Problems of development of digital competencies in higher education taking into account world transformations (on the example of Armenia and the Russian Federation)

The article deals with what is relevant today for post-Soviet countries, and what is relating to both the development of intellectual human capital and to following the need to transform higher education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on research in current trends, the article considers the competencies required today in the field of higher education (HE), which can transform crises into opportunities. Digital competencies are becoming a necessity and are developing not only due to the dictation of the widespread dissemination of new digital technologies in the modern world educational environment, but also of the social, physical and political realities, ignoring which will lead to lagging behind and the loss of competitiveness of the university. Media and information literacy is recognized as one of the most important competencies in the current realities of the society digital transformation the neglect of which can lead to chaos in the perception of the world. Taking into account the current challenges, the authors outlined important tasks facing the sphere of higher education in post-Soviet countries, using the example of the Republic of Armenia. Following the analysis of world trends, scientific literature and expert opinions, they also revealed the issues that our countries face in the field of innovative transformation of the educational sphere into a free common space, contributing to the development of intellectual human capital in the context of digitalization. Among other things, the digitalisation processes and rapid development of the information and communication technologies make an issue of mastering the media and the information literacy competences relevant. The article is concluded with some possible steps addressing the challenges facing the education system. The research results can be used in the educational process by educational specialists and the digitalization participants in order to improve the educational policy of the RA.