific productivity. Conversely, the Indian region is more dynamic scientifically but shows a greater centralisation of scientific activity and comparatively lower productivity. Russia participates in scientific collaboration with both macroregions. Collaboration with Baltic region countries has experienced stagnation, which has intensified since 2022. In contrast, joint publication activity with countries in the Indian region has shown notable growth. This underscores the need for further qualitative research to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the evolving global geography of science and Russia’s role within it.

The secularization processes that have unfolded since the early 20th century have profoundly transformed the traditional religious structure of populations in many countries and regions. This study aims to trace the shifts in the confessional composition of the population in Northwest Russia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from the late 19th century to the present. The analysis is based on data from the 1897 and 2021 population censuses, as well as sociological surveys that included questions on religious affiliation. Drawing on the dynamics of confessional change, the study identifies 24 historical-confessional districts across Northwest Russia and the Baltics States. A typology of these districts is developed according to two principal criteria: the degree of complexity in the confessional structure and the changing proportions of the region’s four major religious groups — Protestants, Catholics, Eastern Christians, and Jews. The first type of district is characterized by a homogenization of the religious population in favour of Orthodox and Catholic groups, accompanied by a general heterogenization of the broader confessional structure, including the non-religious population. This type encompasses all districts of Northwest Russia, Ida-Virumaa County in Estonia, Latgale in Latvia, and parts of Lithuania. The second type, most extensively represented in Estonia and Latvia, exhibits heterogenization in both the overall confessional structure and its religious component. The third type is marked by the homogenization of the general confessional structure, with a predominance of Catholics in Lithuania, and of Protestants and the non-religious population in southwestern Estonia.