Civic and patriotic education of modern students involves the use of different approaches. One of these approaches is ethno-cultural, which allows to form a personality identity in a multicultural space with a solid foundation of tolerance as an important quality of the personality of a citizen and patriot. The article considers the pedagogical foundations and conditions of development of ethno-cultural approach to civic-patriotic education of the students. It is emphasized that for Russia, one of the basic principles of civic-patriotic education is multiculturalism, contributing to the awareness of the younger generation of the cultural diversity of the modern world.