Status of the issue. The development of the theory of strategic culture began more than seven decades ago. To date, the theory has evolved from the theoretical justification of the behavioral styles of elites representing institutions and security services, to the development of models for the use of national strategic cultures as an important tool for political struggle at the global and regional levels. It should be noted that Russian political science is significantly lagging behind foreign science in the theoretical understanding of the problem and in the development of effective models for countering the Anglo-Saxon strategic culture, which has an openly aggressive Russophobic content. Results. In the course of political analysis of the evolution of the theory of strategic culture, four stages of its development and their features were identified. At the first stage-the 40-60s of the XX century, the main content was the study of national styles in strategic planning in the field of national security, caused by a military clash during the World War II. Stereotyping of the initial grounds and a certain ethnocentrism as the main features of the stage, were subjected to reasonable criticism and stimulated the further development of theoretical provisions of the problem. At the second stage – the 70-90s of the XX century researchers developed a methodology for structural and functional analysis, institutionalism and modeling of competitive relations between regional actors. This was caused by the advent of the era of nuclear deterrence. The third stage of the wave of research on strategic culture is formed at the turn of the XX and XXI centuries. Theoretical and methodological research is carried out during this period in the framework of a critical rethinking of previous approaches and the formation of a trend towards neorealism. On the basis of comparative analysis, distinctions and justifications of different types of strategic culture and corresponding strategic thinking, as well as the behavior of actors, were identified. At the present stage of theory evolution, the main attention of researchers is focused on the dynamics of changing strategic culture under the influence of threats and risks of globalization and specific events, identifying competing narratives within countries themselves, searching for effective models for changing existing national strategic cultures in the interests of the dominant regional strategic cultures – Anglo-Saxon, European, Asian (Chinese). The effectiveness of applying the results of Western research programs in political practice is proved by the process of reformatting, for example, the Ukrainian strategic culture with an anti-Russian trend. Application. Political science – in order to continue the debate on strategic culture, the further development of the theory in the light of modern conditions of the clash of strategic cultures on a global level, and also political practice of compromise to minimize the challenges, risks and threats in international relations at the regional and global levels. Conclusions. Further development of the theory of strategic culture is actualized by the sharp aggravation of the confrontation between national and regional strategic cultures in different geopolitical strategic regions of the planet. This confrontation is caused by two main factors: the presence and strengthening of a number of national strategic cultures and the desire to dominate individual national and regional strategic cultures. In the context of using national strategic cultures as an important tool of political struggle, the development of models for interaction of strategic cultures based on compromise can help to minimize risks in international relations. The level of modern theoretical understanding of the problem does not correspond to the complexity of tasks to ensure national, regional and global security.

The tendency to the strengthening of Nazism in the countries of the "collective West" is outlined, again bringing the world to the border of the global military confrontation. The relevance of generalization and dissemination of the existing experience of preparing the population to ensure fire safety in wartime is substantiated. Express analysis of publications on the research topic was carried out. The article reveals the activities of the state to solve this problem based on the experience of the civil War by creating and developing a system of Local air defense in the twenties and thirties of the XX century, carried out in two main directions: the creation of paramilitary units and army-type units and public formations as well. The legal foundations of the organizational structure of the Local air defense O and the basics of fire protection are shown: blackout of buildings and structures, preventive work, participation of the population together with fire brigades in the elimination of the consequences of fires. The positive and shortcomings in this activity were revealed, as well as the efforts of the state to eliminate shortcomings in the fire-fighting training of the population. Innovations in the organization of the fire service on the basis of the Combat Charter of the fire department, adopted in 1940 and the Charter of the internal fire service, are disclosed. The experience of self-defense groups is summarized on the example of besieged Leningrad.