The article analyzes the role of historical memory in the formation of civic identity among the population of the Russian Federation. The relevance of the research is due to the need to consolidate the Russian civil nation by using the historical memory resource for this purpose. Historical-genetic, interdisciplinary and problem-specific methods are used to implement the research tasks. The article analyzes the development of scientists’ ideas about historical memory, its origin, functions and its collective character. The cumulative, axiological, epistemological and ethical functions of historical memory are revealed. Civic identity is formed on the basis of relevant historical memory. The phenomenon of memory wars is considered on the example of the ethnopolitical conflict in Ukraine. The implementation of the policy of historical memory in modern Russia is analyzed. According to the author, historical memory is the driving force behind the formation of a nation and a national state at all stages of nation-building, since civil identity is formed on the basis of historical memory. Historical memory can be both a source of consolidation and conflicts in society. In Russia, historical memory is used to unite society into a single civil nation, but the policy of popularizing historical memory is not systematic enough today, it requires more careful study to increase efficiency.