This paper dwells on the conceptual foundations and problems of the development of higher education in Russia in the conditions of popularization of the idea of internationalization of universities. We provided a general definition of the essence and role of internationalization, characterized its influence on socioeconomic and cultural processes, and revealed and grouped the main problems of higher education. The research methodology is based on the process approach, retrospective analysis, philosophical reconstruction, observation, generalization, and grouping. Internationalization is an objective process that accompanies the development of universities and higher education around the world. It ensures a positive influence on higher education, which involves an increase in the level of intellectual capital in society, the formation of students’ competencies in global communications and openness for cooperation, and an increase in the level of methodological and scientific potential of universities. We characterized the influence of the government on the full-scale internationalization in Russian universities and emphasized the possibility of interpreting it from the position of export and import of educational services. We generalized and characterized the main problems of higher education in Russia in the conditions of large-scale internationalization of universities. We also proposed the grouping of the problems of higher education in Russia, which are manifested in the context of large-scale internationalization of universities. These problems cover a wide range of public processes, including the commercialization of education and autonomy of universities, improvement of scientific and methodological levels of universities, expansion of horizontal connections, and increase in the level of general competence.