The article discusses theoretical issues related to the preparation of a legal act regulating relations in the field of strengthening the unity of the multiethnic people of Russia (the Russian nation). The project includes “preservation of Russian society as civil nation” and “strengthening of the all- Russian identity”. The article shows that the term “Russian (civil) nation” isn’t equivalent to the “Russian (ethnic) nation”, as well as why (during adjustment of the Strategy of the State Ethnic Policy until 2025) the formula “multinational people of Russia (political nation)” remains. The results of all-Russian representative surveys of the Institute of Sociology FNISC RAS and public opinion research centers showed that Russian identification does exist in the public consciousness. During the last 25 years, this identification has been growing, and in recent years is shown by 75-84% of Russians. We analyzed the dynamics in hierarchy of macro-identities. The Russian civil identity has become one of the dominating ones, along with the ethnic identity. Author’s attention is focused on the semantic content of the Russian identity. In people’s perception, Russian identity is based mainly on the common state and territory and has state-civil content. In the mass consciousness, the formation of civil identity is slowed down by low level of trust towards power institutions (except for the President of the Russian Federation), low legitimacy of laws and norms of civil society, low responsibility for affairs in the country (30-50%) and representations of the state as “common home” for all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, race and religion.