The article discusses the distinctive features of the process of formation of value orientations characteristic of modern youth in Russia. For young people of the XXI century, it is the features of behavior that can have a significant impact on the nature of decision-making in different spheres of their life, and therefore require more detailed study. The purpose of the article is to identify the characteristic features of this process in relation to the youth of Russia at the present stage of its development. Based on the analysis of scientific theoretical and empirical sources, it is concluded that the government youth policy carried out in Russia does not achieve its goal and has certain costs in the forms, methods and means used. As a result, young people in Russia do not always respond adequately to changes in social space and in some cases of their behaviorism, conflicts are observed. The methodological basis of the study was a systematic approach, which allowed to reveal the problems of modern youth, from the point of view of their value orientations and to determine the basic values for conducting a sociological study. The application of the activity approach made it possible to identify the structural elements of the process of forming value orientations and the connections between them, as well as to build its model. The main scientific result is the conclusion that the basis of the value-oriented behavior of the youth of Russia is a humanistic orientation based on the desire for self-determination and responsibility to the family, an identical group, society and the state, and the necessary component is a cultural and ideological tradition that has its origins in the family. As characteristic features of the formation of the value orientation of young people, high trust in social networks as the main means of this process, as well as a certain trust in the educational context as an environment for instilling certain traditional values are highlighted. The ranking of subjects, methods and means of forming value orientations of Russian youth identified and carried out in the course of the study will provide practical assistance in further improving the effectiveness of this process.