The subject of this article is smart contracts as digital financial instruments and their financial and economic essence, defined as digital instruments for regulating financial relations. The main purpose of the article is to introduce into scientific circulation such a systemic concept as digital financial instruments and mechanisms based on considering their economic, legal and financial essence. The methodological basis for considering the problem of smart contracts is a systematic approach that allows presenting a smart contract from a technological, economic, legal and financial perspective as a set of elements with their specific functions that define its complex concept. The article reveals the nature of financial relations that arise at the time of the conclusion of bilateral or multilateral transactions, and smart contracts are presented as ways of their automatic settlement. The termination of the functioning of a smart contract is a confirmation of the completion of the transaction and the moment of termination of financial relations. The fundamental possibility of using smart contracts in the system of budgetary relations as a tool for settling a multilateral transaction is shown. The authors demonstrate that smart contracts are currently an essential element of a new stage in the development of financial technologies. Smart contracts are presented as a complex and systemic concept as digital ways of settling financial relations arising from the conclusion of bilateral or multilateral transactions. The emerging opportunities of their use in the system of financial relations and the practice of their settlement are only beginning to be realized by specialists in the financial and banking sphere. As an example, the possibility of using smart contracts in the regulation of budgetary relations in general and in increasing the efficiency of the use of budgetary funds in financing sanitary transport services, in particular, is demonstrated.

The article analyzes the gender problems in obtaining digital education, which make it difficult for women to work in the field of IT technologies. It is demonstrated that the widespread proliferation of digital technologies in almost all spheres of human activity made people’s lives much easier and facilitated the solution of problems that previously caused great difficulties and required significant time costs. However, the author shows that in practice, the use of IT (Information Technologies) immediately led to the segregation of the population, to its stratification, primarily on the basis of gender, as well as critically analyzes gender stereotypes.

The article shows that information civilization is such a level of development of the material and spiritual culture of a society, in which information and scientific knowledge are the basis of social production and dominate in almost all areas of society, being the main subject and result of this activity. The author pays considerable attention to the concept of "digital transformation", which he understands as the transformation of the form of organization of society's activities in a particular area based on the use of digital information technologies. It is demonstrated that this term appeared recently and is used along with the concept of "digital economy", which is utilized today to denote changes in the economic sphere of society, due to its deep informatization with the use of digital technologies. The article considers the issue of information inequality, which is one of the forms of social inequality, acquiring special significance in the modern conditions of digital transformation and the emergence of a global information society.

The article shows the importance of oriental publications Sulalat-us-salatin: Malay Manuscript of Kruzenshtern and its Cultural and Historical Significance and Travel and Latest Observations in China, Manila and the Indo-China Archipelago for studying the colonial policy of the Netherlands in Indonesia as part of the training course "Politics of European Powers in the Countries of the East in the 16th-early 20th century" of Master's program at the Petrozavodsk State University. The organization of the first Dutch expedition to the East Indies in 1595-1597 and the creation of the United East India Company are analyzed. The materials of the article can be useful in preparation for classes in the field of History.

The authors demonstrate why ideology, as a set of certain views, values, constants, concepts, images, and myths, can be considered a measure, that is, an indicator of the culture of mass communications. According to the authors, the reason is that mass communications carry a certain ideology, which is created by certain communicators and spreads in specific historical conditions for specific social groups and political elites. The article raises the question of why the system of mass communications as a set of education, propaganda, and mass culture, organizing the spiritual space of the Soviet person, failed to build a system of convincing evidence of socialist values in the new political, economic, and social conditions. And the "old" proofs turned into "false consciousness", because at some historical stage they moved away from real life and began to live their own inner, "false" life. Turning to the theory of mass communication, the authors actually answer the questions related to how the media should function in order to create a truthful and socially attractive image of the world. The article contains materials, useful in the fields of training of "Advertising and Public Relations" and "Journalism".

Working with award lists, orders and announcements of the High Command of the White Army, I suddenly came across a very peculiar set of documents concerning the participation of children and youth in the Civil War on the side of the whites. A characteristic feature of the White resistance, which began immediately after the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks in October 1917, from the very beginning was the massive participation of young people - pupils of military school, cadets, gymnasium students, high school and university students. Throughout the Civil War, the White Army constantly experienced a shortage of fighters and problems with mobilizing the population. Many documents that I came across in the course of my searches tell about this. In the orders of the commander-in-chief, in the reports of the officers, much is said about irreplaceable losses, difficulties of the new conscription, and melting of military contingents. The article reveals the tragedy of Russia, which survived a fratricidal war, and shows the fate of those who were able to return to productive work in Soviet times. The materials of the article, based on archival documents, make it possible to comprehend with renewed vigor the dramatic events of the early 20th century in Russia.

The article examines the role of active methods and forms of education in conducting classes within the framework of basic educational programs that implement economic disciplines, the problems of their use, and their role in the formation of economic thinking in the preparation of professionals. The material of the article reflects the main concept of the Federal Law of July 31, 2020 No. 304-FZ "On Amendments to the Federal Law "On Education in the Russian Federation" on Students’ Education".