THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY AMONG THE POPULATION OF THE KALMYK STEPPE OF ASTRAKHAN PROVINCE IN THE LAST THIRD OF XVII-XVIII CENTURIES
The formation of a multi-ethnic state demanded from the Russian authorities a policy that would ensure the integration of the peoples into its constituent states, the dominance of centripetal tendencies, and the strength of its state unity.The Christianization of foreigners, including Kalmyks, was considered one of the important means of achieving