Architectonics of Polycentric Institutions of the Russian Diaspora

The subject of this research is the fundamental structural conflict between hierarchical models of administrative governance, functioning within the logic of territorial sovereignty (the "space of places"), and the network morphology of the modern Russian diaspora, which exists within the extraterritorial logic of the "space of flows." The paper analyzes the crisis of traditional institutions of representation (such as KSORS), which exhibit signs of ontological exhaustion and an inability to ensure connectivity in the post-mobilization phase. The study aims to conceptualize and develop parameters for the institutional transformation of the community, necessary to transition from vertical integration—which leads to instrumentalization and alienation—to an architecture of distributed interoperability: a polycentric holarchy. The research investigates the feasibility of replacing bureaucratic consolidation with protocol-based connectivity grounded in horizontal trust and digital standards. This approach resolves the contradiction between the state-centric drive for unification and the transnational community's objective need for autonomous self-reproduction. The research methodology is based on a systems approach and Social Network Analysis (SNA), employing a mixed-methods strategy. Drawing on empirical data from 2021–2025, a comparative analysis of coordination regimes was conducted using a custom "Functionality — Toxicity" matrix to evaluate the viability of various institutional designs. The scientific novelty of the study lies in interpreting the crisis of diaspora institutions as an ontological rupture that requires a socio-engineering solution rather than ideological consolidation. For the first time, a normative "Commonwealth" model is proposed, based on a three-tier architecture: ontological (Self-Sovereign Identity), legitimizing (shifting from status-based to procedural mandates), and instrumental. The paper substantiates the effectiveness of implementing protocol interaction mechanisms—such as algorithmic deliberation ("computational democracy"), reputation staking, and the use of sortition in arbitration—to prevent the oligarchization of power. The concept of "protocol ethics" is introduced as a tool to reduce transaction costs. The study concludes that implementing a protocol architecture resolves the tension between the need for security (risk isolation) and the necessity of coordination, ensuring the preservation of the diaspora's agency without creating centralized hierarchies. The proposed model facilitates the conversion of social capital into sustainable institutions protected from political instrumentalization, transforming the diaspora into an adaptive networked civilization.