Abstract
<jats:p>Each phase in the development of Russian exhibits specific patterns in its layer of borrowings: overall volume of non‑native lexemes, shifts between majority and minority source languages, assimilation features, formation of reception models in the target system, and the selection of source items that reflect the heterogeneous character of this lexical stratum. This article analyzes processes of functioning that accompany the borrowing and assimilation of foreign‑language vocabulary in contemporary Russian (2024-2026) on the basis of texts from social platforms (Reddit, VK, Yandex.Dzen), news agencies, and online forums. The study’s aim is to define the specifics of how English‑language neologisms operate in Russian‑language Internet discourse. The scientific novelty lies in the first systematic description of mechanisms of “instantaneous” borrowing from English‑language subcultural practices (gaming, crypto‑economic, eco‑activist) that occur without recourse to codified lexicographic sources, and in the identification of typical types of semantic shift in colloquial online Russian (metaphorical transfer, ironic inversion, narrowing/extension of meaning). Results show that the overwhelming majority of new foreign items are absent from the Russian National Corpus; Russian tends to borrow current English multiword expressions and appropriate them as holistic nominations rather than waiting for established dictionary entries. Frequency of use for such lexical items as «дипфейк» (deepfake), «думскроллинг» (doomscrolling), and «форсить» (to force) rose three‑ to fivefold in 2024-2026, indicating a shift of these items from passive to active vocabulary.</jats:p>