The issue of sovereignty and its provision is acute in most countries due to the processes of globalization and the attempt of the United States and its allies to establish a unipolar world. The processes of dismantling the institution of the nation-state and the formation of the post-Westphalia system of world order are painful and sometimes cause active opposition. The fundamental difference between the post-Soviet countries and, above all, Russia and European countries in terms of attitude to sovereignty is that the political elite of the Russian Federation establishes and defends state sovereignty "from above", while in most European countries attempts to preserve sovereignty are carried out "from below", by opposition, populist parties. In some European countries populists and Euroskeptics achieve political victory and come to power. But the EU member states do not have enough tools to realize full sovereignty. In addition, sovereigntist discourse has the potential to divide societies, as we can observe in the countries of Europe. The article raises the question of the development of the sovereignty movement in Europe, its main characteristic features and compares Russian and European cases of attitudes to sovereignty.