This paper focuses on the use of interactive technologies and distance learning in sustainable education. It discusses how remote learning technologies can positively influence students’ learning and entry in sustainable education. The paper looks at the use of distance learning in higher education as a means to help students in the built environment and its use within the education system. It studies and expands the theoretical research on the benefits of distance learning, where the study is remote and there is no personal contact with staff or students, and examines the impact of distance learning on the student’s learning experience. It also proposes and evaluates potential solutions to overcome the barriers to learning in the built environment and create successful virtual learning communities, recognising that such improvements must be reconciled with the primary benefits identified. The paper provides an overview of sustainable distance learning within higher education and discusses the differences between learning outside the structural environment of a profession, what it means for the student’s learning experience and the potential to overcome barriers to distance learning. This is a very timely topic in the times of COVID-10 pandemic. Lockdowns of the economy and social life impacted all spheres of education with schools and universities closed for long periods of time and all teaching moved to online and distance mode. However, coronavirus pandemic also brought the digital surge in the system of education, including the sustainable education. All these innovations might stay after the pandemic and help the education to evolve and to embrace more novel trends and technologies.

Our paper focuses on studying how building and fostering leadership skills might help young people to place themselves better on the labour market. The development of the social and economic potential of youth is an important issue that presents an impending task for the educational system, both at the graduate and postgraduate levels. Today' students will become the future leaders who would foster the development of the world economies and bring innovation and prosperity. Thence, it is our task to prepare them well for the new challenges that might await in the globalised and digitalised world of tomorrow. Nowadays, when many young people experience discrimination on the labour markets and are facing with such issues as unemployment and social exclusion, helping them to develop their inner potential becomes an important endeavour that governments and public sector should undertake. Our results show that the efforts aimed at developing leadership skills in students would bring fruits and results in preparing qualified and well-trained labour force. Moreover, we show that focusing on the future and adapting the result-oriented approach would pay off in a form of better productivity and profitability.

The legal bases of the functioning of rural self-governance in the Pskov region at the present stage as well as the role of rural gatherings in solving of urgent problems of the Pskov village are analyzed. The purpose of the article is to determine the degree of compliance of real participation of the rural population in local governance with legal opportunities. The author concludes that population of rural areas of the Pskov region does not use the all legal opportunities for participation in local self-governance. Mainly, villagers who are living in the Pskov region resort to mechanisms of local self-governance only when they face some serious problems or if they want to express their protest against any initiatives of local authorities.

The article deals with the development and use of biological (bacteriological) weapons in the twentieth century. The key event of the 20th century, in which bacteriological weapons were used, was World War II. The development of the military bacteriological program was carried out by Japan, as evidenced by the materials of the Khabarovsk trial. In the current situation, it is important to draw lessons from the existing experience in the use of bacteriological weapons in order to prevent fraught crimes against humanity and preserve the human race.

The article presents methodological recommendations on the organization of educational and research activities on working with posters on the topic «Genocide of civilians during the Great Patriotic War». Examples of posters and methods of working with them are given. Possible options for organizing work with posters in the framework of educational and extracurricular activities are given.