This article considers e-democracy as a socio-political resource and technology of the etatist model of Russian modernization. Based on the results of theoretical and empirical studies the article reveals the positive / negative factors affecting the legitimacy of public authorities and governance, Russian citizens' involvement in the political process. The analysis is focused on the risks and threats, institutional distortions that appear in the process of implementing e-democracy, as well as society and state security. The paper is based on the materials obtained during realization by the authors of the grant supported by the Russian Foundation for Humanities and Administration of the Volgograd region. The perspectives of functioning of e-democracy in the context of implementation of innovative communication technologies are defined.