Transformation of the role of national cultural societies in the post-Soviet period (Based on the cases of North Ossetia — Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia)

The year 2026 has been declared by the President of the Russian Federation as the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia, underscoring the national significance of the research topic. This article examines the transformation of the role of national cultural societies in three North Caucasian republics — North Ossetia — Alania, Kabardino-Balkaria, and Karachay-Cherkessia — which are of particular scholarly interest in the context of promoting interethnic harmony in Russia's multiethnic regions. During the post-Soviet period, these national cultural societies have become key institutions for preserving ethnic identity and facilitating public interaction. The findings demonstrate that national cultural societies have evolved into dynamic regional organizations whose functions have changed under the influence of specific historical, socio-cultural, demographic, and socio-political conditions.