ABSTRACT
In contrast with the de facto unitary system of government in the Soviet period, today’s Russia is developing a federative model. Regionalisation has become an integral part of Russia’s economic, social and political life. It should be noted that for some Russian and foreign analysts this process is synonymous with the further disintegration of the Russian Federation. Gloomy prognoses regarding the future of the country become popular from time to time, especially in periods of economic and political crisis: the early Yeltsin administration, the First Chechen War, the financial meltdown of August 1998 and so on. Few observers regard Russia’s regionalisation in a positive way.
