This article is an attempt to complement existing research on the phenomenon of Russian propaganda. The main emphasis is not on its external manifestations or narratives, but on the analysis of internal legal and institutional mechanisms. The author examines the evolution of the Russian media system from the 1990s to the present, highlighting its transformation into an instrument of state propaganda. The study demonstrates that these changes were part of a long-term process of institutional and legal consolidation aimed at rebuilding a centralised model of control, drawing on the logic of governance from the Soviet era. Meanwhile, the weaknesses of the former Soviet model, such as excessive centralisation and ideological rigidity, were replaced by new, more flexible, technocratic solutions. Based on an assessment of legal frameworks, state doctrines, and institutional mechanisms, the article offers a periodisation and characterisation of the key stages in the transformation of the Russian media space. Consequently, to fully understand the nature of this phenomenon, Russian state propaganda should be viewed not only through the prism of content generation or the dissemination of specific narratives, but also as a gradually constructed, legally secured centralised system of information and communication infrastructure.
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