In the article, based on the provisions of the sociobiological and sociocultural approaches, the authors express their view on the nature of patriotism and on the possibilities and conditions for its strengthening. Patriotism is considered as a feeling rooted in the instincts of territorial behavior and group belonging, transformed by the course of historical evolution; its types — ethnonational, ethnocultural and civic — are distinguished. The connection of patriotism with the problem of identity, its complex nature and the importance of reflecting it in work on the formation of patriotic values are shown. The article gives priority to taking into account the ethnonational and ethnocultural aspects of patriotism, as well as the specifics of its formation under the conditions of realization of the concept of Russia as a state-civilization. The correlation between the concept of the “Russian nation” and the cultural-civilizational approach, according to which the basis of unification is the commonality of values, historical roots and destiny, is discussed. The issues of strengthening traditional spiritual and moral values in the context of the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation of November 9, 2022 No. 809 and the amendments made to the Constitution of the Russian Federation in 2020 are addressed. The need to solve institutional and political-legal problems of affirming the social character of the Russian state is shown as one of the most important conditions for the formation of patriotic consciousness of citizens: poverty reduction, increasing the birth rate, overcoming the gap in the level and quality of life of various segments of the population. The conclusion is formulated on the need to form not conflicting but complementary identities — from all-Russian to local — based on the traditions, history and culture of the peoples of Russia.