This article examines the problems of the formation of the information field of Russian elites. For the media, the topic of elites is not a key one, which is actively raised in the press, but interest in it has been growing modestly over the past 20 years. The author not only analyzed the dynamics of the growth of publications in the media, but also conducted a content analysis of publications, comparing publications in the press with scientific articles of this period. In this case, a comparison was made of the meanings reflected in mass media publications and the meanings that are considered in scientific papers, mainly dissertations for the same period. A comparative analysis revealed that the attitude towards the term ‘elite’ among the general public does not arouse sympathy, they are not proud of the successes of the elites, since there is an opinion that the elites work only for themselves and their inner circle. But the situation is changing due to the advance of Russian troops and the change in the vector to the fact that the circle of elites has now expanded.