ABSTRACT
The relationship between Moscow and the federal subjects has been one of the main issues of contention in Russian politics since the establishment of the Russian Federation in 1991. Whereas traditionally most attention has been paid to the political struggle between what popularly has been labelled ‘Democrats’ and ‘Communists’ or ‘pro-’ and ‘anti-reform’ groups in Mos cow, a no less fierce battle is being fought out between the federal centre and the regions. The days when one could analyse Russian politics in terms of who stood next to whom at the top of the Lenin Mausoleum are long since gone. Today’s analysts have to look further, even beyond Moscow’s Garden Ring, to understand the dynamics of Russian politics.
