he article analyses the ‘national identity’ phenomenon in conditions of contemporary multiethnic society. The conclusion is made that the concepts “multiethnicity” ‘mulinational’, ‘poly/multi cultural’, ‘polyethnic’ or other synonymous expressions firmly rooted in scientific and ordinary everyday life. However, discussions about specifics of Russian polyethnicity differ in two opposite viewpoints. Thus one of positions states special civilization path of Russia, determined by its historical development, interjacent position between Europe and Asia, and passing through its own ‘special’ civilization way. Representatives of the second approach argue about the absence of any specifics in Russian mulinationality. Lot of states in the World are multiethnic and rather successful in developing the conditions of polyculturality and multiconsessionality. In Russian practice ‘multiculturality’ concept is constructed and focused on existence of different cultures, religious world outlooks and peoples with different historical destiny. The conclusion is made about necessity to define a new concept of the “Russian Nation”. Determination of the given concept is difficult because of two approaches to the ‘nation’: as a ‘civil society’ or as an ‘ethnic-cultural society’.